Youth Olympics open in Senegal as the first Olympic event in Africa

DIAMNIADIO, Senegal — The Youth Olympic Games opened in Senegal on Saturday, marking the first Olympic event in Africa as the continent seeks a bigger role in international sports competitions.

Tens of thousands of spectators cheered on the opening ceremony in the Diamniadio Olympic Stadium near the capital Dakar. Hundreds of drummers and dancers celebrated Senegalese and African culture in line with the Games motto, “Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates.”

A giant map of Africa was created by performers dressed in yellow, black and white traditional Senegalese gowns, dancing in unison, in a grandiose ceremony that saw West African oral storytelling, concerts by Senegalese singers and athletes parading.

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye declared the Games open.

“This is a historic event and it was so important for me to be here,” said Aby Diouf, 25, a Senegalese spectator at the stadium. “It’s a marvellous celebration and we are all here to bring the energy and get people hyped."

About 2,700 athletes aged 14 to 17 will compete through Nov. 13 in Dakar, the nearby city of Diamniadio and the beach resort of Saly.

Russia’s delegation of 13 athletes is competing under its national flag for the first time at an Olympic event since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 led to its suspension.

The first refugee team at a Youth Olympics will field six athletes based in Kenya and Uganda in track and field, judo and taekwondo.

Athletes overall will compete in 153 medal events across 25 sports.

Singapore hosted the first summer Youth Games in 2010. Dakar was initially due to host in 2022 but the coronavirus pandemic delayed the Games.

“This is a historic moment for Senegal, for Africa and for our entire Olympic family” IOC President Kirsty Coventry said at the opening ceremony. Coventry, a former swimming gold medalist from Zimbabwe, became the first female and African boss of the International Olympic Committee last year.

The Games come as African countries increasingly see sports as a tool for diplomacy and development, analysts say.

South Africa hosted the continent’s first soccer FIFA World Cup in 2010. Morocco will co-host the 2030 tournament with Spain and Portugal. Rwanda hosted Africa’s first road cycling world championships last year and Formula 1 is returning to Africa with a grand prix in Rwanda early next decade. Botswana also staged the World Athletics Relays in May.

To close the ceremony on Saturday, men and women representing each of Africa’s 54 countries recognized by the United Nations, stood in colourful traditional dress from their nations to showcase the continent’s cultural diversity. They then merged into a fluid mass and danced together to symbolize African unity.

Lamine Sy, a 21-year-old spectator wearing the jersey of the Senegal national team, said he hopes the Games will challenge negative stereotypes about Africa and show a different side of the continent.

“The ceremony was a great start, it showed Africa's beauty and richness," Sy said. "Today I feel proud of being Senegalese, of being African."