Three Senegalese athletes carry the Dakar 2026 Flame in Athens

Key facts

• Brancou Badio, Louis-François Mendy and Oumy Diop, three Senegalese athletes, were selected to carry the Dakar 2026 Flame in Athens during the Flame lighting ceremony.  
• They all excel in their respective sports: basketball, athletics and swimming. 
• Beyond their sporting achievements, Oumy Diop and Louis-François Mendy remain deeply connected to their home country, Senegal. 
• Senegal will become the first African country to host an Olympic event on its soil.

2026 has been a remarkable sporting year for these three Senegalese athletes.  

Senegalese swimmer Oumy Diop, 23, recently won two titles at the African Championships.  

Louis-François Mendy, already crowned African champion in 2024, won silver in the 110m hurdles at the 2026 African Championships in Accra.  

And Senegal international Brancou Badio was recently crowned Spanish champion with his club, Valencia Basket. The young basketball player has also impressed with the Lions earlier this year, establishing himself as one of their leading offensive players.  

But for once, there is no stopwatch or race involved in the latest chapter of these athletes’ careers.  

All three are in Athens, Greece, to take part in the lighting of the Dakar 2026 Flame. It is a solemn and symbolic occasion, as Senegal prepares to become the first African country to host an Olympic event on its soil. 

“It is an honour” for Oumy Diop

Oumy Diop, an official Dakar 2026 ambassador, spoke of her pride at being part of the first Olympic event to be held in Africa. “It is an honour and a great source of pride. I feel a little bit like Senegal’s Laure Manaudou,” said the athlete, referring to the French swimming star who was selected as the first torchbearer at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. 

 “This stadium is legendary. As an Olympian, to be able to take part in this, knowing that it is the first Olympic event to be held in Africa, is an honour,” she added.

“It is indescribable”, says Louis-François Mendy

 Joining her in welcoming the Dakar 2026 Flame was Louis-François Mendy. The 27-year-old Senegalese athlete has made his mark on the athletics track. A 110m hurdles specialist from Guédiawaye, he has gradually established himself as one of the leading figures in Senegalese sport. 

 African champion in 2024 and African Games champion in the 110m hurdles in 2024, he holds the Senegalese national record in the event, with a time of 13.18.  

A two-time Olympian, Louis-François Mendy competed at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He spoke of his pride at representing his country as Senegal prepares to host the first Olympic event in Africa. “It is a pleasure and an honour. I did not expect to be selected to come here. I had always heard about this stadium on television or on social media. To be part of this is indescribable. I am very happy to be here.”  

Brancou Badio, first torchbearer

Brancou Badio, one of the best-known faces of Senegalese basketball today, was also at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. He was selected as the first torchbearer of the Dakar 2026 Flame during the Flame Lighting Ceremony.  

Formed in Senegal, the point guard has built most of his career in Spain, where he has established himself among the Senegalese players competing at the highest level of European basketball.