Online Reporter
AS preparations for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games enter the final stretch, the first Olympic sporting event to be held on African soil is already delivering tangible benefits across the continent.
In a message to the SportsBiz Africa Forum held on September 10 and 11 in Kigali, Rwanda, IOC president Kirsty 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.
“Dakar will be historic. But what excites me most is not only what will happen during those two weeks of competition. It is what is already happening because of the Games,” the IOC president said in her message.
Among the initiatives highlighted was the Dakar 2026 Learning Academy, through which hundreds of young professionals from Senegal and across Africa have received training in Games planning, sport and event operations, and other specialist areas.
“They are putting those skills into practice as part of the Organising Committee.
“They are helping to deliver the Games today, while building expertise that will remain in Senegal and across Africa long after the Games are over.”
Coventry’s message also highlighted Dakar 2026’s Olympic values-based education programmes, which are aimed at reaching up to 900,000 young people across 11 000 schools in Senegal.
The IOC president stressed that the social legacy of Dakar 2026 can be achieved only through collaboration.
“If we want to create jobs, build skills at scale and support Africa’s growth, then sport must be part of the solution.
And we need partnerships that bring together sport, business, governments and communities.
“We need investment. We need skills and expertise. And above all, we need to invest in people. Because when we invest in sport, we invest in people.”
This collaborative approach is reflected in the IOC’s Olympic Impact theme, which seeks to transform lives through sport and the Olympic values, as part of the Fit For the Future strategic direction. — olympics.com.
