YOG Dakar 2026: Pope Leo XIV welcomes a “sign of hope” from sport November 1, 2026

Pope Leo

During the Angelus, the sovereign pontiff greeted the participants in the YOG organized in Dakar, from October 31 to November 13, 2026. He stressed that this competition, which brings together young people aged 15 to 18, constitutes the first Olympic event organized on the African continent. The Pope notably presented the Games as “a sign of hope that comes from the world of sport”, highlighting their capacity to promote mutual understanding and respect between peoples.

Last October 1, during an audience at the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican with Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye, Pope Leo XIV granted his apostolic blessing to the Games, to the Senegalese, African and world youth, as well as to all the teams mobilized for their organization.