By Seedy Jobe
The Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC) says preparations are nearly complete for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, where seven Gambian athletes will compete across five sports in pursuit of the country’s first Olympic medal.
Muhammed L. Saidykhan, the committee’s communications officer, told GRTS on Tuesday that preparations were approximately 95 percent complete, emphasizing that the Gambian contingent intends to compete for medals rather than merely participate.
“The Gambia is ready. We are going to Dakar to compete,” he said.
The Games, scheduled for Oct. 31 to Nov. 13, will mark the first Olympic event hosted on African soil, bringing together an estimated 2,700 young athletes from 206 countries.
Mr. Saidykhan said four of the five Gambian teams were already training abroad. Judo athletes are in Senegal, with plans to compete in Kazakhstan before the Games, while the boxing team departed for Dakar this week.
Swimming and athletics teams have been training in Senegal following an ECOWAS-supported program in Saint-Louis. The beach volleyball team, meanwhile, began a local training camp on Monday and is expected to travel to Saly, Senegal, later this week for final preparations.
He said the GNOC had invested considerable resources in preparing athletes physically, mentally, and psychologically, working closely with national sports federations.
The athletes have gained international experience through competitions in Algeria, Angola, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Senegal. Notably, The Gambia’s beach volleyball team won the African Under-18 Championship in Nigeria last year.
Mr. Saidykhan also addressed questions about athlete selection, explaining that participation is determined through qualification pathways and quotas established by the International Olympic Committee.
Although the GNOC has 29 affiliated national sports associations and would have preferred to send a larger delegation, he said The Gambia was allocated seven places under a system designed to ensure equal representation of male and female athletes.
He said the Dakar Games would feature 1,350 male and 1,350 female athletes, achieving gender parity among competitors.
According to Mr. Saidykhan, athletes qualify through international competitions, continental rankings, and development programs, while universality places may be available in disciplines such as athletics and swimming.
He insisted that the selection process was merit-based and that all seven Gambian representatives had earned their places.
“There is a 100 percent qualification pathway,” he said.
Mr. Saidykhan expressed confidence that the delegation could deliver a historic performance, saying the ultimate ambition was to secure The Gambia’s first Olympic medal.
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