Dakar, Monday 24.02.205:
Thirty-five International Federations (IFs) will be involved in Africa’s first Youth Olympic Games (YOG) with 25 sports featuring on the competition programme and 10 as part of the engagement programme
This will be the first Olympic sporting event to be held on African soil and will take place over two weeks from October 31, 2026, bringing together 2,700 of the best young athletes from around the world.
The YOG will be held in three host sites (Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly), and are envisioned to serve as a catalyst to transform Senegal through sport, while also aiming to inspire new hope, opportunities and confidence among young people across Africa and become a blueprint for future YOG hosts.
This approach is embodied in the Games’ motto, “Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates”, which underscores the uniqueness of this YOG edition.
The Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (YOGOC) emphasises that the YOG will be an event for the entire African continent.
In creating the motto, Dakar 2026 showed its desire to develop a brand that highlights its unique vision for the YOG, seeking to create an event that combines the Senegalese Teranga – the host nation’s generosity of spirit and hospitality – with sport, youth, hope and celebration.
Dakar 2026 will showcase one discipline from each of the 25 sports on the competition programme. These are athletics (track and field), aquatics (swimming), archery, badminton, baseball, basketball (3×3), boxing, breaking, cycling (road cycling) and equestrian (jumping).
Others are fencing, football (futsal), gymnastics (artistic), handball (beach handball), judo, rowing (coastal rowing), rugby (rugby sevens), sailing, skateboarding (street), table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, volleyball (beach volleyball), wrestling (beach wrestling) and wushu
Additionally, Dakar 2026 will feature an engagement programme showcasing 10 sports: canoe-kayak, golf, hockey, karate, modern pentathlon, shooting, sport climbing, surfing, tennis and weightlifting.
These will not feature in the competition programme but will be promoted through interactive activities on site and via digital platforms, emphasising their role as integral components and an official part of the YOG.
In total, the Games will feature 151 events – split equally between men and women, with 72 events for each, alongside seven mixed-gender events.
For the first time in the history of the Summer YOG, full gender equality will be achieved, not only in the overall athlete quota but also across every sport, discipline and event.
(APO Group/International Olympic Committee).
This update is generally attributed to Pura Vida’s Content team. Feel free to shared any feedback or or relevant info incase of inaccuracies.
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