Africa's First Youth Olympics Open in Senegal Amid Hope, Cost Concerns and Rights Criticism

On October 31, around 2,700 athletes between the ages of 15 and 17 will begin competing in Senegal at the first Youth Olympics ever held on African soil. Reporting describes the event as possibly the last Summer Youth Olympics. They will take part in 153 events across 25 sports, at eight venues in three places: Dakar, Diamniadio, and Saly, 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the capital.

For the athletes, the meaning is personal. Aisha Diop, a 15-year-old judoka, told DW she is excited because it is the first time she will represent her country. She said she hopes the Games will motivate young African athletes to improve and keep playing sports now that the event has been held at home. Many in Africa see the Games as a prelude to the continent one day hosting a full Olympics.

The organizers point to several firsts. Olivia Nloga, the organizing committee's Chief Brand Promotion Officer, said the field will be split evenly between men and women, and that parity will also apply within each event and sport where it is possible. Five-a-side baseball, kung fu, and beach wrestling, a Senegalese specialty, make their Youth Olympic debut. For the first time, there is also a refugee team.

Nloga said the Games are meant to be more than sport and buildings. The committee invested in culture, including a fashion show and Yi-sol, a mural project on the city's walls. There is music, and a local student designed the mascot. The biggest emphasis is on lasting benefit for young Senegalese, through the Olympic Civic and Sports Certificate program. Nloga said organizers worked with more than 1,000 instructors in schools across the country, reaching more than one million children with lessons on Olympic values.

Recent flooding raised worries about the venues. Nloga said flood risk had long been part of the planning, and that the prime minister convened an interdepartmental meeting and set up a task force to safeguard both the competition sites and the accommodation.

Not everyone is convinced. Many Senegalese struggling with a high cost of living and unemployment are likely to see the Games as an unnecessary expense. Authorities counter that they are a long-term investment in young people and infrastructure, and they hope the event will help make Dakar a major tourist destination. The questions about legacy come as global sport appears more regularly in Africa; Formula 1 confirmed its return to the continent earlier in October.

Human Rights Watch has also criticized the choice of host. Larissa Kojoue of the organization told DW that a country welcoming the world should not add exceptions to the welcome, and that Senegal's anti-LGBT legislation and crackdown contradict the Olympic Charter and human rights conventions the country has signed. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye signed a new law on same-sex relations earlier this year. It had broad support in the parliament of the majority Muslim country but drew concern abroad. Several rights groups warned it would discourage people at risk of illnesses such as HIV/AIDS from seeking help.

The Games also mark Russia's return to Olympic competition under its own colors, after the International Olympic Committee lifted its suspension in July. Each sport's international federation decides whether Russians may compete. World Athletics is keeping its ban, while judo and swimming have allowed Russians back with their flag and anthem. The Russian Olympic Committee says 13 athletes and 10 coaches will travel to Senegal.

Nloga argues that the Games are rooted in Senegal's strong sporting culture, noting how many people of all ages and fitness levels exercise along Dakar's Corniche each evening. What to watch now is whether the youth programs and infrastructure leave something lasting, and how the Russian participation and the LGBTQ+ rights criticism shape the event.