Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games: One month before the Games, the Olympic flame travels through Senegal's 14 regions

One month before the opening of the Dakar Youth Olympic Games, scheduled for October 31, 2026, at the Abdoulaye-Wade Stadium in Diamniadio, the Olympic flame continues its tour across Senegal's fourteen regions. This will be the first Olympic event in history to be held on the African continent.

The flame was lit in Athens on September 10, 2026, and arrived in Dakar on September 12, where it was presented to Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, reports Afrik.com. The national relay began on September 14 from the Dakar-Plateau city hall, according to the site Dakar92, with a free public ceremony and the lighting of a cauldron.

Six weeks, thirty stages

The route first covered the Dakar region from September 14 to 27, before moving into the interior of the country from September 29 to October 24: Thiès, Louga, Saint-Louis, Matam, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaolack, Kaffrine, Tambacounda, Kédougou, Kolda, Sédhiou, and Ziguinchor, with stops in Saly and Rufisque. In total, the Agence Ecofin counts more than thirty stages, including fourteen in the capital and sixteen in the regions. The relay will conclude on October 30 at the Place de la Nation in Dakar, the eve of the opening ceremony.

Approximately 450 torchbearers are taking turns, according to Afrik.com: athletes, young talents, and representatives of civil society and the regions. Among them are actor Omar Sy, content creator Khaby Lame, and two figures of Senegalese sport, Amadou Dia Bâ and Isabelle Sambou.

What Senegal will host

The Games will be held from October 31 to November 13, 2026. About 2,700 athletes aged 14 to 18 are expected for 153 events and 25 sports spread across three hubs: Dakar, Diamniadio, which houses the athletes' village, and the seaside resort of Saly for beach and water disciplines. The program includes rugby sevens, 3x3 basketball, breaking, skateboarding, equestrian sports, and beach volleyball, according to allAfrica and Radio Sports, which mentions the participation of 207 delegations.

The decision to have the flame travel through regions that will not host any events is not trivial: it involves the entire country in the event, rather than just the Dakar-Diamniadio axis where everything is concentrated. Senegal is committed to making this first Olympic gathering on the continent an African affair rather than a simple showcase, and the fourteen regions visited are the primary evidence of this ambition.