Dakar Youth Olympics Open With $60 Million in Government Spending as Senegalese Households Face Rising Prices

The 2026 Youth Olympic Games opened Saturday, Oct. 31, in Diamniadio, outside Dakar. It is the first Olympic event of any kind held in Africa. The Games run through Friday, Nov. 13.

About 2,650 athletes aged 14 to 17 are competing, representing 204 national Olympic committees, along with the first-ever Youth Refugee Olympic Team. They are contesting 153 medal events across venues in Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly, a beach town roughly 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the capital.

Senegal is sending 136 athletes and has recruited about 6,000 volunteers. The International Olympic Committee says this is the first Youth Olympics with full gender parity across athlete quotas, sports, disciplines and events.

The official pitch

IOC President Kirsty Coventry, a Zimbabwean swimmer who won Olympic gold, called the Games a milestone for a continent with the world's largest youth population. She told Al Jazeera she hopes they inspire young people to dream big.

At a Thursday press conference in Dakar, Coventry said visitors who "maybe had a very different idea about Africa" would leave with "something really positive in mind."

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has called hosting the event a proud moment. Prime Minister Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo told AFP that "Dakar will become the capital of African youth" once the Games begin.

Officials have also pointed to a learning academy and a volunteering program tied to the Games as benefits for Senegal's young people.

The price tag and the prices

The Senegalese government has committed 36 billion CFA francs ($60 million) to organizing the Games. That lands in a country where the cost of living is a daily fight.

About 75% of Senegal's population is under 35, according to the national statistics agency. Youth unemployment is around 23%, and most of those who have jobs work in the informal sector.

Meat has gone from about 3,000 CFA francs ($5) to 5,500 CFA francs ($9) per kilogram in a matter of months. In August, the government raised gasoline and diesel prices, saying it could no longer absorb the full increase in global oil costs.

Momar Assane Diouf, a 33-year-old entrepreneur who helped start a citizens' campaign for fair prices, said electricity, food and school supplies for his 8-year-old daughter have all gotten more expensive. He now juggles several jobs.

"It's hard for all Senegalese," Diouf said. "The prices are so high and the quality of life just isn't there."

Paulina Netinan Nodjibougada, a 26-year-old accounting student in Dakar who is struggling to find work, said she is not enthusiastic. "I understand that this is a historic event, but the government should also think about young people, we are the majority," she said.

Some critics argue the money could have been better spent elsewhere, according to Al Jazeera's reporting.

A government short on cash

The spending decision sits against a heavy debt burden. An audit last year uncovered billions of dollars in borrowing hidden by the previous administration.

Senegal is now seeking a $2.2 billion IMF loan that would require it to rein in spending. The government says its debt has limited its ability to help families facing higher costs.

The strain has already reached the streets. In February, a student died during unrest over unpaid financial aid at Dakar's Cheikh Anta Diop University. Workers marched in April demanding better conditions and relief from living costs.

Russia returns under its own flag

The Games also mark a change for Russian athletes. The IOC effectively lifted the Russian Olympic Committee's suspension in July.

That makes Dakar the first Olympic competition since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine in which Russians may compete under their own flag and colours. The Russian Olympic Committee says 13 athletes and 10 coaches are traveling to Senegal. Each sport's international federation decides whether its Russian athletes may take part.

Judo coach Anzor Gaunov told AFP that "our legitimate right to participate with the national anthem and Russian flag has been restored."

What viewers will see

Team USA has 29 athletes in Dakar. Beach volleyball player Caden Phillips and rugby sevens player Luisa Moala carried the flag at the opening ceremony. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee says 89 Team USA athletes from past Youth Games have gone on to compete at an Olympics, including Noah Lyles, Napheesa Collier and Athing Mu.

The Games include two new sports, Baseball5 and Wushu taolu. Streaming is available on the Olympics website, app and YouTube channel. Select rugby, beach volleyball, skateboarding and gymnastics events will air on Peacock.

What comes next

Coventry says the IOC is re-evaluating its direction and examining how to cut hosting costs. The future of the Youth Games themselves is uncertain, according to Al Jazeera's account of her remarks.

South Africa is officially in the running for the 2036 Summer Olympics, which could make it the first African nation to host the full Games. Senegal's bill, and how it squares with an IMF program that demands tighter budgets, will be part of that debate once the Games end Nov. 13.