YOG Dakar 2026: the impressive figures from the legendary Panathenaic stadium where Senegal will receive the flame
It is in a stadium steeped in history that Senegal will receive, this Thursday, September 10, 2026, the flame of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. The Panathénaïque stadium, or Kallimarmaro, is a spectacular enclosure, recognizable by its horseshoe-shaped architecture and its stands entirely covered in marble. Its capacity is around 60,000 spectators.
A few figures allow us to measure its impressive dimensions.
33,100 m²: this is the total surface area of the enclosure. The stadium measures 268.31 meters in length and approximately 141 meters in width. Its maximum height, from track level, reaches 22.5 meters.
The track, adapted to the particular configuration of the stadium, measures approximately 400 meters in length. The stands are spread over two levels: the lower level has 24 rows divided into 30 sections, while the upper level has 23 rows divided into 36 sections.
In total, the stands represent 22,160 m² of surface area, for a cumulative length of approximately 23.8 kilometers. The seats have a height of 38 centimeters, while the access steps measure between 18.5 and 32 centimeters. To reach the top, you have to climb 107 steps.
But the real singularity of the Panathenaic lies in its material: marble. The enclosure represents approximately 29,400 m³ of marble, with an estimated weight of 85,100 tonnes.
Another particularity: its arched passage, 70 meters long, 3.9 meters wide and 3.5 meters high, with an inclination of between 16 and 17%.
Installed approximately 83 meters above sea level, the Panathenaic offers an exceptional setting for a ceremony which will link Greece, the historic cradle of the Olympics, and Senegal, the first African country to host the Youth Olympic Games.
This Thursday, in this marble enclosure, Olympic history will be written once again: the Dakar 2026 flame will be officially handed over to Senegal.
Moussa DIOP, special envoy to Athens (Greece)
