DAKAR, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Senegal aims to use the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) to strengthen its capacity to host major competitions, develop its sports industry and make its voice heard within the Olympic movement, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said.
In an interview published Wednesday by the daily newspaper Le Soleil, Faye said Senegal was seeking "a place, an industry and a voice" through the Games.
The president said sports infrastructure, including Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Diamniadio, Dakar Arena and the Olympic swimming pool, together with the experience gained from hosting the YOG, would strengthen Dakar's capacity to stage major international competitions.
On the economic front, Faye said he wanted to build a structured sports sector by developing academies, clubs, businesses and career opportunities for thousands of young people. He noted that many were already earning a living from their talents, although the state had never organized the sector.
"Sport in our country has remained a passion. I want it to become an economy," he said.
The Dakar 2026 YOG, the first Olympic sporting event to be held on the African continent, will take place from Oct. 31 to Nov. 13 in Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly. Around 2,700 athletes are expected to participate, with equal numbers of male and female athletes. ■
