The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday said its executive board picked Senegal following a unanimous vote by the IOC earlier this year during the Winter Olympics in South Korea’s Pyeongchang to award the Youth Games to the African continent. Senegal will become the first African country to host an Olympic event.
Following the IOC’s mandate that the 2022 edition of the games are hosted in Africa, Senegal got the pick over Tunisia, Botswana, and Nigeria, the other bidders for the fourth edition of the Summer Youth Games. Senegal plans on hosting the event in its capital Dakar, the new city of Diamniadio and the coastal resort of Saly.
The nomination will be made official this October during the IOC’s meeting in Argentina.
“It is time for Africa. Africa is the home of many successful and prominent Olympic athletes,” IOC President Thomas Bach said. “Africa is a continent of youth.”
Senegal set to make history for Africa as Youth Olympic host https://t.co/qIG91fYNcy pic.twitter.com/eDIQ4hG4L0
— NBC OlympicTalk (@NBCOlympicTalk) September 7, 2018
In July, it was announced that the upcoming Under 20 IAAF games will be hosted in Nairobi.
