The Olympic flame will light up 14 regions September 8, 2026
The Olympic flame of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) “Dakar 2026” is expected in Dakar on September 12. She will then travel across Senegal for a month and a half. From September 14 to October 30, it will cross the 14 regions of the country through around thirty stages. “Le Soleil” tells you everything you need to know about this passage.
The flame journey is one of the major events in the final stretch towards the “Dakar 2026” Youth Olympic Games (YOG). It will be lit in Athens, Greece, on September 10, before its arrival on September 12 in Senegal. In this context, a welcome ceremony is planned in Dakar before the launch of the national relay. Its passage should allow the populations of different localities to experience the event even before the start of the competitions, scheduled from October 31 to November 13. Thus, the national tour will begin on September 14, specifies the Organizing Committee of the Youth Olympic Games (Cojoj). In this wake, the flame will pass through the 14 regions of Senegal, with more than 30 stages announced.
A month and a half on the road
The relay will continue until October 30. In this wake, Dakar and its region will open the route before moving to other parts of the territory. Through this tour, the organizing committee indicates that it wants to give a national dimension to the Joj. For the Cojoj, the Games will not only be experienced on the sites which will host the competitions. They will also make it possible to bring the event to local authorities and populations who will not necessarily be able to attend the events. “The tour will also highlight Senegalese heritage. The flame will pass through historic places, monuments and emblematic sites, witnesses to the cultural richness of the country,” underlines a press release from Cojoj.
As is Olympic tradition, the journey will begin in Athens. As a result, the flame will be lit in the Greek capital, the historic cradle of the Olympic Games. Two days later, the relay will begin in the country.
Another cultural dimension, for the first time, the flame of the Youth Olympic Games will light up the African continent as part of an Olympic event organized in Africa.
The tour will not be limited to the simple passing of the baton. The different stages must be accompanied by sporting, cultural and educational activities. Demonstrations and sports initiations, workshops as well as activities are planned in the localities crossed, informs the Cojoj note. In order to succeed in the mobilization, youth will be put at the center of the event, underlines Cojoj. Therefore, schools must play an important role in the different stages. The objective is to allow students to better understand the Joj, their disciplines and the values supported by the Olympic movement.
The passing of the flame will also be an opportunity to involve local stakeholders such as local authorities, sports structures, schools and populations, indicates the same source.
Who will carry the flame?
Another important fact to remember is that the relay must be carried out by several categories of carriers. Athletes, young people and personalities from different territories are called to participate in this sequence. Another highlight, the selection of the torchbearers must make it possible to represent the different components of society and the localities crossed. The choice of carriers also constitutes an important part of the system. At each stage, the flame must be carried by people who can embody the values of Olympism and the commitment around “Dakar 2026”. In this sense, administrative authorities and local stakeholders will participate in the preparation of the stages, announces the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games. This organization must make it possible to give each region a place in this national mobilization.
In this sense, the flame will arrive in Senegal before the athletes. For more than a month, it will serve as a link between the different regions and Dakar, where a significant part of the competitions will be concentrated. Its journey will end on October 30, on the eve of the opening ceremony. In this context, the next day, the “Dakar 2026” Olympic Games will officially enter their competitive phase and the Olympic cauldron will be lit the same day at the Abdoulaye Wade stadium, during the opening ceremony. A moment which will officially mark the start of the “Dakar 2026” Joj.
While waiting for the first tests, the flame will be responsible for launching popular mobilization. From Athens to the 14 regions of Senegal, its journey should bring the country into the atmosphere of “Dakar 2026”.
Marième Fatou DRAMÉ
