Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games preparations focus on beach wrestling

Preparations for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are underway, with a specific focus on beach wrestling. Sitor Ndour, an international referee and technical staff member for Senegal’s national beach wrestling teams, expressed optimism regarding Senegal’s medal prospects. Ndour cited the country’s strong performance at the Beach Wrestling World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, as a key indicator of potential success.

To support the athletes, Senegal is utilizing experienced wrestlers like Siny Sembène and Khady Diandi to mentor younger competitors. Additionally, the state and federation have worked to provide consistent training environments for student-athletes to ensure they maintain progress.

On the officiating side, French referee Joël Coffard has been selected to officiate beach wrestling events during the games, which are scheduled to take place in Dakar.