Dakar, Senegal, 1 November 2026. Team Malta is in Senegal for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, the first Olympic event to be held on the African continent. The Games opened on Saturday 31 October at the Stade Abdoulaye Wade in Diamniadio and run until 13 November, with young athletes from over 200 National Olympic Committees competing in 25 sports across Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly.
Swimmers Yulya Anne Bonnici and Samuel Camilleri carried the Maltese flag at the Opening Ceremony.
“Hosting a Youth Olympic Games brings its share of challenges, and the organisers have worked hard to stage the first Olympic event on African soil. From the moment we arrived, the welcome has been warm, vibrant and colourful. Yulya and Sam are settled, well prepared and looking forward to racing,” said Johanna Grech, Chef de Mission and member of the Maltese Olympic Committee Executive Board.
Bonnici and Camilleri, accompanied by Andria Friggieri, are the first Maltese athletes in action. Bonnici opens Team Malta’s programme on Monday 2 November in the 100m freestyle, followed by the 50m freestyle on Wednesday 4 November and the 200m freestyle on Friday 6 November.
Camilleri competes in the 400m freestyle on Tuesday 3 November and the 200m butterfly on Friday 6 November. He had also been entered in the 800m freestyle. Following a review of athlete safety and wellbeing considerations, the IOC has revised the swimming competition schedule, and the 800m freestyle no longer forms part of the programme. Camilleri will focus on his two remaining events.
The rest of the Maltese delegation will join the team in Dakar later this week. Director of Sport Charlene Attard travels with gymnast Janet Galea (Artistic Gymnastics) and athletes Nick Bonett and Matthew Azzopardi (Athletics). They will be supported by coaches Nataliya Berehova and Tiziana Zammit respectively.
Team Malta’s participation at Dakar 2026 is carried out under the direction and support of the Maltese Olympic Committee.
