The Olympic flame was brought to a welcoming celebration on Saturday in Dakar, Senegal ahead of the Games’ first event ever held in Africa next month.
At the event at the Place du Souvenir Africain, a march of more than 100 women marked the arrival of the flame that will be ignited and remain ablaze during the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
The competition begins on October 31 from November 13, with more than 2,700 athletes ages 13 to 18 who will take part in sports throughout Dakar and nearby in Saly and Diamniadio.
This year’s event holds the distinction of being the first time that any International Olympic Committee event has been hosted in Africa and last Thursday at a ceremony in Athens, the Olympic flame was lit at Panathenaic Stadium for a torch to be transported to Dakar.
Along its journey from the first site of the modern Olympics in 1896, the flame burned in a special lantern that could easily be transported alongside flame guardians until it reached Senegal in time to be reignited especially for Saturday’s event.
IOC president Kirsty Coventry was on hand at the ceremony and reflected on what the upcoming competition would mean not only for the athletes but also the symbolism of an Olympic event finally touching African soil.
“I hope that the athletes don’t just fulfill their ambitions, their dreams and their goals, but I hope they walk away with a greater sense of what the Olympic spirit means,” Coventry told Olympics.com. “It’s a huge opportunity for us to show who we are and to show that openness, that friendliness, that respect, all of those values that we hold dear that are embedded into everything the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games has been doing, and I think the Youth Olympic Games will be able to deliver that.”
There will be 25 official competitive sports and 10 exhibition sports during the Games as the event gets a nationwide promotional run from September 14 to October 30 through all 14 regions of Senegal with the flame being the central part of the “Pass the Energy” campaign.
Within the tour, local communities along more than 30 stages in the regions will showcase local customs and participate in what organizers say will help “carry the spirit” of Dakar 2026 ahead of the Games.
