Collaboration and capacity building define seminal year for Dakar 2026

Driven by an increase in collaboration, communication and staff numbers, 2025 was a pivotal year for the Dakar 2026 Organising Committee in the lead up to the Youth Olympic Games.

Two landmark initiatives set the tone: the NOC Open Days, the first of their kind for a Youth Olympic Games, and the Learning Academy, a flagship legacy programme designed to recruit and train more than 400 young professionals for the Games. Together, they added breadth and depth to Dakar 2026’s delivery while reinforcing a shared, collaborative approach with Olympic Movement stakeholders.

As a historic milestone for Africa and the Olympic Movement, Dakar 2026 promises to be a journey of discovery for many partners. Held from 5 to 7 November 2025, the NOC Open Days welcomed representatives from 42 National Olympic Committees, offering them a first‑hand look at the YOG project. Participants visited the three host sites of Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly, as well as competition and training venues for the Games.

Delivered by the Dakar 2026 team with the active support of the IOC, the Open Days addressed all functional areas, including transport, logistics, accommodation, arrivals and departures, and the Youth Olympic Village. According to Leo Moreau, Head of NOC Services at Dakar 2026, the gathering provided an excellent opportunity for open, two‑way discussions with NOCs six months ahead of the traditional Chef de Mission Seminar scheduled for April 2026.

“I see the Games not exclusively as the Organising Committee delivering for the NOCs or for stakeholders, but with them,” Moreau explained. “We are very open to dialogue and to discussion to make sure the Games are an excellent experience for them, for the athletes, and for us. We count on their experience. We count on that collaboration.”

While the Open Days helped build bridges with international partners in 2025, the Learning Academy focused on laying the foundations for Africa’s sporting future. Launched in May 2025, the programme serves as a professional springboard for recent graduates, young professionals working in sport, including NOC staff, and government employees. Participants receive comprehensive training from Dakar 2026 and IOC experts in Games planning, sports and event operations, and functional‑area responsibilities. By Games time, the ambition is for more than half of the Dakar 2026 workforce to be composed of Learning Academy alumni.

“It’s a very ambitious programme, with the aim of leaving a strong and powerful legacy for local use in the workforce, especially in sport and major events,” said Moreau, noting that the model has already attracted interest from future Olympic hosts, including LA28.

Expertise and youthful energy have been strategically woven into the make‑up of the Organising Committee. By the end of 2025, for example, the NOC Relations and Services team consisted of three French nationals with Paris 2024 experience alongside eight local hires. The team is expected to grow to 20 members by the start of the Youth Olympic Games.

Among the new recruits was Nanaissa Ben Aya, who joined the team in late spring after graduating from the first of nine Learning Academy cohorts, alongside 40 other participants. The 22‑year‑old architecture and civil engineering student now serves as Dakar 2026’s NOC Relations Manager for Europe.

“I think the Learning Academy is a great initiative because no one understands a country better than the locals,” she said. “If you want to organise something successfully, you’re going to have to have tailored solutions.”

Importantly, the reach of the Learning Academy extends beyond Senegal’s borders. With the support of Olympic Solidarity and ANOCA, cohorts five and six were reserved for young professionals from other African countries. In October 2025, each African NOC was invited to nominate one male and one female candidate to join the Organising Committee through the programme, ensuring that the skills developed in Dakar will eventually benefit workforces from Cairo to Cape Town. Learning Academy graduates nominated by 22 African NOCs were expected to join the Organising Committee in January and April 2026.

“Giving this opportunity to young professionals is very good, knowing that Africa has a very young population and that we are growing in terms of hosting global events, especially in sport,” Ben Aya added. “The Learning Academy is helping lay the foundation for future events to come.”

As the countdown to Dakar 2026 continues, the youthful energy and pride of the Learning Academy alumni are already having a transformative effect on the Organising Committee. The result is a workforce deeply invested in delivering a Youth Olympic Games that leaves a lasting impact, both on the world’s best young athletes and on the next generation of leaders across Senegal and the African continent.

“We see people that want to serve their countries, they want to serve their continent,” Moreau said of the Learning Academy recruits. “They feel that they are part of something bigger. It’s truly Olympism in action. It completely matches the Olympic values and the reality of delivering the Youth Olympic Games.”