Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games: Bassirou Diomaye Faye calls on Senegalese athletes to write a new page in national sporting history

At the ceremony for the handing over of the national flag to the Senegalese delegation that will take part in the Dakar-2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG), the President of the Republic, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, invited the young athletes to measure the scope of their mission and to worthily defend the national colours.

The head of state also stressed the dual challenge of successfully organizing this international event and achieving a sporting participation that matches the country's ambitions.

“Successfully organizing these Youth Olympic Games is a national obligation,” Diomaye Faye declared from the outset. For the President of the Republic, Senegal also has a date with the sporting performances of its young representatives, competing in the various disciplines.

Beyond its ceremonial nature, the presentation of the national flag, according to the Head of State, is a highly symbolic moment for the selected athletes. By entrusting them with the national emblem, Bassirou Diomaye Faye has invested them with the particular responsibility of representing Senegal before the national public and delegations from around the world.

In this context, the president paid tribute to the athletes who previously represented the country in continental and world competitions.

A historic opportunity for young athletes

For Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games will offer Senegalese athletes a unique experience. They will have the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games on their own soil, in front of their home crowd. This distinctive feature gives their participation a historic dimension.

"It is therefore up to you to write a page in our sporting history that no one has written before you," he told the athletes.