Senegal Welcomes Flame for Africa's First Youth Games

Senegal has welcomed the Youth Olympic flame in Dakar, beginning the countdown to the 2026 Youth Olympic Games—the first Olympic event to be held on African soil. A procession of 100 Senegalese women, known as lingeers, escorted the flame to the Place du Souvenir Africain, where basketball legend Mame Maty Mbengue lit the ceremonial cauldron in a celebration attended by Senegalese officials and International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry. Beginning Monday, the flame will travel about 3,600 kilometers through all 14 regions of Senegal, carried by more than 400 torchbearers before returning to Dakar for the opening ceremony. The Games will run from October 31 to November 13 across Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly, bringing together roughly 2,700 athletes ages 15 to 18 for competitions in 35 sports alongside cultural and educational programs. Senegalese leaders and Olympic officials presented the event as a landmark for African sport and an opportunity to inspire the continent’s young people.