The Organising Committees of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 and Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 today signed a collaboration agreement in Saint-Denis, Paris, renewing both organisations’ commitment to the success of the next Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, following the event’s postponement from 2022 to 2026.

An agreement that marks the reinforcing of ties between the Organising Committees

The signing of this new collaboration agreement at the Paris 2024 headquarters in Saint-Denis by Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024, and Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye, President of Dakar 2026, marks a new stage in cooperation between both Organising Committees. This extends the first agreement signed in 2019 before the decision taken in 2020 by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Dakar 2026 and Republic of Senegal President Macky Sall to postpone the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Dakar to 2026, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

New prospects for cooperation

The main objective for Paris 2024 and Dakar 2026 remains to optimise the organisation and delivery of the Games and to strengthen their legacy. This will include the sharing of experience and best practices on all aspects of the organisation of the Games as well as joint communication actions.

The postponement of the Dakar Games makes Dakar 2026 a prime beneficiary of the legacy of the Paris 2024 Games and opens up new opportunities. These include observation and secondment programmes that will enable the Dakar 2026 team to fully experience the Games in 2024, as well as the transfer of equipment and human resources between the two organisations.

The rise of the Dioko Alliance

Paris 2024 continues to be the coordinator of the Dioko Alliance, which brings together French institutions committed to the success of the Dakar 2026 Games and their legacy. The agreement consolidates the many projects launched since 2019: renovation of sports facilities, support for the structuring of the Senegalese sports movement and the preparation of athletes, decentralised cooperation projects and the deployment of volunteers within the Senegalese National Olympic and Sports Committee as part of the “Generation 2024” civic service programme.

In 2022, the Alliance is expected to continue expanding. New actors, primarily national sports federations, have already expressed their interest in joining the Alliance to participate in the preparation of the Youth Olympic Games and Senegalese athletes. The next biannual meeting of the Alliance is scheduled for next spring in Paris.

First working meetings for Dakar 2026 in Paris

Dakar 2026’s visit to France from 9-10 March provided an opportunity to hold initial working meetings which focused on areas such as public engagement, education and environmental excellence. Representatives of Dakar 2026 also met with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the Clichy-sous-Bois City Council, before visiting the construction site of the Olympic and Paralympic Village of the Paris 2024 Games in the presence of Solideo, the state-owned company in charge of the construction projects for Paris 2024.

Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024 said: “The signing of this agreement marks a new stage in our privileged relationship with Dakar 2026. Since the creation of the Dioko Alliance in 2019, we have already launched many projects. The postponement of the Dakar Youth Olympic Games from 2022 to 2026 allows us to further raise the level of ambition of the Alliance and to ensure that a Dakar 2026 Games is a beneficiary of the legacy of the Paris 2024 Games. The next two years will allow us to forge closer links and explore new synergies between our two projects. After Lausanne 2020 and Tokyo 2020, we hope that our agreement with Dakar 2026 marks a new step towards promoting a new model of cooperation between Organising Committees for greater efficiency in the organisation of the Games”.

President of Dakar 2026, Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye, expressed his great satisfaction following the signing of this new partnership, which is the manifestation of the solidarity characteristic of the Olympic Movement. “With this agreement, we give meaning and practical content to the sports cooperation that goes beyond our two Organising Committees. We have the opportunity to write a historic page of Olympism together, through memorable Games in Paris and Dakar, which will leave a permanent legacy. Dakar 2026 is about the world’s youth being celebrated by Africa and we are delighted that Paris 2024 is contributing to this”.