SENEGAL · SPORT
Key Facts
- The country A West African democracy hosting the first Olympic event ever held in Africa.
- Why it matters Team USA’s 29 young athletes join about 2,700 competitors from 204 national teams.
- What happened Team USA announced flag bearers Caden Phillips and Luisa Moala for its 29 athletes on 29 October.
- What it means for you The ceremony is Saturday 31 October, with the broadcast listed from 2:25 p.m. Eastern.
- Still open Medal counts, weather on the day and which US networks carry the ceremony.
In Plain English
The Youth Olympic Games are the International Olympic Committee’s multi-sport event for teenage athletes, and Dakar 2026 is the fourth summer edition. Rugby sevens is a fast form of rugby with seven players a side, and coastal rowing and beach wrestling are among the sports in Dakar.
The USOPC, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, selects and sends American teams to the Olympic Games and the Youth Olympic Games. A flag bearer is the athlete who carries the national flag at the head of the team at the opening ceremony.
Team USA will send 29 athletes in 12 sports, aged 13 to 18, to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, the USOPC said on Thursday 29 October 2026. The Games open on Saturday 31 October in Senegal and run to 13 November, and the International Olympic Committee calls them the first Olympic sports event ever held on African soil.
The US athletes elected beach volleyball player Caden Phillips and rugby sevens player Luisa Moala as flag bearers for the opening ceremony. For US readers, the Olympics.com schedule lists the ceremony from 18:25 UTC, or 2:25 p.m. Eastern, on Saturday 31 October.
Who Is on the Team
The 29 athletes come from 12 sports, led by rugby sevens with 12 players and beach wrestling with three. Archery, badminton, beach volleyball and coastal rowing have two athletes each, while breaking, equestrian, skateboarding, taekwondo, triathlon and wushu have one each.
Their hometowns range from Baltimore, Maryland and Orlando, Florida to Boise, Idaho and Seattle, Washington. The USOPC says 89 athletes from past Youth Olympic Games rosters have gone on to compete for Team USA at the Olympic Games.
The Flag Bearers
Caden Phillips, of Gilbert, Arizona, plays beach volleyball after winning the US Youth Olympic Beach Trials and finishing ninth at the under-18 world championships in the Netherlands this summer. He said it is “an honor to be seen as worthy of carrying our nation’s flag at the Opening Ceremony.”
Luisa Moala, a rugby sevens player and co-captain of the women’s team, has played the sport for five years and starts on Sunday 1 November in Pool B against Czechia, Madagascar and Spain. Rugby sevens is the largest US squad in Dakar, with 12 of the 29 athletes.
What Happens in Dakar
The opening ceremony is set for Saturday 31 October 2026 at the Abdoulaye Wade stadium in Diamniadio, east of Dakar, where President Bassirou Diomaye Faye is due to open the Games officially. The Council of Ministers heard on Wednesday 28 October that several heads of state and government, the IOC president and IOC members are expected, and that a Dakar Summit on sport for development takes place the same day.
Organisers expect about 11,000 participants, including 700 dancers, in a show built around Senegalese identity and African cultural diversity. The IOC counts about 2,700 athlete places, 204 National Olympic Committees and a Refugee Olympic Team, with 25 sports and more than 150 medal events across Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly.
Rugby sevens and taekwondo are staged at the Iba Mar Diop stadium in Dakar, while beach volleyball, beach wrestling, coastal rowing and triathlon are at Saly Beach West on the coast south of the capital. Archery is at the Abdoulaye Wade stadium, badminton at Dakar Arena, and breaking and skateboarding at the Tour de l’Oeuf in Dakar, as the new sports at Dakar 2026 explainer describes.
Weather and Preparations
Senegal’s civil aviation and weather agency, ANACIM, said on Thursday 29 October that light to moderate out-of-season rain is expected in places from Friday 30 October to Monday 2 November, with Dakar cloudy and at risk of light showers. Dakar has planned for rain since July, and the Games follow the rainy season.
At the Council of Ministers on Wednesday 28 October, Prime Minister Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo reviewed preparations and listed sanitation, health, rescue and transport arrangements, and the welcome of official delegations, as tasks still to follow closely. Ministers were told to keep a watch system running for the whole Games, and the government counts 6,000 young volunteers.
What It Means for You
US viewers can follow the opening ceremony on the IOC’s Olympics.com livestream, which lists the broadcast from 18:25 UTC on Saturday 31 October, or 2:25 p.m. Eastern because US clocks change only on Sunday 1 November. Team USA’s beach volleyball players open with round-robin play on the first day, and the women’s rugby sevens team starts on Sunday 1 November.
Families thinking of travelling should check the State Department’s current Senegal travel advice and entry rules before booking. The IOC says more than 960,000 tickets are available, including 300,000 solidarity tickets for children, students and clubs, and the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games guide covers the basics.
What Is Not Known
The IOC counts 153 medal events and the USOPC counts 151, so the final programme total is not settled in the published sources. It is also not known how many medals the young US team will win, or whether rain will affect the ceremony.
Which US television networks will carry the ceremony live is not known, beyond the IOC’s own livestream. The names of the heads of state and government who will attend the ceremony and the Dakar Summit are not known either.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics opening ceremony?
The opening ceremony is on Saturday 31 October 2026 at the Abdoulaye Wade stadium in Diamniadio, Senegal. The Olympics.com schedule lists the broadcast from 18:25 UTC, which is 2:25 p.m. Eastern.
How many US athletes are at the Dakar Youth Olympics?
Team USA has 29 athletes in 12 sports, aged 13 to 18, according to the USOPC. Rugby sevens is the largest group, with 12 players.
Who are the US flag bearers at Dakar 2026?
Beach volleyball player Caden Phillips and rugby sevens player Luisa Moala were elected as flag bearers, the USOPC said on 29 October. They will lead the US delegation at the opening ceremony.
Is Dakar 2026 the first Olympic event in Africa?
Yes, the IOC calls it the first Olympic sports event on African soil. The Games run from 31 October to 13 November 2026.
Sources: US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Team USA flag bearers and roster, 29 October 2026; International Olympic Committee, Dakar 2026 page; International Olympic Committee, Dakar 2026 by numbers, 28 October 2026; Olympics.com, Dakar 2026 schedule, 30 October 2026; International Olympic Committee, Dakar 2026 venues; Government of Senegal, Council of Ministers communiqué, 28 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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