NOCK unveils 53-member squad for 2026 Dakar Youth Olympics

National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) has unveiled a 53-athlete delegation that will represent the country at the 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, from October 31 to November 13.

The Kenyan contingent comprises 43 girls and 10 boys, with the country set to compete in 13 sports in the fourth edition of the Games, which will be held on African soil for the first time.

Kenya will compete in 13 disciplines, including beach handball, wrestling, judo, basketball 3x3, Baseball5, rugby sevens, athletics, triathlon and fencing, among others.

Dakar 2026 is expected to attract approximately 2,700 athletes from more than 200 national delegations, with 25 sports featuring on the competition programme.

According to Team Kenya Chef de Mission Angelah Luchivia, the decision to diversify into different sports aims to broaden the country's medal prospects beyond athletics.

“Given the fact that Kenya has previously taken at most 18 athletes to the Youth Olympic Games, this delegation is more than triple that number. We are hoping that we can get more medals. We are being ambitious because we have diversified and are not going to Dakar with athletics alone,” said Luchivia.

She added that the Games would provide an opportunity to develop other sporting disciplines and strengthen Kenya's participation in future international competitions.

“For starters, these Games are an opportunity for Kenya to develop more sports going into the future, so that we can have more disciplines represented at senior-level international competitions. We are hoping that we can build on this as a country,” she added.

Luchivia revealed that athletes still attending school would join a residential training camp on Monday next week, following the closure of schools for the holiday break.

Mombasa was selected as the camp venue because its climatic conditions are considered similar to those in Dakar.

“Currently, the teams have been training under their respective federations at different venues because most of the athletes have been in school. We have used that opportunity to ensure that they continue with their education while preparing for Dakar,” she said.

"The rugby team was already in Tunisia and would travel directly to Dakar from there to join the rest of the Kenyan delegation. The Baseball5 team had returned from Botswana, where it participated in a preparatory camp and tournament, while the beach wrestling team was scheduled to travel to Mauritius in the days leading up to the Games."

Kenya has won 15 Summer Youth Olympic Games medals—eight gold, three silver, and four bronze—all in athletics

Meanwhile, Team Kenya Chief Executive Officer and Head of Operations Kerubo Momanyi expressed confidence in the delegation's preparations, saying the 13 participating federations had been working to ensure their athletes were ready for the competition.

“We have planned for the team's movements in and out of the country, as well as competition coordination and transport arrangements in Dakar and across Senegal. We will be with the team throughout the Games, working with all the 13 federations involved,” said Momanyi.

“We are hoping to give Kenyans a fantastic show and return with many more medals. The athletes are excited, as we saw earlier, and we look forward to representing the country well,” she added.

On the gender composition of the delegation, Momanyi said the higher number of girls was a result of qualification criteria and international rankings rather than the decisions of the selection panel.

“For the Youth Olympic Games, the qualification criteria are determined by the International Olympic Committee and the respective international federations. Some sports use continental rankings, where Kenya may be ranked higher in the women's category than in the men's category,” she explained.

She cited beach handball and Baseball5 as examples of disciplines in which Kenyan athletes had performed well in the qualification process.

"The country's qualification and athlete numbers were determined by the applicable rankings and international federation criteria. The selection was based purely on rankings and the international federations. It is not because the CEO and Chef de Mission are women.”

The previous three Summer Youth Olympic Games were held in Singapore in 2010, Nanjing, China, in 2014, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2018.

Dakar 2026 will mark the return of the Summer Youth Olympic Games after an eight-year gap and the first time an Olympic event of this kind is held on the African continent.