This year, the Summer Youth Olympic Games, the first Olympic Games to be held in Africa, will be held in Dakar, Senegal from October 31st to November 13th.
Nearly 3,000 athletes are scheduled to compete in 153 sports. With just six months to go, CNN’s Victoria Roubadiri spoke to Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi about the plans and legacy of this landmark event.
The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.
CNN: How important is movement and connectivity to the success of the game?
Christophe Dubi: Travel and connections are always very important when organizing global events. The logistics of that are really difficult. Most of the delivery entities are based in Dakar, which is great for the local economy. Everything from security, transport and logistics to food and beverages will be local.
But then there’s the whole international system: the athletes, their inner circle, the international federations, and some of us at the International Olympic Committee. All in all, I think probably close to 5,000 people will have to come to Dakar from outside.
CNN: How important is intra-African travel and mobility for these athletes?
Dubi: It’s true that it’s important for the event, but it’s not the only thing. Traveling from one country to another (in Africa) is not always incredibly convenient. You will have to travel from the spoke to several hubs and possibly back to Europe. Therefore, we strive to do this as efficiently as possible. We also rely on the support of the African Continental Olympic Committee. Why not take some charter flights from different destinations? So these are the kinds of factors we are looking into.
However, securing direct point-to-point flights is not always easy. Yes, there are some within the African continent, but everyone comes from outside and from Europe as well. If you travel from Lausanne, Switzerland, where I’m sitting here, it takes a day to get to Dakar.
CNN: This is historic and we don’t want to shy away from the fact of what this moment means for the continent.
Dubi: This is very symbolic because this continent has produced the FIFA World Cup (in 2010) and many other great sporting events.
We have to imagine that for almost 70% of the athletes coming from outside, it is their first time on the continent, partly due to their young age, and their first time experiencing the city of Dakar and the local culture. So this is really historic.
Some of these young talents will become Olympic champions, but they will all become ambassadors not only for the Youth Games and the Olympic values that we have at our core, but also for Dakar, Senegal and the continent.
CNN: Let’s talk about what is being touted as the “superpower” of the African continent. That’s the advantage of youth. With such a young population, what role do you think they play in world athletics?
Dubi: I would say (this is) an event for young people, more importantly by young people, for young people. If there is a legacy that this event will leave a lasting impact not only on Dakar but across the continent, it is the workforce and talent that will be unearthed.
We have created a program to educate and coach young talent not only in Senegal but across the continent, in response to the very specific demands of the Youth Games event. This expertise can be spread throughout the continent, not only in sports, but also in any other event, whether it is organizing weddings, concerts or sporting events, with the same principle.
CNN: How can Senegal benefit beyond the 2026 Olympics?
Dubi: Transportation, logistics, private security, all of these will require new expertise at a level and scale that is probably unprecedented. They (Dakar) have of course hosted many international events and conventions, but there is a lot going on at the same time. That means you’ll need more. This means more capacity to host in the future. And I hope they have the desire and of course the confidence to bid for the event in Dakar. So it will be a great legacy for the sports system.
CNN: Let’s talk about preparedness and infrastructure, especially when it comes to investments.
Dubi: We’re still six months away, so we’re not there yet, but we’re pretty close. And I think everyone should be very proud of this, not just the sports authorities but the authorities as a whole. Because it makes sense for the sport and for the people to do this today.
CNN: Are there any challenges or risks that you see coming?
Dubi: Most of the money will be spent in the next six months that we have. Here all resources are realized on the ground. The challenge in Dakar is therefore the sheer amount of work that has to be carried out for the event, just as it was in Milan (Winter Olympics) eight months ago.
If you’re planning an event at your own home, you know how stressful it can be in the 15 minutes before your guests arrive and how much you have to do to make it a great event when 8pm knocks on your door. It’s exactly the same. We’re in the six month period where everything comes together and that’s the challenge.
I won’t specifically say that I’m behind or that I’m missing something, but that’s not the case at all. We have a great foundation, we have a great plan, we have the resources, we have great support from the government, we have a very good organizing committee, we have very talented young people, we have good companies as well as logistics, transport and civil security, all of these things are in place. But right now we’re putting all this together, which is always a complicated task when there are so many variables.
