Subsequent to the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and other major sports events, International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Senegal arrived at a mutual agreement to postpone the 2022 Youth Olympic Games Dakar to 2026. This will grant more time to the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to deal with the consequences of the global pandemic that affected the bodies both operationally and financially.
In a phone call with the IOC President Thomas Bach, Senegalese President Macky Sall proposed to postpone the event. The agreement was put forward for approval in an IOC session, which the board approved. After the OIC Executive Board meeting on 15 July 2020, Thomas Bach held a teleconference to make this announcement.
The IOC stated, “This agreement results from the large scale of the operational challenges which the IOC, the NOCs and the IFs are facing following the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.”
The postponement of the event will allow Senegal to continue the preparations even better. The nation is eagerly waiting for the Youth Olympic Games, the event will go down in history as the first-ever Olympic event to be held in Africa.
“I would like to reiterate that the IOC has my full support for the organisation of the Youth Olympic Games, postponed to 2026,” said Macky Sall, President of Senegal.
“I take this opportunity to reaffirm my confidence in the Executive Board and welcome the commitment of its teams, working side by side with us, to make Dakar 2026, the first Olympic event in Africa, a successful and memorable occasion.”
While they understand the disappointment of the young athletes, Senegal and the IOC appeal to them for their understanding. The postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has left the International Federations (IF), NOCs and the IOC with pressing operational challenges.
“This postponement of Dakar 2022 allows the IOC, NOCs, and IFs to better plan their activities which have been strongly affected by the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the subsequent postponement of other international sports events, and by the operational and financial consequences of the global health crisis,” Thomas Bach, IOC President, told The Olympic Channel and other journalists in a teleconference.
“Senegal and the IOC remain fully committed to the great success of these Youth Olympic Games in Dakar 2026, the first Olympic event ever to be organised in Africa.”
Bach added that the agreement to postpone the event shows the mutual trust between the IOC and Senegal.
“This amicable agreement illustrates the mutual trust between Senegal and the IOC. I would like to express my sincere thanks to President Macky Sall, a great friend and supporter of the Olympic Movement, for this exceptional relationship of trust and quality. For all these reasons, I am sure that, together, we will organise fantastic Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 for Senegal, the entire African continent and all the young athletes of the world,” the IOC President said.
