Madar (Dakar) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the "Olympic Order in gold" to Senegalese Prime Minister Ahmadou Al-Amine Lo at a thank-you ceremony in Dakar on Friday, November 13, 2026, as the curtain fell on the "Dakar 2026" Youth Olympic Games, the Senegalese state daily Le Soleil reported.
Lo dedicated the distinction to the President of the Republic and to the whole Senegalese people, praising the commitment of all those who helped make the event a success, according to the same source. He also stressed the need to consolidate the legacy of the competition, held in Senegal from October 31 to November 13, 2026.
The prime minister had chaired an inter-ministerial council on the final phase of preparations in August and visited the Games' security operations coordination centre in early November. Dakar 2026 was the first Olympic event held in Africa, with some 2,700 young athletes expected, according to the newspaper.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry told a press conference held on Thursday with the local organising committee to present a provisional assessment that the Games had been "truly remarkable", adding that everyone she had spoken to said they had "far exceeded their expectations" and that they now "believed more in Africa's capabilities". Coventry had described the opening of the Games on October 31 as a "historic moment for Africa".
Organising committee president Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye said he had "never imagined" that youth games could have "such an impact", noting hotel bookings in Dakar for Christmas and New Year. Committee coordinator Ibrahima Wade said a preliminary analysis showed that Senegal's "capacity for influence" had been multiplied by 2.17 by the end of the first week, on November 9.
