An exciting milestone on the road to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games is just around the corner! This week, the Olympic flame will be lit in Athens on 10 September.
The flame lighting ceremony will begin at 10.25 a.m. CEST (8.25 a.m. in Dakar) and will be broadcast live on the Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and on the Olympic Games YouTube channel.
It is an age-old Olympic tradition, bringing together generations and communities in a shared celebration of sport and Olympic values. Throughout history, fire has been associated with positive values. A few weeks before the opening of the Dakar 2026 YOG, the YOG Flame will be lit in Athens, Greece, using a parabolic mirror illuminated by the sun’s rays. The Flame will then be placed in an urn before being handed over to Senegal.
The Youth Olympic Games Flame is a symbol of the celebration of the Youth Olympic Games. To mark the first Olympic sporting event to be held in Africa, the Dakar 2026 YOG Flame will embark on a tour across Senegal.
From Dakar to Ziguinchor, from Saint-Louis to Kédougou, the YOG Flame will travel across Senegal, shining a light on Olympic values and celebrating sport, culture and friendship.
The YOG Flame Tour will be a nationwide celebration, bringing communities together and fuelled by the energy of the people and the youth. It will herald the arrival of the YOG. A festive, popular and inspiring event, the YOG Flame Tour will place schools at the heart of the celebrations. “Pass the Energy”, the slogan of the tour, highlights the symbolism of the Flame while celebrating Olympic values such as friendship and solidarity, and showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Senegal and Africa. It will shine a spotlight on historic landmarks across Senegal, from north to south and east to west, passing through monuments and places that embody the country’s culture.
Once the tour is complete, the YOG Flame will light the cauldron in Dakar during the Dakar 2026 YOG Opening Ceremony, on 31 September. This key moment will officially mark the start of the Dakar 2026 YOG. The Flame will burn throughout the Games.
The Olympic Flame Tour in Senegal
- September 10: Lighting Ceremony in Athens, Greece
- September 12: Flame arrival ceremony in Dakar
- September 14–27: Dakar region
- September 29–October 24: in the regions of Thiès, Louga, Saint-Louis, Matam, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaolack, Kaffrine, Tambacounda, Kedougou, Kolda, Sedhiou, Ziguinchor, then Saly and Rufisque
- October 28–30: Dakar region
- October 31: Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games Opening Ceremony
