Senegal Youth Olympics End with Expectations ‘Far Exceeded’

The Youth Games draw to a close Friday evening in Senegal, with organisers describing the event as a major success and saying it demonstrated Africa’s ability to host international sporting competitions.

The Games brought together nearly 2,700 athletes under the age of 17 from across the world.

Competitors took part in 25 sports, with 153 medal events held over two weeks.

Senegal hosted the competition across three locations: the capital, Dakar, the planned city of Diamniadio and the coastal town of Saly, about 80 kilometres from the capital.

The event attracted strong public interest, particularly in Dakar, where spectators turned out to support competitors, with loud celebrations whenever Senegalese and other African athletes secured victories.

A total of 136 athletes represented Senegal, drawing widespread attention in a country where public enthusiasm for sports is often centred on football.

The city was decorated with banners welcoming visitors and large statues of Ayo, the lion mascot, placed at major landmarks and intersections.

“I think that everyone came here with certain expectations and I think those expectations have been far exceeded”, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry, a former Zimbabwean swimmer, said in her closing address on Thursday.

“Now I think we’ve shown the world the capability that we have and now we need to choose to take that forward”, she said.

China finished at the top of the gold medal table with 18 titles, winning across disciplines including artistic gymnastics, athletics, swimming and coastal rowing beach sprints. 

Japan placed second with 11 gold medals, while Russia secured eight.

African countries also recorded strong performances, with Egypt winning six gold medals, while Ethiopia and host nation Senegal each claimed five.

Final competitions were held Friday in beach handball, breaking and fencing, followed by a closing ceremony in the evening at the Youth Olympic Village in the Dakar suburb of Diamniadio for athletes, delegations and dignitaries.

Ibrahima Wade, general coordinator of the Dakar 2026 Organising Committee, said the competition had tested whether countries across all five continents could successfully host an event of such scale.

He described the Games as an opportunity to demonstrate that African countries could take on major international sporting responsibilities and play a greater role in hosting future events.

“One of the challenges, which we acknowledged from the very beginning, was to demonstrate that across all five continents there is an equal capacity to rise to such a challenge”, Ibrahima Wade, said on Thursday during closing remarks.

“It was a test, and we had to succeed to show that Africa has its place in hosting major future events.”

The competition also marked the first Olympic event since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 in which Russian athletes were permitted to compete under their national flag and colours.

A refugee team, made up mainly of athletes living in African countries, also participated in the Games.

South Africa could become the first African country to host the Olympic Games, having previously staged the 2010 men’s FIFA World Cup. The country is among those being considered to host the 2036 Summer Olympics.