Following the declarations of the former mayor of Dakar, Barthélémy Dias, concerning the management of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) “Dakar 2026”, the Organizing Committee (Cojoj) wanted to provide clarifications during a conference press this Saturday.
The members of Cojoj, led by Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye, engaged in an exercise which they describe as “necessary and indispensable clarification, out of duty and conviction”. Ibrahima Wade, general coordinator of Cojoj, traced the origins of the organization of the Games by the Senegalese capital. He recalled that this initiative was born in 2018, when the president of the Senegalese National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSS) returned from the Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, and presented the idea to state and municipal authorities. .
“It was claimed that we signed an agreement with Khalifa Sall while he was in prison. However, it is rather a letter of support signed by the first deputy mayor, Soham El Wardini, who then participated in the delegation which obtained the organization of the YOG in Buenos Aires in 2018 as mayor,” explained Ms. .Wade.
Paris lunch
Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye highlighted his efforts to mobilize resources and provide Dakar with the infrastructure necessary to host competitions. “I contacted Rémy Rioux, from the French Development Agency (AFD), because we did not have the required budgets. I also spoke with different mayors present at the Paris Olympics,” he explained. He added that the city of Dakar actively participates in the work of the Organizing Committee and that “its teams play an important role”. During the last meeting, held three days previously, the Secretary General of Dakar City Hall was present and made “very positive” comments.
Mr. Ndiaye said he had respect for Barthélémy Dias with whom “we had lunch together during the Paris Olympics and I provided him with certain elements of clarification”. He recalled that the Joj Organizing Committee is governed by the texts; as is the case for all the entities which organize this planetary meeting. “For the Paris Games, it was not the Cojo which gave money to the town hall; it is rather the opposite. What the Paris town hall gave to Cojo is practically our budget. I am always listening to people who wish us well,” he said.
For the legacy, Cojoj officials inform that several infrastructures will be built and left to the populations at the end of the Games. Among these projects, there is mainly the reconstruction of the Iba Mar Diop stadium, the rehabilitation of the Olympic swimming pool, the horse racing area of the Samba Diéry Diallo Barracks, the Maison du Cuir, and even local infrastructure.
Ousseynou POUYE
