All the latest from the 2026 Youth Olympics in Senegalese capital

The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games is now in full swing, with three days of competition already launching three young Aussie teens to the quarterfinals of the historic sporting event.

Millie Griffin (ACT) is now two races within reach of a medal after winning her last 16 knockout race to reach the women’s solo coastal rowing quarterfinals.

Thomas Turner (QLD) and Ryan Edgar (QLD) went on a winning streak to book a spot in the men’s beach volleyball quarterfinals.

The Aussie youth squad of 22 athletes had a proud moment representing their country during the opening ceremony at Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Dakar.

The host city and capital of Senegal made the most of opening the first Olympic event ever to be held on African soil in a ceremony full of dance and colour.

Griffin and Turner had the honour of being Australia’s flag-bearers during the event.

“It was really insane. It was such an incredible moment. It didn’t quite feel real walking out into the huge stadium. It was a crazy atmosphere – it was amazing,” Millie said.

“There was so much dancing and singing. The whole show was really cool. It was amazing to experience.”

The ceremony was a cultural celebration of Africa, with more than 1100 performers from Senegal taking part in traditional music, dance, wrestling and contemporary art.

It also featured nearly 1500 locally made costumes.

The games will feature 2700 athletes competing across 25 sports in Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly. The young competitors from around the world are aged just 14 to 17 years old.

At the close of day three, Australian women’s rugby sevens team had won in their pool* matches against Senegal (32-0) and the People’s Republic of China (21-15).

Griffin (ACT) finished with the second fastest time of 2:44.84 in the women’s solo event in the rowing coastal beach sprints and will now compete in a quarterfinal race with Marie Zavadilova (CZE).

In beach volleyball, Thomas (QLD) and partner Ryan (QLD), both 17, fought a hard battle against the Democratic Republic of the Congo to earn their quarterfinal spot, winning 2-1 (21-16; 19-21; 15-13).

The Aussie pair said the fact they had been playing together for two years meant they had built trust and experience in order to work together well as a team.

“I think we’ve been in those positions a thousand times,” Thomas said. “I think we just trust ourselves. We back our game, and we know that when it really counts, that we can deliver and execute* our skills.”

In badminton, Smrithi Adepu (VIC) has won back-to-back wins with a come-from-behind victory against Yu Jeong Jang (KOR) after losing the first game 2-1 (19-21; 21-14; 21-9).

In the men’s singles, Om Neelam (VIC) lost 0-2 (15-21; 15-21) in a tough battle against Jung Bin Park (KOR) despite putting in good play and covering the court well.

Aussie table tennis players Akira Chang (WA) and Daisy Xie (NSW) have finished their 2026 Youth Olympic Games after bowing out in the singles tournament.

Akira lost 0-3 (8-11; 5-11; 9-11) to Chinting Lin (TPE), pushing the higher seed close in two of the three games.

Olympian and Paralympic silver medallist Milly Tapper was coach for the table tennis pair. She said she was proud of Akira’s performance across the tournament.

“It was a tough match, but the good thing about it was he was able to go into the match just trying to play freely and give it his best shot,” she said.

“I think he’s absolutely loved it. I’ve seen a huge shift in him as well. I think he’s really embraced the experience and the opportunity, and then on top of that, he had a fantastic tournament. His first match against Puerto Rico was like a historic win for table tennis in Australia, for that age group.”

Daisy played a competitive game against Yerim Heo (KOR). Daisy won the opening game 11-9, however the Korean proved too strong and closed out the match 1-3 (11-9; 4-11; 4-11; 3-11).

POLL

GLOSSARY

• pool: games played in the initial round-robin phase of a competition
• execute: take action on

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QUICK QUIZ
1. How many sports are being competed in during the 2026 Youth Olympics?
2. Who are the flag-bearers for Australia?
3. Which Aussie athletes have made it to the semi-finals in their sports?
4. Dakar is the capital of which country?
5. Which teams have the Australian women’s rugby sevens team won against so far?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Diary entry on Olympic experience
Imagine you were chosen to represent your country for the Youth Olympic Games.

Write a diary entry about your experience.

Include details such as:

– How you felt when you were selected

– What it was like travelling overseas

– Your experience at the opening ceremony

– The sport you competed in

– How you prepared for your event

– What happened during your competition

– What you learnt from the experience

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
What is the significance of the Youth Olympic Games being held on African soil for the first time? How might this contribute positively to African community and culture?

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Geography, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.

Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.

Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?

Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.