After Singapore, Nanjing and Buenos Aires, Dakar hosts the YOG
From October 31 to November 13, 2026, Senegal will host the fourth edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games. A first for Africa, which is preparing to host this international sporting event after Singapore, Nanjing and Buenos Aires.
Senegal is preparing to take a historic step in the history of the Olympic movement. From October 31 to November 13, 2026, Dakar will host the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), becoming the first African country to organize this international competition. Created by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the YOG brings together young athletes from all over the world. They combine sports competitions with educational and cultural activities intended to promote dialogue between peoples and encourage sports practice among young people.
Singapore, Nanjing, Buenos Aires… Dakar
The history of the YOG begins in 2010 in Singapore. Four years later, the Chinese city of Nanjing took over, before Buenos Aires, in Argentina, hosted the third edition in 2018. Dakar is thus a continuation of these three meetings, with the particularity of opening a new page in African Olympic history. Initially scheduled for 2022, the Dakar Games have been postponed to 2026.
A competition also organized in winter
The YOG is divided into two categories. These are the Summer Games and the Winter Games. These were inaugurated in 2012 in Innsbruck, Austria. Lillehammer, Norway, hosted the second edition in 2016, followed by Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2020, then Gangwon, South Korea, in 2024. The next edition is planned for Italy, in the Dolomites and Valtellina, in 2028.
A meeting beyond sport
For Senegal, the issue goes beyond just the organization of competitions. Dakar 2026 represents an opportunity to highlight the country’s reception capacities, to promote its youth and to strengthen its international influence. By hosting this fourth edition of the Summer YOG, Senegal is not only following Singapore, Nanking and Buenos Aires. He inscribes his name in a history so far written without the African continent as the host land for this competition.
O.BA
