The International Olympic Committee staged the lighting of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic flame on September 10 at Athens’ Panathenaic Stadium, where Greek actress Katerina Misichroni served as the high priestess and used a concave mirror to channel the sun’s rays in keeping with longstanding Olympic tradition. Senegalese athletes Brancou Badio, Louis-François Mendy and Oumy Diop joined Greek torchbearers in a symbolic relay inside the all-marble venue that hosted the first modern Olympics in 1896. The ceremony featured performances of the Olympic, Greek and Senegalese anthems along with cultural presentations that underscored the bridge between the ancient Games’ birthplace and the upcoming African milestone. IOC President Kirsty Coventry, the organisation’s first African and female leader, attended the event that an IOC overview described as a defining moment linking Greece with a new chapter in Olympic history.
Performances by Senegalese artist Kya Loum and a youth choir added to the atmosphere as the flame was formally handed over to representatives of the Dakar 2026 Organising Committee. Hellenic Olympic Committee president Isidoros Kouvelos told those gathered that the day belonged to the young athletes and their dreams, courage and sacrifices. The flame will arrive in Dakar on September 12 before beginning a national tour that the IOC said will cover more than 3,600 kilometres and all 14 regions of Senegal with around 30 stops. This sequence sets the stage for the Games themselves, scheduled to run from October 31 to November 13.
Dakar 2026 Organising Committee president Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye stated that organisers do not promise the perfect Games but rather real games and warm games where participants will experience Senegal’s welcoming culture. The upcoming competition will gather some 2,700 athletes aged 15 to 18 who will compete in 25 sports across Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly, according to IOC figures. The Youth Olympic Games, first introduced in Singapore in 2010, aim to inspire a new generation while promoting Olympic values, with Dakar marking the first time the event reaches the African continent. A national flame tour across Senegal will build momentum in the weeks leading to the opening ceremony at Abdoulaye Wade Stadium.
The International Olympic Committee noted that the flame’s journey from Athens symbolises the connection between the origins of the modern Olympic movement and the historic expansion into Africa. Greek track and field athlete Eleni Yakovaki served as the first torchbearer after the lighting, followed by the Senegalese contingent in a relay that an IOC summary said represented the handover between the two nations. Senegalese Olympian Oumy Diop, a Dakar 2026 ambassador, participated as one of the torchbearers to represent the young African athletes who will feature prominently at the Games. Organisers have emphasised that the event will focus on youth development and cultural exchange throughout the flame’s travels.
Following the handover in Athens, the flame’s arrival ceremony is set for September 12 in Dakar, after which the nationwide relay will intensify public engagement across the host country, the IOC reported. Previous Youth Olympic Games have drawn global participation, with the Buenos Aires 2018 edition serving as a benchmark for scale and legacy programmes that Dakar organisers have studied. The Panathenaic Stadium’s recent refurbishment, including a new blue-and-white track, provided an appropriate setting for the launch that Kouvelos framed as an extraordinary journey from the revival of the modern Games to their African debut. This progression underscores the evolving reach of the Olympic movement as described in IOC planning documents.
