Dakar: The 2026 Youth Olympic Games, the first Olympics ever held on African soil, open Saturday in the Senegalese capital, with signs across Dakar proclaiming "Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates." About 2,665 young competitors aged 14 to 17 from around the world will take part in 25 sports and 153 medal events.

International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry, a former Zimbabwean swimmer, said the event could change perceptions of the continent. "We've got people from around the world that maybe had a very different idea about Africa and they're going to leave, hopefully, with something really positive in mind," she said at a press conference in Dakar. "I think that is really important for our continent."

Events range from athletics to beach wrestling, rugby sevens and breaking, and will be held across eight venues in Dakar, the nearby suburb of Diamniadio and the beach town of Saly. An opening ceremony Saturday evening in Diamniadio will launch the Games, with 136 Senegalese athletes competing and some 6,000 volunteers from Senegal helping to stage the event.

The Games mark the return of Russian athletes to Olympic competition under their own flag and anthem after the IOC lifted the Russian Olympic Committee's suspension in July, with 13 Russian athletes taking part. A refugee Olympic team, composed mainly of athletes based in Africa, will also compete. Despite the historic occasion, the event has struggled to stir widespread enthusiasm in Senegal, where many are more concerned with the high cost of living, unemployment and economic hardship.

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