Where and when to watch the Dakar 2026 YOG Flame arrival ceremony

The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games Flame was lit on Thursday 10 September during a solemn ceremony at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. 

After being lit in Greece, the Flame is now heading to Senegal. On Saturday 12 September, it will arrive in Dakar, the first stop on a journey that will take it across the country ahead of the YOG Opening Ceremony on 31 October. 

The Flame’s arrival in the Senegalese capital marks another milestone in the countdown to the start of the first Olympic sporting event to be held in Africa. 

100 Linguères to welcome the Flame

In Dakar, the Flame will be welcomed by a procession of 100 women, chosen to represent the diversity and dynamism of women in Senegal and across the continent. They all share a commitment to promoting Senegal and Africa around the world. 

Their presence will give the Flame’s arrival a special significance. They will be the first to receive the Flame before it continues its journey across Senegal. 

A ceremony to watch live

The Dakar 2026 YOG Flame Welcome Ceremony will take place on Saturday 12 September in Dakar, near Place du Souvenir Africain on the Corniche.

The live broadcast will begin at 16:45 Dakar time (18:45 CET). The ceremony will be broadcast live on Olympic Channel, via Olympics.com, as well as on RTS 1 in Senegal. 

Olympic fans will be able to follow the Flame’s arrival in the Senegalese capital and see the first images of its journey through Senegal. 

Just a few weeks before the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games begin, the Flame is embarking on its journey across the country. A journey that will celebrate youth, sharing and unity, leading up to 31 October, when the Opening Ceremony will officially launch the Games.