The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games mark the first Olympic sporting event held on African soil with about 2,700 athletes aged 15 to 18 competing across Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly from 31 October to 13 November 2026.
Ghana's Joanita Borteye, 15, advanced to the women's singles round of 16 at the 2026 ITTF-Africa Championships in Tangier after winning all three group matches and defeating Morocco's Edena Prevot 4-1 in the round of 32.
Borteye opened with a 3-0 victory over Rwanda's Chantal Hirwa then beat Tunisia's Ela Saidi 3-0 and Morocco's Nour Slamti 3-1 to progress from Group 9.
She partnered Israel Aklie to win the under-15 mixed doubles title at the ITTF-Africa Youth Championships in Accra earlier in 2026 ending Ghana's 39-year wait for continental table tennis gold.
Kenya's David Kapaiko Sekento, 16, heads to Dakar with a World Athletics U20 Championships silver medal in the men's 1,500m recorded in Eugene in August 2026 with a personal best of 3:38.32.
Sekento won his semifinal in 3:43.60 to qualify for the final finishing behind compatriot Wilson Chepkwech.
His 800m best stands at 1:50.21 recorded at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi in April 2026.
Tunisia's Ranim Ben Sliman competes in judo under-63kg having built a strong continental record in 2026 according to the International Judo Federation rankings.
The Games offer these young athletes an opportunity to build on recent national continental and international performances while representing a broad range of African sporting talent.
African athletes to watch at Dakar 2026
- Joanita Borteye (Ghana) - Table Tennis women's singles
- David Kapaiko Sekento (Kenya) - Athletics 800m
- Ranim Ben Sliman (Tunisia) - Judo under-63kg
Watch the Highlights
Source: The Independent Uganda
