Dakar Youth Olympics 2026: Olopade charges young athletes to uphold Nigeria’s pride, sees Games as pathway to LA 2028 Olympics
Oru Leonard
The National Sports Commission (NSC), has reaffirmed its commitment to grassroots sports development, describing Nigeria’s participation in the forthcoming Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, as a strategic opportunity to discover, nurture and prepare the country’s next generation of Olympic stars.
Director General of the Commission, Hon. Bukola Olopade, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja during the send-off ceremony for Team Nigeria’s contingent to the Games, where he charged the young athletes to uphold the country’s image through discipline, patriotism, sportsmanship and outstanding performances.
Olopade described the competition as a historic milestone, noting that the athletes would be participating in the first-ever Olympic event to be hosted on African soil.
He urged the young competitors to embrace the opportunity as a stepping stone towards greater achievements, particularly at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, United States.
According to him, the athletes represent the future of Nigerian sports and must demonstrate the commitment and determination required to excel at the international level.
“The Youth Olympic Games in Dakar are historic, and you are making history by being part of the first Olympic Games to be held in Africa. I am confident that these Games will mark the beginning of greatness for all of you,” Olopade said.
He further encouraged the athletes to remain focused, disciplined and passionate about their sporting careers, stressing that their selection was a recognition of their potential to become future champions.
The NSC boss also reiterated the Commission’s determination to strengthen grassroots sports development through deliberate talent identification programmes and sustained investment in young athletes.
He highlighted the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) initiative as one of the programmes designed to identify promising talents, provide them with competitive exposure and prepare them for future international assignments.
Olopade explained that the participation of some athletes discovered through the initiative at the Dakar Games demonstrates the importance of investing in young people and creating opportunities for them to develop their abilities.
He also assured the contingent of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to their growth and development, including the need to balance sporting ambitions with educational advancement.
The athletes, dressed in Nigeria’s traditional green-and-white national kits, were formally handed over by the NSC to the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) as preparations intensified for their departure to Senegal on Thursday.
Receiving the contingent, NOC President, Engr. Habu Gumel, assured the Commission that the athletes would receive the necessary support and care throughout the competition.
Gumel also emphasised the importance of fair play, assuring Nigerians that the contingent would compete cleanly, uphold the principles of sportsmanship and return home with their integrity intact.
The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games are expected to bring together more than 2,700 young athletes from across the world to compete for medals and national honours from October 31 to November 13, 2026.
For Nigeria, the competition represents more than an international sporting outing. It provides an important platform to assess emerging talents, strengthen the country’s youth development pathway and build a foundation for future success at major global competitions.
With the NSC placing renewed emphasis on grassroots participation and talent development, the young athletes heading to Senegal will carry the hopes of a nation eager to see the next generation of Nigerian sporting champions emerge.
