A new sports program to discover at the Dakar 2026 YOG
In light of the above, the IOC has worked closely with the Dakar 2026 Organizing Committee to establish the sports competition program and sports engagement program for the 2026 YOG.
A new set of principles has been developed with the aim of building a sustainable and reliable model for Dakar 2026:
- The established principles limit each sport to one discipline, guarantee high-level competitions worthy of interest for young people, exclude multi-NOC events with medal awards, propose innovative formats and strengthen links with Senegal and Africa .
- Athlete quotas help reduce the total number of athletes, while ensuring gender equality.
- Venue and operations strategy emphasizes the use of existing venues, limits major renovations to essential needs, encourages sharing of venues and competition areas, and minimizes beach and road events in order to mitigate the complexity of operations and their impact on the city.
- The principles of representation and qualification of National Olympic Committees (NOCs) will be guaranteed through a process applicable to all NOCs for the YOG Dakar 2026, with a particular emphasis on African athletes and NOCs and attention paid to representation of all continents in all sports.
- Participants must be a maximum of 17 years of age at the time of the Games and age criteria must be consistent with those of the relevant International Federations (IFs) and high performance athlete development wherever possible.
Based on the new established principles, it was decided to maintain the participation of the 35 IFs in the YOG Dakar 2026: 25 sports will appear on the competition program and 10 will be part of the mobilization program. The sports included in the mobilization program will also be presented as an integral part of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
“In presenting the new sports program for Dakar 2026, our aim is to offer an enriching and innovative experience that brings together young people, particularly in Senegal and Africa,” said Karl Stoss, IOC member and president of the commission. of the Olympic program. “By adapting the program to the local context, we are keen to ensure that the Youth Olympic Games resonate widely with the host community and young athletes, creating a memorable and meaningful event that will inspire youth in Senegal and elsewhere in the world.”
The sports included in the competition program were reviewed by the IFs which govern them, in cooperation with local authorities as well as sports federations in Senegal and Africa, so that the sports and disciplines selected correspond well to the sectors. elite in every sport. For Dakar 2026, these sports are:
athletics, rowing, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, breaking, cycling, fencing, football, gymnastics, handball, judo, wrestling, rugby, skateboarding, water sports, equestrian sports, taekwondo, table tennis, archery, triathlon, sailing, volleyball and wushu.
The sports included in the mobilization program will also have the opportunity to stand out at the YOG through the various activities offered on site and on the various online Olympic platforms which will promote them as full members of the YOG Dakar 2026. For Dakar 2026, these sports are:
canoeing, rock climbing, golf, weightlifting, hockey, karate, modern pentathlon, surfing, tennis and shooting.
Legacy and impact plans for all 35 sports will be developed. They will form an integrated sporting legacy framework for the YOG in Senegal and Africa.
The program of sporting events and the quotas of athletes will be decided at one of the next meetings of the executive commission this year.
