ATHENS, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Olympic flame for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games was lit and handed over to the Dakar 2026 Organizing Committee on Thursday at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, which hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.
The ceremony featured cultural performances by young athletes and artists from Greece and Senegal, followed by the traditional lighting of the Olympic flame. Greek actress Katerina Misichroni, serving as the High Priestess, handed the flame to the first torchbearer, young Greek track and field athlete Eleni Yakovaki.
The flame was then carried around the stadium in a symbolic relay before being used to light the cauldron.
Isidoros Kouvelos, president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, said, "130 years after Athens hosted the first modern Olympic Games, the Olympic flame was embarking on an extraordinary journey from the birthplace of the modern Olympic revival to the first Olympic event ever to be hosted on African soil."
He described the occasion as a milestone for Africa and for the Olympic movement as a whole.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the moment was deeply significant to her as an African, noting that people had long looked forward to an Olympic event coming to the African continent.
"I hope the energy of these Games will reach far beyond the competition itself, inspiring young people across Senegal and Africa to get involved, to get moving, and to see what sport can make possible for them," she said.
"Senegal is ready. Africa is ready," said Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye, president of the Dakar 2026 Organizing Committee. He also said Senegal was not promising a "perfect Games," but rather a "real Games" and a "warm Games," where every participant would experience the country's welcoming culture.
Kouvelos formally handed the flame to Ndiaye, completing the symbolic handover from Greece to Senegal.
Once in Senegal, the flame will embark on a nationwide tour covering all 14 regions, with 30 stops over about 3,600 km, according to plans announced by the International Olympic Committee.
The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games will be held from October 31 to November 13 in Senegal, with competitions taking place in Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly. The opening ceremony will be held on October 31 at Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Diamniadio.
The Games will be the first Olympic sporting event held on the African continent, with about 2,700 athletes expected to attend. ■
