Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics opens in historic first for Africa
Baku, November 1, AZERTAC
The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) opened on Saturday, marking the first time an Olympic event has been held on African soil.
The opening ceremony took place at the 55,000-seat Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Diamniadio, a new city located 30 km from Senegal's capital of Dakar.
According to the organizing committee, Khady Niang, the ceremony director, said the show allows Africa to "tell the world who we are, where we come from and where we want to go."
During the ceremony, the tricolor flag of Azerbaijan was carried by swimmers Suleyman Ismayilzada, winner of the 3rd CIS Games and bronze medalist of the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games, and Maryam Javadova, bronze medalist of the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games.
Addressing the event, Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye, President of the Dakar 2026 4th Summer Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee, highlighted the historical significance of hosting this prestigious sporting event on African soil for the first time.
As the Olympic cauldron was lit, dancers wearing masks and futuristic costumes created a pathway for an Afrofuturism-inspired fashion show. The act also featured a standout performance by a 12-year-old drummer whose solo drew loud applause.
Azerbaijan will be represented by 13 athletes across 8 sports disciplines at the Olympic event. Azerbaijani athletes will compete in beach wrestling, swimming, taekwondo, boxing, fencing, road cycling, judo, and athletics at the Dakar Games.
Held in Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly from Oct. 31 to Nov. 13, the fourth edition of the YOG will bring together more than 2,600 athletes from over 200 delegations. A total of 25 sports will feature on the official competition program, alongside 10 engagement sports.
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