Dakar 2026 enters final stretch towards Youth Olympic Games
With close to 23,000 volunteer registrations, around 300,000 young people set to experience the Games through schools and communities, and a nationwide Flame Tour that will soon carry the Olympic spirit across Senegal, Dakar 2026 is taking shape as activities scale up across Senegal.
Presenting an update to the 146th IOC Session in Lausanne, the Dakar 2026 Organising Committee (YOGOC) outlined how preparations for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are increasingly focused on execution, testing and Games-time delivery across venues, operations and engagement programmes, with the pace and scale of readiness continuing to grow ahead of the Opening Ceremony on 31 October.
Readiness moves into testing and delivery
Across all eight competition sites, preparations are increasingly focused on bringing operations together. With venue works for competition sites entering their final stages in the coming weeks, attention is shifting towards testing and integration across venues and functions. Testing opportunities are scheduled throughout July and August across sports including taekwondo at Complexe Iba Mar Diop, beach volleyball at Saly Beach West, and breaking and swimming at Complexe Tour de l’Œuf.
Engagement across the Olympic Movement is also intensifying. More than 200 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) took part in the Chefs de Mission Seminar in April to prepare their delegations for Games-time operations, while athlete quota allocation has now been completed across all NOCs and the Refugee Olympic Team. International Federations are continuing to work closely with the Dakar 2026 organisers to support sport delivery and operational alignment ahead of the Games.
YOGOC President Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye highlighted the collective effort driving preparations towards Africa's first Olympic sporting event: “Today, 128 days remain until this historic moment – a first for the African continent. The progress we are making and the milestones we are reaching are the result of our joint efforts: the YOGOC, the IOC, the International Federations, the National Olympic Committees, our various partners, the national authorities, national sports stakeholders and the youth of Senegal.”
Coordination Commission Chair Humphrey Kayange also addressed the Session, speaking about the progress of the Games. “These Youth Olympic Games are no longer an idea on paper. They are now something visible, tangible and present across Senegal and within the Olympic Movement,” he said.
Building the people behind the Games
The Dakar 2026 Learning Academy has now integrated more than 250 young professionals into the organising effort, alongside participants from 27 African NOCs and six Olympians and elite athletes, creating practical experience and developing future sports and events leaders across the continent.
Volunteer mobilisation has generated strong momentum. Through the Jambaar26 volunteer programme, close to 23,000 people have registered, with selection now underway for approximately 6,000 Games-time roles.
A Games experience designed to be felt across Senegal
Through Jeunesse en Jeux, around 300,000 young people across Senegal are expected to take part in the YOG through schools and local communities. At the centre of this experience will be dedicated festive zones combining live competition viewing, cultural programming and opportunities for young people to try Olympic sports.
“Attending events with classmates, discovering sports together and stepping into the Olympic environment in a very real, shared way. It is a generational moment of access, discovery and moments that will stay with them.” said Kayange.
Ticketing will go live in July, with approximately 900,000 tickets planned across the Games and around a third distributed through solidarity mechanisms.
Youth Olympic Flame Tour to ignite the journey to the Games
The arrival of the Youth Olympic flame in September will mark one of the defining moments on the road to Dakar 2026. Following the lighting ceremony in Athens on 10 September, the flame will arrive in Dakar on 12 September before beginning a 30-stop journey across all regions of Senegal. Supported by further local celebrations across the African continent, the tour is designed to bring the Games experience into communities and build anticipation ahead of the Opening Ceremony.
The Dakar 2026 YOG will take place from 31 October to 13 November 2026, bringing together around 2,700 young athletes aged up to 17 across three host zones: Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly.