The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games will run from Saturday, October 31, through Friday, November 13, marking the first time an Olympic event is hosted on the African continent. Returning to the calendar after an eight-year gap since the Buenos Aires 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, the competition brings together 204 National Olympic Committees and a Refugee Olympic Team.
Dakar Capitalizes as African Host
Competition will center in Senegal’s capital, Dakar, with events also spanning Diamniadio and Saly. The Refugee Olympic Team features six athletes living in Africa, representing displaced populations across the continent. For the first time in Youth Olympic history, the program achieves absolute gender parity across its competition schedule. Organizers scheduled exactly 73 men’s events and 73 women’s events, alongside seven mixed competitions, guaranteeing a 50-50 split in athlete representation.
New Disciplines Join Twenty-Five Sports
Athletes will contest 25 sports during the fortnight, featuring athletics, swimming, archery, badminton, 3×3 basketball, boxing, breakdancing, cycling, equestrianism, fencing, futsal, artistic gymnastics, beach handball, judo, rugby sevens, sailing, skateboarding, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, and beach volleyball. Four new disciplines enter the program compared to the 2018 edition in Buenos Aires: wushu, baseball5, coastal rowing, and beach wrestling.
The countdown to Dakar 2026 is on! 🇸🇳✨Discover the venues and sports that will set the stage for the next generation of athletes at the Youth Olympic Games.🏅#Dakar2026 #Olympics pic.twitter.com/lkEPNDXVua
Ten additional local sports will appear as exhibitions to highlight regional culture: kayaking, golf, hockey, karate, modern pentathlon, shooting, sport climbing, surfing, tennis, and weightlifting. Broadcasters Claro Sports and the Olympic Channel will carry the live coverage.
Argentina Names Flagbearers and Delegation
The Argentine Olympic Committee designated swimmer Cecilia Dieleke and gymnast Benjamín Nicolás Fernández De Landa as the nation’s official flagbearers. Argentina brings a 42-athlete delegation—comprising nine women and 33 men—competing across 16 sports. The roster spans athletics, 3×3 basketball, road cycling, equestrian, fencing, futsal, artistic gymnastics, judo, swimming, coastal rowing, rugby sevens, skateboarding, table tennis, sailing, beach volleyball, and wushu.
Three athletes hail from Córdoba: Felipe Ledesma in rugby sevens, Thiago Pizzini Paz in swimming, and Thiago Carvallo in judo. Pizzini Paz enters the 200-meter, 400-meter, and 600-meter freestyle races for club Bucor, while Carvallo competes in the under-66-kilogram judo bracket. Ledesma plays his club rugby for Córdoba Athletic.
Schedule of October and November Events
Baseball5 preliminary matches begin on Friday, October 30, one day ahead of the official opening ceremony on Saturday, October 31. The first medals of the Games are scheduled for Sunday, November 1. Competition concludes on Friday, November 13, immediately preceding the closing ceremony.
The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games sports infrastructure project, constructed by CCECC, has entered the final stage of interior finishing and equipment commissioning. Covering approximately 50,000㎡, it includes multiple sports venues and upgraded community facilities. pic.twitter.com/CkzaIjgaiu
More on Dakar
Dakar 2026 begins here. 🇸🇳✨The Flame of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games has been ignited, and we've embarked on the journey to the first-ever Olympic sporting event in Africa! 🔥Following the traditional ceremony, the Youth Olympic Flame will now travel to and across… pic.twitter.com/Tm2vaNpt0y
🔥 ONE WEEK TO GO! 🎉 The Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 is almost here! A world of talent, passion, and possibility is coming together. One week until the next generation takes centre stage! 🌍#Dakar2026 #Olympics #YouthOlympics pic.twitter.com/6l0Poh4NZR
History in the making! 🌍With just 200 days to go, the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games are set to be one of the most exciting events of the year, marking the first-ever Olympic event to take place on African soil.Will you be watching?#Olympics #Dakar2026 pic.twitter.com/ZUhqifJX3H
