The Organizing Committee for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games organized yesterday, Tuesday, November 5, 2024, an installation ceremony of the Sustainability – Impact – Legacy Coalition (SIL, in English). This multi-stakeholder platform, made up of the Assembly of Members and Technical Commissions, will support the YOG to, among other things, evaluate the effectiveness of prevention and mitigation measures. The meeting which was chaired by the president of the COJOG, Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye at the Radisson Blu in the presence of the director of the AFD, the culture advisor to Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko.
It began with the screening of a film on the YOG – D-Day minus 1000. An opportunity to revisit the issue of the largest global multi-sport event dedicated to youth, which attracts 200 million viewers, covers 190 countries, with 700 millions of impressions on social networks. In Singapore alone, in 2010, there were 400,000 visitors and $260 million in contracts with local companies. For the president of the SIL, Ibrahima Diagne, Dakar expects 3,000 athletes (male-female parity), 35 sports, 8,000 volunteers, 206 NOCs (national Olympic committee), 3 cities (Diamniadio, Saly and Dakar). The Olympic village will be housed at Amadou Makhtar Mbow University. That said, he insisted on the type of Games we want. “Through this dynamic, we want to make them responsible Games, for the benefit of the population, which will boost citizenship, inclusive and economical Games. And the SIL has this responsibility. The first challenge is the appropriation of this strategy within the framework of steering bodies in a holistic and effective approach which takes into account environmental issues,” he declared.
Agreement with the ANSD
The National Agency for Statistics and Demography (ANSD), as well as the National School of Statistics, has signed an agreement with the COJOG in this regard. A way to show one’s involvement in the process for reporting and knowledge capitalization. Because it is a question, according to Mr. Diagne, of promoting the protection of human rights, the diversion/inclusion/security aspect of the Games, the integration of sustainability across all functions, the lasting impact of the Games on the economic, social and environmental, the development of knowledge and skills and capitalization of good practices and assets for a lasting legacy.
According to the president of the SIL, the YOG will be an opportunity to learn and inspire the leaders of tomorrow through priority actions such as training and awareness-raising around the SIL, management of human resources and complaints, preparing a Charter of YOG 2026 sustainability and an impact and legacy plan. To this end, a first report will be released in February 2025. This will be the case every year until 2027.
Impact carbone
The environmental aspect must be taken into account. With the primary objective of a zero waste YOG. “At the end of the Games, we will do a carbon assessment. Moreover, in partnership with the Ministry of the Environment, an Olympic forest will be set up in Tambacounda, the same project is envisaged in Diamniadio. The preferred means is mass transport (BRT, TER). The Olympic torch will also be powered by renewable energy. There is also a resource management plan because the best waste is that which is not produced. We will tackle the source by identifying everything that is recycled or cannot be recycled. This will help boost a circular economy. Like the agronomic use of food leftovers from the Olympic village which will serve 9,000 dishes per day.
There will therefore be a whole dynamic around SONAGED to engage in ‘zero waste territories’,” assured Ibrahima Diagne. After the participants’ observations, Mamadou Diagne Ndiaye returned to the charge to talk about the carbon impact footprint, an important element in the organizational system, particularly in terms of travel and travel.
The same goes for the OCOG coordinator, Ibrahima Wade, who specifies for Dakar 2026, there is no carbon obligation unlike the Paris Olympics. But it was President Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye who wanted to align with international standards.
210 professions
The YOG is also a lever to boost the sports economy, an opportunity for Senegal to sell its skills. For example, goodies will be the subject of eco design. A way to plan a second life for the products used during this event. In addition, in the technical specifications of the markets, there are sustainability and responsibility aspects. As for tourism, a tripartite agreement was signed with the Ministry of Tourism for an upgrade of hotels. Which makes the president of the SIL say that the legacy of the YOG will be diverse. “To be effective, we focused on accessibility and the practice of sport, the requalification of infrastructures, employability (210 professions concerned),” noted Ibrahima Diagne.
Concerning accessibility and the practice of sport, he called for the construction and inclusive promotion of 11 local fields, the provision of sports equipment, the promotion of women’s sport, the capacity building of managers and the requalification of infrastructure. such as the Iba Mar Diop stadium, the Egg Tower, the Diamniadio Equestrian Center. Added to this is the construction of the Leather House, a R+3 building to accommodate the 1,346 people impacted by the evictions.
(With lejournaldedakar.info)
