Africa’s first Olympic Event will be Held in Senegal.

Africa is looking forward to hosting the first Youth Olympic Games in its history in Dakar, Senegal’s capital, in 2026. The proposed event has been rescheduled between October 31 and November 13, 2026. Over 14 days, it will feature competitions in 35 different sports among the world’s best young athletes.

The Dakar en Jeux festival was named after the event, which was originally scheduled to take place in the three host cities of Dakar, Diamniadio, and Saly during the Dakar 2022 timeframe.

Since then, Dakar en Jeux has developed into a yearly celebration of culture and sport that both promotes greater youth participation in sports and acts as a prelude to Dakar 2026.

Senegal’s hosting of the Olympics is said to have received backing from Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

We are eager to return and take in this historic first Olympic competition held on African land—an occasion that will welcome the world’s young to Senegal and is an event for and by Africa. Bach expressed his excitement for the occasion in these remarks made in 2022 while visiting Senegal.

Many African sports commentators believe the occurrence to be historic. Senegalese sports commentator Rufai Shuaib stated

“The Youth Olympic Games being held in Dakar is a significant achievement in presenting our young athletes’ extraordinary talent and potential on an international stage,