Dakar 2026: Olympic flame lit in athens, now bound for Senegal -

The Olympic flame for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games was lit on Thursday, September 10, at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. The ceremony marks the start of the flame’s journey to Senegal, which will host the first Olympic sporting event ever held on the African continent.

Its arrival in Dakar is scheduled for Saturday, September 12. The Greek ceremony and the Senegalese welcome are two separate stages: the lighting has taken place, while the arrival in Africa is still to come.

Athens kicks off the flame’s route

For the Youth Olympic Games, the lighting ceremony is held in Athens rather than Olympia. The Panathenaic Stadium, which hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, was the setting for the ceremony, combining the lighting and the handover of the flame.

The program featured cultural performances, the priestess ritual and a relay inside the stadium. The purpose of this stop in Greece is to connect the Olympic tradition with the country that will welcome young athletes a few weeks later.

For Senegal, the day gives a concrete shape to the run-up to the Games. Competition has not yet begun, but the flame becomes the starting point for nationwide mobilization in the host country.

Expected arrival in Dakar on September 12

The International Olympic Committee has announced a welcome ceremony blending official moments, culture and public participation. A « March of the Linguères », bringing together around a hundred Senegalese women, is planned, along with the lighting of a cauldron on the Place du Souvenir.

The tour is then set to cross Senegal’s 14 regions in 30 stages. It will begin in Dakar from September 14 to 27, before travelling through the regions from September 29 to October 26. The return to the capital is scheduled for October 28 to 30, close to the opening of the Games.

This timetable is the one announced by the organizers. It makes it possible to follow the flame’s progress without confusing its arrival in the country with the start of the tour or of the sporting events.

An unprecedented Olympic event for Africa

The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games will run from October 31 to November 13. The flame’s tour is meant to involve Senegalese communities in the event beyond the competition venues alone. Sport, culture and activities for young people are all part of this mobilization.

An educational and sporting initiative run with Olympafrica centers and African national Olympic committees will also accompany the flame’s arrival. Races, walks and workshops are announced to involve other young people from across the continent.

After Athens, the next appointment is therefore set for Dakar on Saturday. The lighting provides the symbolic start; the welcome in Senegal will open the African phase of the journey, ahead of several weeks of relay running up to the opening ceremony.

TheHatLady