Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games: Bassirou Diomaye Faye launches a global invitation for the Games from the UN

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, September 24, President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye linked current geopolitical challenges to the historic hosting of the upcoming Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. He invited the entire international community to gather in the Senegalese capital. “Senegal will host the Youth Olympic Games. This first Olympic event in African history will bring together 2,700 young athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees from October 31 to November 13, 2026. By welcoming the world’s youth, Senegal will be hosting much more than just a sporting competition,” he said.

For the head of state, the country "will embrace a promise: that of a generation that wants to meet rather than confront each other, to surpass itself rather than divide itself, to build together rather than oppose each other. It is also the Olympic promise. And, fundamentally, it is the promise of the United Nations: to make our differences a strength, our diversity a richness, and our common humanity the foundation of peace."

Confident in this Olympic advantage, the head of state declared: "I invite all member countries to the opening ceremony of the Youth Olympic Games on October 31, 2026."

Bassirou Diomaye Faye thus reiterated the cardinal principles that underpin Senegal's commitment on the international stage. He emphasized that, at a time when our Organization seeks to restore trust, Senegal continues to believe in the vision of a world founded on peace, justice, the dignity of each individual, and human fraternity.

“The world does not need unilateralist stances. It needs a fairer, more inclusive and more effective multilateralism. Facing our challenges requires bridges rather than walls. Dialogue rather than confrontation. Cooperation rather than isolation. Law rather than force,” he listed.