4th Summer Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 – information for the media
The 4th Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) will take place in Dakar, Senegal, marking the first time a country on the African continent is hosting an Olympic sporting event.
Updated on 29 October 2026
General information
The Youth Olympic Games are a global elite sporting event for athletes aged up to 17, featuring a programme largely based on the Olympic Games, while also introducing newer sports and innovative competition formats. Beyond the competition, the YOG include an educational programme that promotes the Olympic values, cultural exchange and athlete development. Many YOG athletes have gone on to become Olympic champions. Some notable examples include Chad le Clos (swimming, South Africa), Tom Daley (diving, Great Britain), Thiago Braz (athletics, Brazil), Jessica Fox (canoe slalom, Australia), Kuo Hsing-chun (weightlifting, Chinese Taipei), Noah Lyles (athletics, USA) and Julien Alfred (athletics, Saint Lucia), among many others.
The Dakar 2026 YOG will take place from Saturday 31 October to Friday 13 November 2026.
Accreditation
Media representatives interested in covering the Dakar 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games should submit their accreditation application on the Media Registration Portal that will open on 13 April 2026.
The application period is from 13 April to 12 June 2026, until 23:59 GMT.
The registration is open for rights-holding and non-rights holding media, written press and photographers, as well as writers and photographers working for publications and/or websites of National Olympic Committees and International Federations.
Visa
Senegal operates a three-category visa system for foreign nationals with varying entry requirements. Please refer to the full media advisory for detailed information.
Accommodation
Dakar 2026 has pre-selected dedicated hotels for the media. These hotels are located in the different clusters of Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly, all of which are hosts of Dakar 2026 YOG events. A transport service via the Common Shuttle Service (CSS) will be provided at all official accommodation.
Media facilities and services
Media facilities and services will be provided in every competition venue.
The Main Press Centre (MPC) is located at the Abdou Diouf International Conference Centre, also commonly known as the CICAD, in the Diamniadio cluster.
The MPC will be in operation from 27 October to 14 November 2026.
Please find a detailed media advisory here, covering further information on accreditation, visas, accommodation, transport, media facilities and services, the schedule of IOC media events, the Olympic Information Service and key contacts and resources.
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Tel: +41 21 621 6000, email: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our web site at www.ioc.org.
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