Several cities across the country will host the Youth Olympic Games flame during a national tour. This is a highlight of each edition of the Games. To prepare for this, the YOGOC, public authorities, and mayors came together for a workshop to share ideas. It was an opportunity to review the challenges surrounding the tour.
It is an ancient tradition: at each Olympic Games, the flame, lit in Greece, travels across the host country before the Games begin. Senegal, which will host the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar from October 31 to November 13, 2026, is no exception to this rule.
A national tour is planned so that the YOG flame can travel across the country and its 14 regions. At each stop, residents will be invited to take part in activities organized in connection with the Dakar 2026 YOG.
Exchanges and reflection
To this end, a sharing and information workshop between the YOGOC, the association of local elected officials, the Ministry of Urban Planning, Local Authorities and Regional Development, and the mayors of the municipalities hosting the YOG Torch Relay was held on Wednesday, December 17, in Dakar.
Discussions provided an opportunity to present the progress of preparations for the Games. The engagement program planned around this major event, the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, was also presented.
Issues related to security and emergency services, waste management, and the engagement program were also discussed.
Touring the country
While the Dakar 2026 YOG will put Senegal's capital in the international spotlight, the whole country is involved in this event.
In early December, three caravans deployed by the YOGOC as part of the Dakar 2026 YOG volunteer recruitment program, dubbed Jambaar26, toured Senegal, passing through the north, center, and south of the country. The idea behind this operation was to reach out to local communities so that they could take ownership of the YOG, a few months before the start of the competition.
Scheduled for October 31 to November 13, 2026, the Dakar 2026 YOG will be the first Olympic event ever held in Africa.
