Youth Olympic flame arrives in Senegal ahead of historic 2026 Games

The flame will travel through all 14 regions of Senegal to mark the groundbreaking fourth edition of the Youth Olympic Games, building momentum toward the opening ceremony on October 31, 2026.

Edwin Kiplagat, Marabou News Agency

The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic flame has arrived in Senegal, beginning a journey that will carry the energy of the Games across the country ahead of the first Olympic sporting event ever held on African soil.

After being lit at the historic Panathenaic Stadium in Athens on 10 September, the Youth Olympic flame reached Senegal for a celebration bringing together young people, athletes, cultural figures and communities.

The flame returned to Dakar 16 years after the Senegalese capital welcomed the Youth Olympic flame during its global journey ahead of Singapore 2010, the inaugural Youth Olympic Games.

From 14 September to 30 October, the flame will travel through all 14 regions of Senegal to mark this groundbreaking fourth edition of the Youth Olympic Games, building toward the opening ceremony on October 31, 2026.

The journey will bring the flame directly to communities across the host country. Several hundred torchbearers from different backgrounds are expected to carry the flame during the Tour under the theme “Pass the Energy”.

“In just a few weeks, young athletes from around the world will arrive here. They will compete, they will make new friends, they will discover the magic of Senegal and they will experience an Olympic event for the very first time, here on our beautiful continent, Africa,” IOC President Kirsty Coventry said.

“It is going to show them that sport can open doors in many different ways. It will inspire a new generation and give confidence to our young generation that they can do anything. I am very proud to be part of our continent, I am very proud to be from Zimbabwe, I am very proud to be an African woman and I am very proud of the culture we all live by.”

At the heart of the arrival celebrations was the ‘March of the 100 Linguères’ bringing together 100 Senegalese women representing different generations, professions and walks of life.

Wearing bright orange boubou (traditional flowing robes), the procession of women accompanied the flame, culminating in the lighting of the celebration cauldron at Place du Souvenir.

Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, President of the Republic of Senegal, said it was a moment for the whole continent to feel proud.

“It is the first time it [flame] has arrived on Senegalese soil and on African soil. We were trusted; we were entrusted with hosting. That is why, from Johannesburg to Nairobi from Dakar to Djibouti, it is all of young Africa that is watching you, and watching you with pride. This trust that has been placed in us, we must prove worthy of it.”

The arrival also provides the focal point for “We Run for Africa,” an initiative designed to extend the energy of Dakar 2026 beyond Senegal.

A total of 45 African National Olympic Committees are being invited to mobilise young people around running, with a collective target of 30,500 kilometres, representing the circumference of Africa.

The first stages take place across Dakar and its surrounding communities before the flame begins a national journey through cities including Thiès, Saint-Louis, Matam, Kaolack, Tambacounda, Kédougou, Kolda and Ziguinchor.

The Flame Tour will conclude immediately before the Dakar 2026 Opening Ceremony on 31 October at the Stade Abdoulaye Wade in Diamniadio, where the Youth Olympic cauldron will be lit.

The Youth Olympic Games run from 31 October to 13 November, bringing together around 2,700 young athletes from across the globe.

Marabou News Agency

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