Youth Olympic flame arrives in Dakar, Senegal; the first Olympic sporting event on African soil.
Youth Olympic flame returns to Dakar ahead of historic Dakar 2026
Youth Olympic flame returns to Dakar ahead of historic Dakar 2026
The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic flame arrived in Senegal on Saturday (12 September), two days after being lit in Athens.
The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic flame arrived in Senegal on Saturday, beginning a journey that will carry the energy of the Games across the country ahead of the first Olympic sporting event ever held on African soil.
After being lit at the historic Panathenaic Stadium in Athens on 10 September, the Youth Olympic flame reached Senegal for a celebration bringing together young people, athletes, cultural figures and communities.
The flame’s arrival marks another major milestone on the road to Dakar 2026, which will take place from 31 October to 13 November and become the first Olympic sporting event ever held on the African continent.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry witnessed the historic moment when the cauldron was lit at Place du Souvenir.
Asked about the significance of an Olympic sports event taking place on African soil for the first time, President Coventry said she hoped it would serve as inspiration to “young people and generations to come”.
“The goal is that it won’t just impact the youngsters coming here, but when they go home, they’ll talk about the values and the inspiration of the Games that is created within them,” President Coventry said.
“Here in Senegal, being able to feel it, the flame is going to go on a magnificent tour all around the country, and people are going to be asking what it is and inquiring and finding out that Senegal is going to be the host of the first-ever Olympic event in Africa.”
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100 Linguères welcome the flame
At the heart of the arrival celebrations was the March of the 100 Linguères, which brought together 100 Senegalese women representing different generations, professions and walks of life.
Wearing bright orange boubou (traditional flowing robes), the procession of women accompanied the flame, culminating in the lighting of the celebration cauldron at Place du Souvenir.
The flame was welcomed to great fanfare with traditional Senegalese music and the beat of drums serving as a fitting soundtrack to the festivities.
Dakar 2026 Ambassador Ndeye Awa Diakhate was among those taking part in the arrival programme, alongside other torchbearers, ambassadors and figures from Senegalese sport, culture and society.
A flame returns to Dakar
Dakar has a special place in the history of the Youth Olympic flame.
Ahead of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games Singapore 2010, Dakar was selected as the Celebration City representing Africa during the Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame, which travelled to one city on each of the five continents before reaching Singapore.
Sixteen years later, the flame returns in a very different context: this time, Senegal is preparing to welcome the Youth Olympic Games themselves.
Reflecting on the significance of the flame’s return, President Coventry said:
“Welcoming the Youth Olympic flame back to Dakar is a powerful moment on the road to these Games. Sixteen years after the city welcomed the flame ahead of Singapore 2010, it now returns to a Senegal preparing to host the first Olympic sporting event on African soil. As it travels across the country, the flame will bring communities together and carry the energy and ambition of young people towards Dakar 2026.”
Its arrival now begins a journey that will bring the flame directly to communities across the host country, building towards the Opening Ceremony on 31 October.
Watch the official video here
How is the flame bringing Africa into the celebration?
The arrival also provides the focal point for “We Run for Africa”, an initiative designed to extend the energy of Dakar 2026 beyond Senegal.
A total of 45 African National Olympic Committees are invited to mobilise young people around running, with a collective target of 30,500 kilometres, representing the circumference of Africa.
The initiative gives young people across the continent a direct way to participate in the journey towards Dakar 2026 and reflects the Games’ ambition to engage a generation across Africa through sport.
At the heart of Dakar 2026 is a commitment to deliver Games by youth, for youth and with youth, bringing together the world’s best young athletes while engaging young people through sport, culture, education and volunteering.
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Where will the flame go next?
From 14 September to 30 October, the Youth Olympic flame will travel across all 14 regions of Senegal under the theme “Pass the Energy.”
The first stages will take place across Dakar and its surrounding communities before the flame begins its national journey through cities including Thiès, Saint-Louis, Matam, Kaolack, Tambacounda, Kédougou, Kolda and Ziguinchor.
In total, more than 30 stages are planned before the flame returns to Dakar at the end of October.
Several hundred torchbearers from different backgrounds are expected to carry the flame during the Tour.
What will happen at each Flame Tour stage?
The journey has been designed as more than a relay. At each major stage, the passage of the flame will become a community celebration combining sporting, cultural and educational activities.
Schools will occupy a central place in the programme, while celebration sites are expected to feature sports initiations and demonstrations, creative workshops, cultural performances and opportunities to engage with AYO, the official Dakar 2026 mascot.
A dedicated Brevet Olympique Civique et Sportif stand will also form part of the programme. The BOCS initiative has reached more than one million beneficiaries between 2022 and 2026.
The Tour will also pass through emblematic locations and showcase the cultural heritage and local identities of Senegal’s different regions.
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Passing the energy from generation to generation
The theme “Pass the Energy” captures both the act of passing the flame from one torchbearer to another and a wider idea of transmission.
Inspired by the Olympic values of friendship, excellence and respect, it represents solidarity and connection between generations and communities, as well as the energy and creativity of Senegalese and African youth.
Like a pass in sport, the flame will travel from hand to hand and from community to community, with each torchbearer contributing to the energy carried towards the Games.
The Flame Tour will conclude immediately before the Dakar 2026 Opening Ceremony on 31 October at the Stade Abdoulaye Wade in Diamniadio, where the Youth Olympic cauldron will be lit.
The flame will remain alight throughout the Youth Olympic Games until 13 November.
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Dakar 2026 Olympic flame arrives in Senegal as President Bassirou Diomaye Faye welcomes the torch
The Linguères, the women who will welcome the YOG Flame to Dakar
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