Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), visited Senegal and toured the city of Dakar, the capital of the African country, where the Youth Olympic Games will take place in 2026.
The Youth Olympic Games were due to be held this year in Dakar, but because of the health situation caused by Covid-19, they were canceled in July 2020 and postponed to 2026. “It was a great pleasure to meet again after the pandemic,” said Bach.
“We can’t wait for the time to return and enjoy this first Olympic event on African soil, an event for Africa, which will welcome the youth of the world,” said the German leader, who met with the president of Senegal, Macky Sall, whom he thanked “for all the support he has given to the youth of Senegal, sports and to the Olympic Movement. Thanks to this support, we are very confident that we will succeed in four years’ time.”
Sall, for his part, also thanked Bach for the trust placed in Senegal and highlighted “the great cooperation with the Organizing Committee of the Dakar 2026″.
During the tour, Bach visited the campus of Diamniadio University, where the future Olympic Village will be built, and in one of the activities he carried out, he planted a baobab (one of the symbols of the country) to celebrate the first phase of planting trees for the Olympic Forest in Senegal and Mali: “I am delighted to see that the project is in progress, the first 70,000 trees have been planted in Senegalese and Malian villages in the Sahel area.”
“The Olympic Forest is more than just planting trees. Communities in the Sahel area will greatly benefit from this project as they see an increase in their climate resilience, food security, nutrition and income opportunities. The Olympic Movement is about building a better world through sport, and the Olympic Forest demonstrates our commitment to this vision,” said Bach.
The Olympic Forest project will involve the planting of about 600,000 trees over the next four years, across 90 villages in Mali and Senegal. The goal is to reduce carbon emissions (30% by 2024 and 45% by 2030, in accordance with the Paris Agreement): “The Olympic Forest is a key driver of the IOC’s ambition, with this we want to mark the path for the entire Olympic Movement”.
The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was accompanied on his visit to Senegal by Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye (member of the IOC in Senegal and president of the Organizing Committee of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games) and Kirsty Coventry (member of the IOC in Zimbabwe and president of the Dakar 2026 Coordination Committee).
“We can expect a festival of excellence in sports, African culture, the joy of living and the wonderful hospitality of the African people” said Bach, who also toured the Dakar train station, which highlights a mural made by young artists inspired by Olympic values.
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