DAKAR, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) — Cheers rang out at the Léopold Sédar Senghor stadium when the final rally ended: one player raised his arms in victory while his opponent, exhausted, lay down on the court. Moments later, laughter ran through the stands as two mascots entered: Ayo, the lion mascot of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG), and a smiling panda specially prepared by the Chinese Embassy in Senegal.
Spectators and players paused the competition for a moment to greet, applaud and take photos. This friendly scene concluded the last day of the second edition of the “Panda tournament”, a friendly badminton competition between China and Senegal, which ended Sunday in Dakar after two days of events.
The tournament included professional and amateur categories, with singles, doubles and mixed doubles events. It brought together more than 100 players, including around 40 Chinese and 60 Senegalese.
Speaking at the event, Li Zhigang, Chinese Ambassador to Senegal, stressed that this meeting went well beyond just the sporting competition.
“Sport is a universal language,” he said, adding that through events like the “Panda Tournament,” young people from China and Senegal meet, compete and form friendships in a natural way. It is a living example of people-to-people exchanges at the opening of the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.
Ibrahima Wade, general coordinator of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games Organizing Committee, said the tournament offered young athletes valuable opportunities for competition, learning and exchanges.
“It contributes to improving sporting performances, but also to strengthening our capacity to organize events and to sustainably develop badminton in Senegal,” he added.
From the point of view of the governing body of the discipline, Antoine Jean Joseph Diandy, president of the Senegalese Badminton Federation, emphasized the importance of long-term cooperation.
“Badminton is increasingly becoming a concrete vector of sporting exchanges and practical cooperation between Senegal and China,” he said. “Our objective is both to raise the level of competition and to build quality badminton infrastructure in Dakar, while expanding the practice on a national scale.”
On the field, the men’s singles final among the professionals illustrated this progress. Moussa Sow, 16, winner of the tournament, said his success had been difficult to achieve.
“Winning a tournament like this is not easy,” he said. “I faced very strong opponents and I had to stay focused to avoid technical errors.”
He also discussed the impact of his previous training in China. “We benefited from qualified Chinese coaches,” he explained. “They taught us a lot, particularly through the repetition of basic technical gestures, which allowed me to progress.”
Unhappy finalist, Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Diagne, 14, admitted that the defeat was difficult to accept, but educational. “I was very nervous, and that’s why I lost the final,” he said. “But next time it will be better.”
Also referring to his training experience in China, he added: “We learned a lot of things there, and with this experience, I want to win a medal in Dakar 2026.”
Referee Edmond Bassène, for his part, praised the level of the competition and the organization of the tournament, highlighting the commitment of the players and the enthusiasm of the public. “We are seeing real progress in badminton in Senegal,” he stressed.
Organizers further proposed China-Senegal mixed doubles exhibition matches, a demonstration involving Senegalese para-athletes, as well as interactive badminton activities for children from both countries. END
