From October 31 to November 13, 2026, Senegal and Africa will host the fourth edition of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. The event will bring together more than 2,700 athletes aged 18 and under from 206 National Olympic Committees around the world.
Just 30 days remain until the Olympic event is held on African soil for the first time. After being postponed in 2022 due to the global pandemic, Dakar is now ready to host the 2026 Youth Olympic Games
The Games will take place over 14 days, featuring more than 2,700 young athletes from 206 countries, with a global quota split 50-50 between men and women.
The sports program includes a strong focus on urban disciplines, beach sports, and activities designed to bring sports closer to young people in Senegal and across Africa.
Dakar 2026 will be the fourth edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games, following Singapore 2010, Nanjing 2014, and Buenos Aires 2018.
Unlike the full Olympic Games, this event is designed for young athletes and combines competition with educational, cultural, and exchange activities among athletes.
It is also worth noting that, for the first time in the history of the Youth Olympic Games, there will be a Youth Refugee Olympic Team, composed of athletes selected from among young refugees from the African continent.
In total, there will be 151 events, divided into 72 women’s, 72 men’s, and 7 mixed events. The Dakar 2026 competition program consists of 25 sports:
Track and Field, Swimming, Archery, Badminton, Baseball5, 3×3 Basketball, Boxing, Breaking, Road Cycling, Equestrian (Show Jumping), Fencing, Futsal, Artistic Gymnastics, Beach Handball, Judo, Coastal Rowing, Rugby 7s, Sailing (windsurfing), Skateboarding (Street), Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Triathlon, Beach Volleyball, Beach Wrestling, and Wushu.
In addition to these sports, the Local Organizing Committee has included 10 participation sports—that is, those without medals—with the goal of introducing other disciplines to young people: Canoeing, Sport Climbing, Golf, Hockey, Karate, Modern Pentathlon, Surfing, Tennis, Shooting, and Weightlifting.
SPORTS VENUES
The Youth Olympic Games will feature three major sports cities: Dakar, Diamniadio, and Saly.
The Senegalese capital will host three major venues. The Complexe Tour de l’Oeuf, which will host baseball, swimming, skateboarding, breaking, and 3×3 basketball; the Complexe Iba Mar Diop, which will host track and field, taekwondo, futsal, and rugby 7s; and Corniche Ouest, located along the Atlantic coast, which will serve as the start and finish line for road cycling.
Diamniadio is located about 30 kilometers from Dakar. This venue will host equestrian show jumping, badminton, futsal, archery, artistic gymnastics, fencing, judo, table tennis, taekwondo, boxing, and wushu. The Olympic Village is also located here.
The third major competition venue will be Saly, a coastal town south of Dakar, where beach volleyball, beach handball, beach wrestling, triathlon, coastal rowing, and sailing (windsurfing) will take place.
Following the conclusion of these 4th Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Africa, the International Olympic Committee will decide whether to continue organizing this sporting event, for which there are already two candidate cities for 2030: Santiago, Chile, and Asunción, Paraguay.
Below is the Dakar 2026 Sports Program:
