Dakar 2026: Diomaye Faye opens the presidential summit and calls for sport to be used as a lever for development

Senegal is at the heart of the global Olympic movement. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye presided over the presidential segment of the Dakar Summit on Sport and Sustainable Development this Saturday at the King Fahd Palace. This high-level meeting brought together several heads of state and government, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Kirsty Coventry, as well as the heads of delegation present in Dakar for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

In his address, the Head of State framed this event as a continuation of the first summit held in Paris in 2024, at the conclusion of which Senegal was chosen to host this second edition. A historic first for the African continent. "For the first time in Olympic history, the heart of Olympism beats on African soil," he emphasized.

Speaking to his counterparts, Bassirou Diomaye Faye also pleaded for respect for the Olympic Truce, in accordance with the spirit of the resolution put forward by Senegal and recently adopted by the Executive Board of UNESCO.

President Diomaye Faye outlined his vision for the legacy of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. This vision is based on the construction of high-level, accessible sports infrastructure, the training of talented individuals, and the development of a genuine sports economy capable of generating jobs and wealth for young people. Addressing the youth directly, he declared: "You are not a problem to be managed; you are our renewable energy," he affirmed.

The head of state then took part in a high-level panel alongside the Mauritanian president, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, Prince Albert II of Monaco, the president of the IOC, Kirsty Coventry, and the managing director of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Makhtar Diop.

Discussions focused on sports funding mechanisms, ensuring the sustainability of the Games' legacy, integrating sport into national development strategies, and addressing the challenges facing young people.

Following this meeting, Bassirou Diomaye Faye assured that the State would ensure the effective implementation of the Summit's conclusions. He also invited the delegations and the public to the opening ceremony of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games this Saturday evening at the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium.