Team Mauritius took its place in African sports history on Saturday as the quadicolore mauricien was carried into the Stade Abdoulaye Wade in Diamniadio during the opening ceremony of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. For the ten young athletes representing the nation, the parade marked the official beginning of a two-week campaign across eight sports disciplines against competitors from five continents.
The ceremony carried continental significance as the first time an Olympic competition has ever been organized on African soil. Senegal welcomed international delegations with traditional percussion, wrestling exhibitions, choreography, and musical performances by artists including Baaba Maal and Kiné Lam. Bassirou Diomaye Faye officially opened the Games before the lighting of the Olympic cauldron, an event that International Olympic Committee Kirsty Coventry also praised as a historic milestone.
Flag Bearers and Leadership Roles for Team Mauritius
Badminton player Elsa How Hong and fencer Lucas Aimé shared the distinction of carrying the national flag at the head of the Mauritian delegation. Their selection anchored a squad of ten athletes who spent months preparing for the international stage. Behind the flag bearers, the team features Leo Douce in badminton, Brice Tailly in the 110-meter hurdles, boxers Denzel Namaseevayen and Julian Agathe, cyclist Thomas Harel, judoka Hayden Khenmah, archer Yugveer Bissessur, and triathlete Keira Rajabalee.
Leadership responsibilities within the delegation were divided between the athletes, with Keira Rajabalee named captain of the women’s team and Yugveer Bissessur appointed captain of the men’s squad. Aarti Desscann, secretary general of the Mauritian Olympic Committee, watched from the stands in Diamniadio as the delegation joined athletes from around the world.
Opening Competition Schedule in Dakar
The emotion of the opening ceremony shifts immediately to the sporting schedule. Elsa How Hong and Leo Douce open the Mauritian campaign on Sunday, November 1st, competing in badminton singles events at the venue. The remaining members of the delegation prepare to enter competition across their respective disciplines as the two-week youth Olympic program gets fully underway.
More on Elsa How Hong
The first-ever Refugee Youth Olympic Team! 🫶Six athletes will make history with this team at the Youth Olympic Games #Dakar2026.#Olympics #YouthOlympics #Dakar2026 #OpeningCeremony @jojdakar2026 @RefugeesOlympic pic.twitter.com/HPjQNFq5N0
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