Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 gets underway with vibrant and colourful Opening Ceremony, in historic first for Africa
  • Title Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 gets underway with vibrant and colourful Opening Ceremony, in historic first for Africa
  • Publication Date 31st October 2026
  • Languages EN | FR | IT
  • Location Diamniadio, Senegal
  • Photo Album Link
  • Press Release https://www.olympics.com/ioc/news/dakar-2026-youth-olympic-games-open-in-historic-first-for-africa
  • Description

    The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Dakar 2026 officially opened on Saturday 31 October, marking the first Olympic sporting event to be held on African soil. A colourful and vibrant Opening Ceremony at the 50,000 capacity Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Diamniadio, a city about 30 kilometres from Senegal’s capital Dakar, was a celebration of African culture, creativity and the Olympic spirit. Featuring around 1,100 performers including 700 dancers, the ceremony set the stage for 14 days of sport and cultural exchange. International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry welcomed the young athletes from around the world and underscored the significance of the first ever Olympic sporting event hosted in Africa.

  • Games Edition Dakar 2026 (YOG)
  • Sport
  • Discipline
  • Event
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  • Expiration Date
  • Copyright

    © 2026 - International Olympic Committee - All Rights Reserved. IOC Newsroom video news releases (IOC-VNRs) are the exclusive property of the IOC. They are made available to you for bona fide news reporting purposes only and all rights required for their production have been cleared. IOC-VNRs related to the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are subject to the terms and conditions of the IOC Newsroom and Olympics.com and shall be used in accordance with the specific News Access Rules applicable for each relevant YOG edition in particular in respect to the amount of content, duration of use, no use of Olympic Properties, no commercial association, on-screen credit (“Courtesy of the International Olympic Committee”), infringements and monitoring, etc.

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