The flame for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) was lit on Thursday at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece – the first leg of its journey to Senegal, which will host the first-ever YOG on the African continent from October 31 to November 13.
The lighting ceremony featured a cultural segment highlighting the ties between Greece, the birthplace of the Olympic movement, and Senegal, the host nation for the 2026 YOG.
The flame was lit according to Olympic tradition using the sun’s rays, during a ceremony involving 32 priestesses.
A symbolic relay then took place inside the Panathenaic Stadium, featuring both Greek and Senegalese torchbearers.
Senegalese athletes Brancou Badio (national basketball team captain), Oumy Diop (swimmer), and Louis François Mendy (track and field athlete) participated in this inaugural relay of the Dakar 2026 YOG flame.
Following the ceremony, the flame was placed in a lantern for its transfer to Dakar; it is expected to arrive on Friday, ahead of an official presentation on Saturday at the Place du Souvenir Africain.
Starting September 14, it will embark on a tour across Senegal’s 14 regions, carried by approximately 450 people, including athletes, young talents, civil society representatives, and notable figures from various parts of the country.
The national tour will conclude on October 30 at the Place de la Nation in Dakar, on the eve of the YOG opening ceremony.
Prominent figures slated to carry the flame include actor Omar Sy, influencer Khaby Lame, and several key figures in Senegalese sports, such as Amadou Dia Ba, Amadou Gallo Fall, and Isabelle Sambou.
According to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games Organizing Committee (COJOJ), these torchbearers must embody – through their personal journeys and commitments – Senegal’s diversity as well as the values of sharing, inclusion, and passing on knowledge associated with the
Games.
The flame will be used to light the Olympic cauldron during the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games opening ceremony, scheduled for October 31 at the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium.
Nearly 2,700 athletes are expected in Dakar for this edition, which features competitions across some twenty sports disciplines.
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