The 2026 Youth Olympic Games have officially opened in Senegal. Thousands attended Saturday’s opening ceremony, which featured hundreds of drummers and dancers celebrating Senegalese and African culture, in line with the Games’ motto: “Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates.” This event marks the first Olympic sporting competition ever hosted on the African continent, although it coincides with an economic crisis in Senegal. The country’s president aims to turn sport into an “economic and social engine.” Additionally, the Games are taking place amid a government crackdown on LGBTQ+ individuals. Nearly 3,000 teenagers from over 200 countries are competing in around a dozen sports, including athletics, beach wrestling, and a five-a-side variant of baseball.
