Kipchoge lands Dakar Youth Olympic Games role

The Dakar 2026 set to take place from October 31 to November 13 marks the first Olympic sporting event ever hosted on African soil.

The Games will span three host zones—Dakar, Diamniadio, and Saly—and bring together approximately 2,700 young athletes under the age of 18.

The marathon legend has competed at five Olympic Games, winning four medals, including consecutive marathon golds at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

As Global Ambassador for Dakar 2026, the 41-year-old is now preparing to connect with young athletes in Senegal, drawing on more than two decades at the highest level of international sport to help them make the most of their YOG experience.

“I was really happy – it made my day – to become a Global Ambassador for the Games. I’ve been in the sport for 24 years; it’s my time to give back to the next generation. And the youth in Dakar are exactly the next generation I want to walk with,” said Kipchoge.

“When I go to Dakar, I’ll make sure I meet young athletes from across the world– meet them, have an honest talk, mentor them, and look at what the future of sport, and the world, looks like.”

The Games hold profound personal significance for the former world marathon record holder, who highlighted the historic nature of bringing the Olympic movement to Africa.

“Dakar 2026 is a huge event on our young continent – something we’ve long waited for here,” he says. “Being the first, it will stay vivid in the minds of young people and the general public for a very long time.”

In addition to his ambassadorial duties, Kipchoge will mentor the Refugee Olympic Team, which is making its historic debut at the Youth Olympic Games.

His mentoring session will be focused on discipline, education, values and what it takes to succeed in sport and in life.

“Mentoring the Refugee Team means a lot to me. I talked to them about the importance of having the right values in your life, your education and your sport – the real recipe for success, and what success means in sport and in life.”