Senegalese music legends Youssou N’Dour and Omar Pene performed for huge crowds in Dakar on Friday night as Senegal celebrated the conclusion of Africa’s first Youth Olympic Games.
Footage shows singers, rappers and dancers performing on stage, while spectators cheer, dance, sing along and film the festivities on their phones.
“We can only be proud today, as Senegalese, as Africans. For two weeks, the whole world gathered in Senegal to attend the Youth Olympic Games, a competition that has just been held in Africa for the first time,” said one spectator.
“I am proud, very proud of my country, very proud of the organizers, very proud of the volunteers, of the youth. They were amazing,” another spectator said.
For one local, the celebrations also reflected Senegal’s tradition of hospitality, known as ‘Teranga’, while others saw it as a positive sign of things to come.
“I can see this helping us in the future because it will attract more and more people to come here for tourism. So, those two weeks were two weeks of pride and also of encouragement for young people to focus more on sport,” said another local resident.
Dakar 2026 ran from October 31 to November 13, bringing around 2,700 young athletes together for competition across Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly. The programme featured 25 competitive sports, with athletes aged 14 to 17.
The Youth Olympics combine elite sporting competition with education, cultural exchanges and activities supporting young athletes’ development.
This edition also welcomed the first Refugee Olympic Team to compete at a Youth Games, extending the significance of Africa’s first Olympic sporting event.
Source: Viory
