History is about to be made in Africa. International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry has arrived in Senegal to prepare for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

This is a very special moment because it is the first time an Olympic event will take place on African soil.

Coventry landed in Dakar on Monday. Local organisers and volunteers happily welcomed her. Everyone is getting ready for the big opening ceremony this Saturday at the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Diamniadio.

The excitement across the host nation is huge. Coventry, a former seven-time Olympic medal-winning swimmer from Zimbabwe, expressed her joy upon arriving.

"It is time for Africa, time for Senegal. We're very excited. We know it's going to be fabulous, and I'm just happy to have my feet on the ground. To do the dance, be here with you. Yeah. It's going to be amazing. We're very excited."

IOC President Kirsty Coventry meets Youth Olympics Volunteers at Dakar Airport. Picture: Marabou News Agency

She added that Africa has waited a long time for this moment:

"I think that it's been a long time, and now we're finally here, and it's great. And the energy is really good and I know Senegal is going to do an incredible job of welcoming the world and the world's athletes to come and share in our African traditions and our excitement and we're very proud of that."

The Youth Olympic Games will run for 14 days from October 31 to November 13.

More than 2,700 young athletes will compete in 25 different sports, hoping to win one of the 153 gold medals. The competitions will take place across eight venues in three areas: Dakar, Diamniadio and the beach town of Saly.

People are especially looking forward to Saturday's opening ceremony.

Christopher Dubi, the Olympic Games Executive Director, promised a colourful show full of local culture.

"Well, the opening ceremony will be everything the country has to offer and the continent has to offer. The culture is really vibrant. The music, the colours, the clothing. You will see it's going to be really special. It's going to feel very Senegalese, very African and yeah, having seen some teasers, it's going  to be incredibly special for the audience."

The event's official motto is "Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates.

"To help everything run smoothly, 6,000 local volunteers have joined the team. They are called ' Jambaar 26', which means "hero" in the Wolof language. They will guide and assist athletes, officials and fans throughout this landmark sporting celebration.

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