Dakar 2026 closes, marking end of Africa's historic first Olympic event

The fourth Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) closed on Friday at the Youth Olympic Village in Diamniadio, bringing an end to the first Olympic event held on African soil.

The closing ceremony was held behind closed doors at the Youth Olympic Village, with the event broadcast exclusively on the official Games website.

The Games, which opened on Oct. 31, brought together approximately 2,650 young athletes to compete in more than 150 medal events across 25 sports at venues in Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry addressed the athletes at the closing ceremony. Coventry, a former Zimbabwean Olympic gold medalist swimmer, is the first African to lead the IOC. 

"To our athletes and our teams, you have all made Olympic history, being the first event ever on the African continent," Coventry said. "Thank you so much for the last 14 days. I hope that you have had so much fun, so much joy. I hope that you're inspired to go out and change the world and make the world a better place."

China topped the medal table with 18 gold, eight silver and seven bronze medals. Liu Lili and Su Juntao secured China's first gold of the Games in the mixed double sculls at the coastal rowing beach sprint competition, also becoming the inaugural Youth Olympic champions in the event.

Wushu made its Olympic debut as a medal sport at Dakar 2026. China's Lin Yilei, 15, won the men's changquan combined title, claiming the first Olympic gold medal in the discipline.

African athletes collected a record 76 medals, including 27 gold, 17 silver and 32 bronze, surpassing the previous continental record of 56 medals set at Buenos Aires 2018. Five African teams finished in the top 10 of the medal standings.

Kenya made history on Nov. 3 by winning the women's rugby sevens title, becoming the first African nation to claim Youth Olympic gold in the sport.

Speaking at the closing press conference on Thursday, Coventry said the results reflected growing investment in sport across the continent.

"I'm very proud to see so many African countries in the top 10," she said. "Nearly every African country that has competed has made a final or won a medal, and that is extraordinary."

Ibrahima Wade, general coordinator of the Dakar 2026 organizing committee, said Senegal's international visibility had increased 2.7-fold by the ninth day of the Games.

"The Youth Olympic Games, sport and the Olympic spirit are powerful tools to raise a country's profile and shape its image," Wade said. "That is a real measure of the success of these Games."