History in Africa: Senegal Lights the Olympic Flame as Nearly 2,700 Young Athletes Gather in Dakar

Senegal raised the curtain on the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar on Saturday, bringing an Olympic event to the African continent for the first time.

Around 2,700 young athletes aged 14 to 17 will compete in Dakar, Diamniadio and the beach resort of Saly until 13 November. The Games feature 25 sports and 153 medal events, spanning traditional disciplines such as athletics, swimming and 3x3 basketball, alongside several new additions making their Youth Olympics debut.

The ceremony took place at the 55,000-capacity Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Diamniadio, with Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye declaring the Games open. International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry and several heads of state attended. Hundreds of dancers performed in a show celebrating Senegalese identity and African cultural diversity, echoing the Games' slogan: "Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates." French actor Omar Sy and Senegalese-Italian TikTok star Khaby Lame appeared as event ambassadors.

The mascot, "Ayo," is a small lion wearing a traditional Fulani hat "Ayo" means "joy" in Yoruba.

Dakar 2026 was originally scheduled for 2022 but was postponed four years because of the Covid pandemic. The event has set several precedents: it is the first Olympic event ever staged in Africa; Baseball5 (five-on-five baseball with no bat or glove), wushu, coastal rowing beach sprint and beach wrestling all make their Youth Olympic debuts with coastal rowing beach sprint set to become a full Olympic sport at Los Angeles 2028. The Games also feature the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team at a Youth Olympics, with six athletes from Kenya and Uganda competing in athletics, judo and taekwondo.

Competition began Friday with Baseball5 qualifiers, while coastal rowing, table tennis and beach volleyball got under way on opening day.

South Africa's local elections: a reckoning for the ANC

Also this week, South Africa heads to local elections on 4 November, with more than 29 million registered voters choosing 10,526 councillors. The governing African National Congress faces a stern test having lost its parliamentary majority in 2024, polls suggest its support could slide further to around 30%. Major metros including Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Durban are expected to produce no outright winner, making coalition negotiations the post-election focus.

Analysts say water shortages, power cuts, overflowing sewage and mounting municipal debt have made "governance competence" the defining issue only 15% of municipalities received clean audit reports in the 2024-25 financial year.

Muse L'Artiste: reconnecting with roots

In culture, French-Cameroonian singer Muse L'Artiste has released her latest EP, Heritage, bringing her father's compositions back to life. The work is a dialogue with her family's musical legacy and a continuation of her personal exploration of identity.