Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Flame Lit and Handed Over at Panathenaic Stadium

ATHENS, GREECE — September 10, 2026: The flame for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games is lit during a ceremony at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. Greek actress Katerina Misichroni, performing the role of High Priestess, took part in the traditional lighting ritual using the sun’s rays. A torch relay and cauldron lighting followed before Hellenic Olympic Committee President Isidoros Kouvelos formally handed the flame to Dakar 2026 Organising Committee President Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye. IOC President Kirsty Coventry attended the ceremony. The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, scheduled for October 31 to November 13, will become the first Olympic sporting event held in Africa. Photo: © Harris Xanthopoulos / MedPress