Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games: How ADM is bringing the suburbs to life with Olympic fervor

Africa hosts, Dakar celebrates, and the Municipal Development Agency (ADM) brings the Games to the local level. The official slogan of the Youth Olympic Games has been reinterpreted by the ADM to reflect its commitment to extending the event beyond the official venues. To achieve this, the agency has decided to implement the competition at the municipal level. This is the case in Jaxaay-Parcelles, where residents are enjoying a vibrant mix of sporting, recreational, and intellectual activities.

On Saturday, November 7th, Dr. Mahmouth Diop, Director General of the Municipal Development Agency (ADM), visited the site. Upon his arrival, he was greeted by Abdoul Aziz Diané, Mayor of the Jaxaay-Parcelles municipality. Caught up in the enthusiasm of the many young people present, the two men joined in a friendly game of foosball.

Accompanied by a cultural troupe, the delegation then visited the ADM stand, where visitors were informed about the agency's role and missions. Finally, the officials went to the football pitch that was to host the boys' youth semi-final.

Dr. Mahmouth Diop justified this initiative by the desire to bring the Games closer to local populations. “As a public company under the authority of the President of the Republic, ADM (Agence de Développement Municipal – Municipal Development Agency) decided to bring the Youth Olympic Games to the local level in the interior. This is why the suburbs were designated as an area of intervention for ADM in organizing the YOG. For the past 10 to 15 years, ADM has been working in the suburbs on resilience building, stormwater drainage, and municipal development. Therefore, we felt it was necessary to give municipalities and their youth the opportunity to organize and celebrate the YOG locally. We are truly delighted with the success, so far, of this YOG week being celebrated in Keur Massar and the surrounding municipalities,” he explained.

In total, more than 650 athletes, girls and boys, are involved in the 12 municipalities where the project is taking place. They are divided among 10 sports and cultural disciplines, including football, martial arts, traditional wrestling and mind games.