 | |
| Location | Dakar, Senegal |
|---|---|
| Motto | Africa Welcomes, Dakar Celebrates (French:L'Afrique Accueille, Dakar Célèbre) (Wolof:Afrig Dalal, Ndakaaru Jëmël) |
| Athletes | ~2,700 (expected) |
| Events | 154 in 25 sports |
| Opening | 31 October 2026 |
| Closing | 13 November 2026 |
| Opened by | PresidentBassirou Diomaye Faye (expected) |
| Stadium | Diamniadio Olympic Stadium |
Summer ← Buenos Aires 2018 2030 → Winter | |
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| Part of a series on |
| 2026 Summer Youth Olympics |
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The2026 Summer Youth Olympics (French:Jeux Olympiques de la jeunesse d'été de 2026), officially known as theIV Summer Youth Olympic Games and commonly known asDakar 2026 (Wolof:Ndakaaru 2026), will be the fourth edition of theSummer Youth Olympics, an internationalsports, education and cultural festival for teenagers, in a city designated by theInternational Olympic Committee (IOC). Originally scheduled to be held for 18 days inDakar, Senegal, from 22 October to 9 November 2022, it is now scheduled to be held there for 13 days—from 31 October to 13 November 2026, becoming the first IOC event to be held inAfrica and the first Youth Olympic Games under theIOC presidency ofKirsty Coventry.[1][2]
On 9 December 2014 at the127th IOC Session it was decided to move the organisation of the YOG to a non-Olympic year, starting with the fourth Summer Youth Olympic Games, to be postponed from 2022 to 2023.[3] Subsequently, the IOC reverted to a 2022 date, and announced in February 2018 that they would be recommending that the event be held in Africa.[4] The132nd IOC Session confirmed the change of date back to 2022 on 7 February 2018.[5] The host was announced at the133rd IOC Session inBuenos Aires, Argentina during the2018 edition.[6]
Originally scheduled for 2022, the International Olympic Committee decided at its 127th session in Monaco to postpone the organization of the future YOG to a non-Olympic year,[7] namely 2023. However, at the 132nd session held alongside the Pyeongchang 2018 Games, the IOC Executive Board ultimately decided to move the YOG back to 2026.[8]
The IOC voted to select the host city of the 2022 Summer Youth Olympics on 8 October 2018 at the133rd IOC Session inBuenos Aires, Argentina.[9][10]
| City | Nation | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Dakar |  Senegal | Unanimous |
However, on 15 July 2020, the IOC and Senegalese government agreed to postpone the games to 2026 due to the operational and economic consequences of the postponement of the2020 Summer Olympics to July 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[8][11]
During the 141st IOC Session, the committee provided an update, including a detailed schedule for the required upgrades, which are scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2024.[12] Infrastructure preparations for the Games remain on track, with refurbishment work launched at key urban venues in Dakar and construction progressing at the equestrian centre and the Youth Olympic Village in Diamniadio. The completed venue master plan includes seven venues across the three host zones that will accommodate competition sites.[13]
Senegal proposes to organize the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics in three distinct areas,Dakar,Diamniadio andSaly.[14][15][16]
All engagement sports will be played in yet to be determined venues in the Corniche West.
| Venue | Events | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Complexe Iba Mar Diop | Athletics | 8,000 |
| Boxing | TBA | |
| Futsal (preliminaries) | TBA | |
| Rugby sevens | TBA | |
| Complexe Tour De L'Œuf | 3x3 basketball | TBA |
| Baseball5 | TBA | |
| Breaking | TBA | |
| Skateboarding | TBA | |
| Swimming | TBA | |
| Corniche West | Road cycling | TBA |
| Venue | Events | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Equestrian Centre | Equestrian | TBA |
| Dakar Arena | Badminton | 15,000 |
| Futsal (finals) | ||
| Diamniadio Olympic Stadium | Ceremonies | 50,000 |
| Archery | TBA | |
| Dakar Expo Centre | Artistic gymnastics | TBA |
| Fencing | TBA | |
| Judo | TBA | |
| Table tennis | TBA | |
| Taekwondo | TBA | |
| Wushu | TBA |
| Venue | Events | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Saly Beach | Beach handball | TBA |
| Beach volleyball | TBA | |
| Beach wrestling | TBA | |
| Rowing | TBA | |
| Sailing | TBA | |
| Triathlon | TBA |
The 2026 Summer Youth Olympics will feature 154 events in 25 sports.Breaking,skateboarding,sport climbing,surfing andkarate will join the 21 core sports. There will be no mixed team events (NOCs) for the first time, 1 open event (equestrian), 77 men's events, and 77 women's events.[15][17][18]Baseball5 andwushu were subsequently added as optional sports.[19]
In June 2024, the IOC Executive Board approved a new sports program proposed by the IOC’s Olympic Programme Commission to better fit it into the local context. An amendment to the program kept 25 of the original 35 sports in the competition program and moved 10 sports to the engagement program. The change also limits each sport to one discipline only, reducing the overall number of athletes while ensuring gender parity.[20] The events and athlete quotas were confirmed on 3 December 2024.[21]
3x3 basketball(2) (details)
Archery(3) (details)
Artistic gymnastics(5) (details)
Athletics(28) (details)
Badminton(2) (details)
Baseball5(1) (details)
Beach handball(2) (details)
Beach volleyball(2) (details)
Beach wrestling(8) (details)
Boxing(10) (details)
Breakdancing(2) (details)
Coastal rowing(5) (details)
Equestrian(1) (details)
Fencing(6) (details)
Futsal(2) (details)
Judo(8) (details)
Road cycling(4) (details)
Rugby sevens(2) (details)
Sailing(2) (details)
Skateboarding(2) (details)
Swimming(36) (details)
Table tennis(3) (details)
Taekwondo(11) (details)
Triathlon(3) (details)
Wushu(4) (details)The number of events listed for sports in the engagement programme are not listed by the IOC, but are included here for reference purposes.
Canoeing(8)
Golf(2)
Hockey5s(3)
Karate(6)
Modern pentathlon(3)
Shooting(6)
Sport climbing(2)
Surfing(2)
Tennis(5)
Weightlifting(12)the Executive Board wants these youth Olympic Games 2022 to take place in Africa. Therefore, the EB decided today to propose to the session to make the African continent a strong priority ...
| Preceded by | SummerYouth Olympic Games Dakar IV Youth Olympiad (2026) | Succeeded by TBA |
| Summer Games | |
|---|---|
| Winter Games | |
