Youth Olympic flame lit at Panathenaic Stadium Athens; first Olympic competition hosted in Africa

Youth Olympic flame lit at Panathenaic Stadium Athens; first Olympic competition hosted in Africa

Olympic Highlights 14/09/2026 unlisted

The Youth Olympic flame for Dakar 2026 was lit at the historic Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece, on 10 September. This marked the start of its journey to Dakar in Senegal and another major milestone on the road to the first Olympic sporting event ever held on African soil. Lit using the sun’s rays, in keeping with Olympic tradition, the flame was formally handed over to the Dakar 2026 Organising Committee, before beginning its journey towards Dakar. Dakar 2026 Ambassador and Senegalese Olympian Oumy Diop, also an Olympic Solidarity scholarship-holder, took part in the ceremony.

Reflecting on the significance of the milestone, IOC President Kirsty Coventry said: “In just a few weeks, Senegal will welcome young athletes from around the world for the first Olympic competition ever to be held on African soil. That is a proud moment for Senegal. And it is a proud moment for Africa. And it is going to open an important new chapter for the Olympic Movement.” Read full news release here .

From Athens, the IOC President flew to Dakar to take part in the celebrations welcoming the Dakar 2026 flame in the Senegalese capital. The flame was officially welcomed on 12 September by the President of the Republic of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, at the Presidential Palace, where he also met Kirsty Coventry. During the meeting, the IOC President expressed her appreciation for the country’s commitment to hosting the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) and thanked the Senegalese President for his personal contribution. Details here .

Later, dressed in an orange boubou (traditional flowing robe), President Coventry joined a procession of 100 women carrying the YOG flame before witnessing the lighting of the cauldron at the Place du Souvenir. During the ceremony, the President outlined her hopes for the athletes, the host nation and the way the world sees Africa, and how Dakar 2026 will put Africa’s Olympic potential in the global spotlight. She said: “I hope that the athletes don’t just fulfil their ambitions, their dreams and their goals, but I hope they walk away with a greater sense of what the Olympic spirit means.” She added: “It’s a huge opportunity for us (Africa) to show who we are and to show that openness, that friendliness, that respect, all of those values that we hold dear that are embedded into everything the Organising Committee for the Youth Olympic Games has been doing, and I think the Youth Olympic Games will be able to deliver that.” Read the full news release here .

From 14 September to 30 October, the Youth Olympic flame will travel through all 14 regions of Senegal under the theme “Pass the Energy”.

During her stay in Athens, President Coventry toured the Olympic Swimming Pool in the city centre, currently under reconstruction. Welcomed by the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) President Isidoros Kouvelos, she also met Hellenic Swimming Federation President Kyriakos Giannopoulos, artistic swimmers Anna-Maria, Eirini and Vasiliki Alexandri, and water polo player Eleni Xenaki. IOC Executive Board Member and European Olympic Committees President Spyros Capralos was also in attendance. Read more here at the HOC website. Also, on President Coventry’s agenda in Athens, was a courtesy meeting with the HOC leadership .

Also in Athens, the President held a meeting with the President of the International Olympic Academy (IOA), Charilaos Tsolakis, and its Director, Makis Asimakopoulos. Discussions focused on the IOA’s activities and the IOC’s Fit for the Future strategy, with the IOA reaffirming its support for the initiative. Full details here .

In a message to the SportsBiz Africa Forum held on 10 and 11 September in Kigali, Rwanda, President Coventry highlighted Dakar 2026 as a powerful force for skills development and social impact, while calling for stronger partnerships between sport, business, governments and communities. The IOC President’s message, delivered by IOC Member in Rwanda Félicité Rwemarika, highlighted the growing role of sport as a driver of economic and social development across Africa. Dakar 2026 was described as a powerful example of how major sports events can create lasting benefits long before the opening ceremony takes place. Read the full news release here .

IOC Vice-President Nawal El Moutawakel was elected as Vice- President of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Association (ISSA) for the period 2026-29 during the General Assembly held recently in Taif (Saudi Arabia). Info here at the ISSA website and here at the Moroccan NOC website.

IOC Member Camilo Pérez López Moreira was awarded the Collar of the South American Sports Merit Order, a distinction conferred by the South American Sports Organisation (ODESUR), during the opening of the ODESUR Ordinary General Assembly held on 12 September in Rosario, Argentina. Pérez López Moreira, President of the Paraguayan NOC and Honorary President of ODESUR, received the award in recognition of his longstanding commitment to sport and to the development of the Olympic Movement in South America. Further details are available here on the website of the Paraguayan NOC.

The six athletes who will represent the Refugee Olympic Team (EOR) at Dakar 2026 have gathered near Eldoret, Kenya, to ramp up preparations for their YOG debut. The athletes will compete in athletics, judo and taekwondo. Besides conditioning training, the athletes have participated in team briefings, media training, and met one of their heroes, Eliud Kipchoge, the Kenyan Olympic champion. Read the full story here .

The Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) and adidas have signed a multi-year agreement to equip the Refugee Olympic Team with performance apparel and teamwear for training and competition, beginning this year and extending through to the LA28 Olympic Games. In its capacity as official kit supplier to the ORF, adidas will also equip all refugee athletes who are part of the Refugee Athlete Support programme with performance apparel for training and competition. Over the same three-year period, adidas will support the ORF’s community work around the world. Full news release here .

Volleyball is creating opportunities for young people in the Githurai community in Nairobi, Kenya, through a programme that brings together sport, education and mentorship at Githurai Kimbo Academy. The academy provides regular volleyball training for children and young people aged 5 to 18, alongside education scholarships, mentorship, and life skills and personal development. The academy currently reaches 216 children, 38 per cent of whom are girls, while 41 receive education scholarships at primary and secondary school levels. During its visit, the FIVB delegation, led by President Fabio Azevedo, met young players, coaches and families, and attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a modern volleyball court at the academy. More details here . Africa’s next generation of beach volleyball talent took an important step towards the Dakar 2026 YOG with the successful staging of the 2nd CAVB Beach Volleyball Youth Development Cup in Senegal last month. Held at Saly Beach, the Dakar 2026 beach volleyball venue, the event brought together the African teams qualified for these Games. Delivered through collaboration between Olympic Solidarity, the FIVB and the CAVB (African Volleyball Confederation), the event formed part of the wider Youth Athlete Development Programme, combining meaningful international competition with sustained investment in the development of young athletes. Read more here .

The logo, mascot and slogan for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27 have been revealed to celebrate one year until the event returns to China’s capital. The 21st edition of the championships will take place from Friday 10 to Sunday 19 September 2027 inclusive. More details here . World Athletics has published its 2025 Annual Report and Accounts. The reports are available in English and French. More info here . World Athletics has also launched a new official app, bringing live results, performance data, the latest content, games, rewards and more together in one personalised experience. The app, available on iOS and Android, made its debut ahead of the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship taking place from 11 to 13 September in Budapest, Hungary. Learn more here .

Beau Welling (United States) has been re-elected World Curling President for another four-year term at the Annual General Assembly in Bratislava (Slovakia). This is his second term as World Curling President. During the Assembly, World Curling members also elected three World Curling Board Directors for four-year terms. Read more here .

The AOC has welcomed the announcement by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of continued Australian Government investment in Pacific sport. The PacificAus Sport investment of AUD 15.6 million over four years will expand support for Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games pathways for athletes, coaches and officials from across the Pacific, building toward Brisbane 2032. The announcement builds on a partnership between the Australian Government, the AOC, Paralympics Australia, Commonwealth Games Australia and Australian national sports organisations, which has already supported hundreds of Pacific athletes to achieve their dreams of representing their nations at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Read the full media release here .

Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC)

The 2026 Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) Sports Industry Sustainability Forum, an annual initiative launched by National Tsing Hua University and supported by the CTOC Sport and Environment Commission, was held at National Tsing Hua University on 28 August. The forum brought together representatives from local authorities, sports organisations, industry, academia and research institutions to advance the sustainable transformation of the sports industry. The forum highlighted the expanding role of sport beyond competition, emphasising health, social inclusion, equality and sustainable development, while exploring new opportunities across professional sport, mass participation, endurance sports, sports tourism, the media and sports nutrition. Info at www.tpenoc.net .

The NOC recently brought together delegates and presidents of national federations that will take part in the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. The meeting was led by NOC President Garibaldy Bautista, YOG Chef de Mission Dulce María Piña and NOC Technical Director Juan Febles Dalmasí. The main focus was the technical and administrative aspects linked to participating in the YOG. The Dominican delegation in Dakar will be formed of 11 athletes who will compete in eight sports. Alegría Arias. In addition, the new President of the Dominican Sports Confederation of the Armed Forces and National Police, Major General Rafael Antonio Alegría Arias, was received at the NOC headquarters by NOC President Garibaldy Bautista with a view to strengthening the links between the Olympic Movement and athletes in the army and police force. Various topics, including the close cooperation and excellent relations between the two organisations, were discussed. More details here .

The NOC, together with Olympic medallists Adriana Ruano and Jean Pierre Brol, took part in the 2026 edition of the Festival Chapín – held on 29 and 30 August in Los Angeles (USA) – where they met members of LA’s Guatemalan community, helping to build excitement ahead of the LA28 Olympic Games. The festival was also a chance to promote the #GuatemalaEnLosÁngeles2028 project, an NOC initiative that will be rolled out for the first time during the Olympic Games and is designed to connect the national team with the LA-based Guatemalan community. Learn more here .

Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC)

Over 74,000 members of the public took part in the first leg of the “Empoweri