(JULY 15) Senegal and the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) have mutually agreed to
postpone the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Dakar 2022 to 2026.
President Macky Sall's proposal was welcomed by IOC President
Thomas Bach, following in-depth discussions on the subject. This
postponement meets the requirement of responsibility and the
concern for efficiency imposed by current circumstances.
The postponement of Dakar 2022 allows the IOC, the National
Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the International Federations (IFs)
to better plan their activities, which have been strongly
affected by the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, by
the subsequent postponements of major international sports
events, and by the operational and financial consequences of the
global health crisis.
At the same time, it allows Senegal to carry on the excellent
preparations for the Youth Olympic Games. The two leaders, who
praised the progress made so far, have jointly renewed their
confidence in Dakar 2022 President Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye, IOC
Member in Senegal, and both remain fully committed to the great
success of these Youth Olympic Games, the first Olympic event
ever to be organised in Africa.
The IOC and Senegal understand that this news will be
disappointing for many young athletes. Both parties can only
appeal to their understanding. This agreement results from the
large scale of the operational challenges which the IOC, the
NOCs and the IFs are facing following the postponement of the
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. With this in mind, the IOC will
continue to offer all IFs and NOC Continental Associations the
full content of the educational programmes of the Youth Olympic
Games. This will allow for the objectives of this very important
and much-appreciated component of the YOG to be maintained
through the many events organised between now and 2026, in
particular during the Continental Youth Games.
“This amicable agreement illustrates the mutual trust between
Senegal and the IOC. I would like to express my sincere thanks
to President Macky Sall, a great friend and supporter of the
Olympic Movement, for this exceptional relationship of trust and
quality. For all these reasons, I am sure that, together, we
will organise fantastic Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 for
Senegal, the entire African continent and all the young athletes
of the world,” said IOC President Thomas Bach.
“I would like to reiterate that the IOC has my full support for
the organisation of the Youth Olympic Games, postponed to 2026.
I take this opportunity to reaffirm my confidence in the
Executive Board and welcome the commitment of its teams, working
side by side with us, to make Dakar 2026, the first Olympic
event in Africa, a successful and memorable occasion”, said
President Macky Sall.
The agreement was approved today by the IOC Executive Board, and
will be submitted to the IOC Session for ratification this
Friday, 17 July 2020.
