Youth Olympic Games kick off in Dakar

The 2026 Youth Olympic Games have officially kicked off in Senegal. Crowds gathered for Saturday’s opening ceremony, featuring hundreds of drummers and dancers celebrating Senegalese and wider African culture, in keeping with the Games’ motto: “Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates”. It is the first-ever Olympic sporting event to be held on the African continent, but comes as Senegal faces an economic crisis. The country’s president has said he wants to turn sport into an “economic and social engine”. The Games also come amid a government crackdown on LGBTQ+ people. Nearly 3,000 teenagers from more than 200 countries are competing in around a dozen sports, including athletics, beach wrestling and a five-a-side version of baseball. Jean-Loup Chappelet, Professor at Lausanne University and Olympics specialist, shares further insights.