As preparations for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) 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 10 and 11 September 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 2026: “A new generation ready to take African sport forward”

“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:

One of those countries is Rwanda, where the SportsBiz Africa Forum was held: “Here in Rwanda, we can see what this means in very practical terms. Through ‘1,000 Hills Rugby’, young people not only have the opportunity to play sport. They also learn how to prepare a CV, how to approach a job interview and how to communicate in the workplace,” said Rwemarika on behalf of the IOC President.