DAKAR, Senegal, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The fourth meeting of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission for the Dakar 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) was held on Thursday virtually.
Latest activities of the YOG Organizing Committee, plans for the upcoming events and updates on key areas of Games preparations were discussed during the meeting.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dakar Games that were originally scheduled to be held from October to November 2022, were postponed to 2026 after a mutual decision by Senegal and the IOC during the 136th IOC Session on July 17, 2020, which will mark the first time that an Olympic event will be held on the African continent.
"We are excited to see the tremendous work that has been done by Dakar 2026 since the announcement of the postponement of the Youth Olympic Games due to the COVID pandemic," said Kirsty Coventry, the Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Dakar 2026.
"They have embraced the opportunity to work on local youth engagement with great enthusiasm, and have made great progress in the delivery of sport and cultural programs. We are delighted to have such strong stakeholders coming together to make these YOG a great success," he added.
According to Ibrahima Wade, the General Coordinator for Dakar 2026, the Dakar Games organizing committee will be focusing on repositioning the project, establishing a new roadmap and taking advantage of the opportunities created by the postponement.
In order to promote the upcoming YOG and engage local young people to get involved, the Dakar en Jeux festival, a celebration of sport and culture, will be held each year until Dakar 2026 across the YOG host areas of Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly. ■
