Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics yield 73 medals for Africa
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Mali Actu
African delegations won 73 medals at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, compared with 56 in Buenos Aires, according to the organisers. Egypt and Senegal are among the main African delegations, while Madagascar won a bronze medal in rugby sevens, according to the organising committee.
African delegations won 73 medals at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Dakar 2026, compared with 56 at the Buenos Aires edition, according to the organisers. The closing ceremony was held on Friday 13 November in Dakar, after two weeks of competition in Senegal.
Six African countries feature among the top 15 nations in the medal table. Egypt won six gold medals, including three by swimmer Ali Zain in the butterfly events, while Senegal took three wrestling titles and another in men’s 3x3 basketball. Senegal beat Lithuania 14-13 after extra time. Madagascar won a bronze medal in rugby sevens, according to the organisers.
The Games featured 151 medal events and 206 National Olympic Committees, 95 of which won at least one medal. The organisation mobilised 5,647 volunteers and issued 24,462 accreditations, including 983 to journalists, 982 to representatives of sports federations and 1,233 to technical officials, according to the organising committee. International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry praised the reception given to the delegations and the mobilisation of Senegalese spectators on Thursday 12 November.
The IOC had yet to set a host or a timetable for the next Youth Olympic Games when Dakar 2026 closed. Kirsty Coventry said discussions were under way on the format of the competition, its educational objectives and the participation of young athletes. In Senegal, sports authorities are to examine how the equipment and resources mobilised for the Games are to be allocated.
The closing follows the opening of the Youth Olympics in Dakar on 31 October, the first Olympic competition held on the African continent. It also follows the inventory of assets to be handed over after the Games, announced on 13 November by the Senegalese authorities.
Update of 14 November 2026: Prime Minister Ahmadou Al Aminou Lô congratulated President Bassirou Diomaye Faye after the closing of the Youth Olympic Games, which he judged a success for Dakar. Read also: Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics: Prime Minister Lô congratulates President Faye.
