Team Belgium will send a delegation of 12 athletes competing across seven sports to the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, marking the first time the continent of Africa hosts an Olympic event.
The event runs from October 31 to November 13, 2026. Gert Van Looy will lead the Belgian delegation at the Games, where approximately 2,700 athletes aged 17 and under are expected to compete under a total parity format.
Pathways from Dakar to the Senior Olympics
The Youth Olympic Games serve as an initial introduction to elite international competition, giving athletes experience in a multi-sport village environment and managing overseas pressure. Historical data shows that 12.7 percent of participants across past editions eventually make the transition to the senior Olympic Games.
Several prominent Belgian competitors previously passed through the youth event before reaching senior Games, including Arthur Van Doren, Alexander Hendrickx, Toma Nikiforov, Nicola Philippaerts, and Si Mohamed Ketbi. More recently, Julien Carraggi secured a bronze medal at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires before competing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Belgium selects 12 athletes for 2026 event
The 12 selected Belgian athletes were chosen upon the proposal of their respective national sports federations. The 2026 event features representation from all 206 National Olympic Committees, alongside the inclusion of a refugee youth Olympic team for the first time.
At the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010, the Belgian team collected five medals, consisting of two gold, one silver, and two bronze. Eight years later in Buenos Aires, the nation improved that total to nine medals, split into two gold, three silver, and two bronze.
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