By Salma El-Sakka
Senegal kicked off the Youth Olympic Games on Saturday, marking the first Olympic event ever held on the African continent. About 2,700 athletes aged 14 to 17 will compete through November 13 across three sites: the capital Dakar, the nearby city of Diamniadio, and the beach resort of Saly.
Opening ceremony highlights
The opening ceremony at Diamniadio stadium features hundreds of dancers celebrating Senegalese and African culture under the motto "Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates." Celebrities attending include French actor Omar Sy, who has Senegalese roots, and Senegalese-Italian TikTok star Khaby Lame, both serving as ambassadors. The mascot, Ayo, is a young lion wearing a traditional Fulani hat; its name means "joy" in Yoruba. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye is scheduled to declare the games open at 6:30 p.m. local time, with International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry and several heads of state expected to attend.
New sports and refugee team
Athletes will contest 153 medal events across 25 sports, including athletics, swimming, and 3x3 basketball. Several sports make their Youth Olympic debut: Baseball5, a five-on-five version of baseball played without bats or gloves; Wushu, a Chinese martial art; coastal rowing beach sprint, combining beach runs with head-to-head rowing; and beach wrestling, a nod to Senegal's national sport. The first refugee team at a Youth Olympics will field six athletes based in Kenya and Uganda in track and field, judo, and taekwondo.
Historic milestone for Africa
The games arrive 130 years after the modern Olympics began in Athens. Coventry, a Zimbabwean swimming champion, became the IOC's first African and first female president last year. "It is time for Africa, time for Senegal," she said upon arrival. Other recent African sports milestones include South Africa hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Morocco co-hosting the 2030 tournament, Rwanda hosting the road cycling world championships, Formula 1's planned return to Rwanda, and Botswana staging the World Athletics Relays. Analysts say African countries increasingly view sport as a tool for diplomacy and development.
Russia returns under national flag
A Russian delegation of 13 athletes is competing under the national flag for the first time at an Olympic event since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine led to Russia's suspension. At the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2026 Winter Games, Russians competed as neutral athletes without national symbols. The shift follows Coventry's stance that the Olympics should not hold athletes accountable for their governments' actions, potentially paving the way for a full Russian return at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Economic concerns amid debt crisis
The games come as Senegal grapples with a debt crisis and public frustration over living costs. Billions of dollars of unreported debt from the previous administration have limited public spending, while layoffs and rising prices have fueled protests. Many Senegalese say they are prioritizing basic needs over attending events. A government-led foundation drew criticism for contributing 500 million CFA francs (about $854,000) to buy 200,000 tickets for school children, with questions raised about the funding source. President Faye has defended the expenditure, citing renovated sports facilities, youth training programs, and contracts for local businesses.
