The road to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games continues to gather momentum, with the Senegalese Canoe Kayak Federation playing a prominent role in the recent Engagement Sports Day.
As excitement ramps up to the Games, Senegal’s National Federation used the occasion to showcase paddle sport through a series of educational and interactive activities.
It was designed to provide more than 200 young people with an introduction to the sport's fundamental principles.
Hosted by Dakar 2026 Organising Committee, the event took place on June 21 at the Place du Souvenir Africain in Dakar.
Throughout the day, Senegalese Canoe Kayak Federation representatives delivered presentations on paddle sport, organised technical demonstrations, displayed equipment, and engaged visitors in discussions about the sport and its development in Senegal.
Informational flyers were distributed, while contact details were collected from individuals interested in future participation opportunities.
The event proved to be an excellent platform for increasing the visibility of paddle sport within Senegal's sporting landscape.
Many young people expressed interest in the sport, and the federation further strengthened relationships with key stakeholders and partners involved in sports development and youth engagement.
The initiative builds on the Senegalese Canoe Kayak Federation’s ongoing efforts to promote the sport nationally.
Canoeing will be one of 10 engagement sports at the Youth Olympics in Dakar, providing an opportunity, driven by the Senegalese Canoe Kayak Federation, to showcase paddle sport to the public and inspire a new wave of African paddlers to get on the water.
Four Senegalese paddlers have been selected by the International Olympic Committee as Athlete Role Models for the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 and the first Olympic sporting event ever held on African soil.
Canoe Sprint athlete Combe Seck, Canoe Slalom siblings Jean-Pierre Bourhis and Yves Bourhis and Paracanoe star Edmond Sanka have been chosen thanks to the efforts of the Senegalese Canoe Kayak Federation.
The four paddlers will be on the ground in Senegal to engage with the local community, support athletes from other sports from the sidelines and motivate people to take up paddle sport in the future.
The Senegalese Canoe Kayak Federation believes that continued outreach and grassroots development initiatives will play a vital role in attracting new participants and strengthening paddle sport across the country.
To build on the momentum generated by the event ahead of the Youth Olympics, the federation has identified several key priorities.
These include organising regular introductory sessions in schools and universities, developing travelling demonstration programmes across different regions, strengthening digital and media communications, and establishing stronger partnerships with local authorities and private-sector organisations.
Additional objectives include hosting open days, training more instructors and volunteers, maintaining engagement with interested participants, increasing the sport's presence at national sporting events, promoting inclusive access to paddle sport, and ultimately establishing a National Paddle Day in Senegal.
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