The opening ceremony of the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, the first ever to be held in Africa, took place on Saturday in Senegal.
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye declared the Games open.
The opening ceremony, with the motto “Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates”, was held at the Diamniadio Olympic Stadium near Dakar and was attended by tens of thousands of cheering spectators, along with hundreds of drummers and dancers.
President of the International Olympic Committee, Kirsty Coventry, stated during the ceremony, “This is a historic moment for Senegal, for Africa and for our entire Olympic family.”
Coventry, a former swimming gold medalist from Zimbabwe, became the first female and African head of the IOC in 2025.
This edition’s Youth Olympics, which will end November 13, is expected to host about 2,665 young athletes, aged 14 to 17, from around the world, competing across 25 sports in 153 medal events.
Aside from Diamniadio, some events of the Games will also take place at the beach resort of Saly, located some 80 kilometres from Dakar.
Dakar was supposed to host in 2022, but the coronavirus pandemic delayed the Games.