Team Nigeria To Depart For Dakar Youth Olympics October 29

Team Nigeria will depart Abuja on 29 October for the 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, following a three-week local camping programme, the National Sports Commission (NSC) has announced.

The Nigerian contingent will compete in six sports — athletics, boxing, road cycling, swimming, table tennis and beach volleyball — at the Games scheduled for 31 October to 13 November.

In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by Kola Daniel, Special Assistant on Media to the NSC Director-General, the commission said the team would complete a 21-day local camping programme from 9 to 29 October before departing for Senegal.

The camping programme includes medical screening, anti-doping education, technical and tactical preparations, kit fitting, travel documentation and confirmation of participation requirements.

Team Nigeria is expected to arrive in Dakar on 30 October, a day before the opening ceremony, for accreditation, accommodation arrangements, equipment checks, technical meetings and familiarisation with competition venues.

The opening ceremony will take place on 31 October at the Diamniadio Olympic Stadium, with competitions in table tennis and beach volleyball also scheduled to begin that day.

Swimming will commence on 1 November, while boxing is scheduled for 7 to 12 November. Athletics and road cycling will take place on selected dates between 8 and 10 November.

The competitions will be staged across three host zones — Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly — with beach volleyball at Saly Beach West, table tennis and boxing at the Dakar Expo Centre, swimming at the Tour de l’Œuf complex, road cycling along Corniche Ouest and athletics at the Iba Mar Diop Complex.

The Games will end with the closing ceremony on 13 November at the Diamniadio Olympic Stadium, after which the Nigerian contingent is expected to return to Abuja following departure formalities and equipment reconciliation.

The NSC said the operational schedule was designed to coordinate the team’s preparations, travel arrangements, accreditation and competition commitments.

Dakar 2026 will be the fourth edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games and the first Olympic sporting event to be hosted on African soil.

Nigeria’s participation is part of efforts to strengthen grassroots sports development, nurture emerging talents and create pathways for young athletes to progress to elite international competition.