As Dakar marks exactly one year until it becomes the first African city to host the Youth Olympic Games, the ITTF’s extensive development work across Africa continues to support the sport’s growth ahead of this landmark moment. The event will also mark another historic first: the first Youth Olympic Games under the IOC presidency of Kirsty Coventry, herself the first African to lead the International Olympic Committee.
The countdown to Dakar 2026 comes at a time of unprecedented growth in African table tennis development. Throughout 2024, the continent hosted 51 different development activities spanning 37 Member Associations, with gender-balanced participation showing 57.2% male and 42.8% female involvement across all programmes. This momentum has continued into 2025, with close to 30 activities already delivered across 21 Member Associations, demonstrating ITTF’s sustained commitment to growth within the region.
“The Youth Olympic Games is not just a competition – they’re about shaping the next generation of athletes and creating opportunities that will resonate throughout Africa long after the closing ceremony,” said Petra Sörling, ITTF President and IOC Member. “Our work across the continent through our development programmes and capacity-building initiatives is ensuring that this historic moment in Dakar will leave a lasting legacy for young athletes and the broader table tennis community.”
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Senegal’s Intensive Preparation
For Senegal, hosting the Youth Olympic Games represents a significant milestone. The Senegalese Table Tennis Association has been engaged with the ITTF Participation Programme over the past three years, delivering consistent national activities and grassroots development that have built the foundation for this historic moment.
Most recently, ITTF conducted an intensive Youth Training Camp from 29 September to 8 October in Dakar, Senegal as part of ITTF’s strategic preparation for the Youth Olympic Games. Led by Africa Participation Officer Paul Tiendrebeogo, the camp brought together 23 young players – 13 boys and 10 girls aged 12-15 – alongside a coaching team of five male coaches, one female coach, and a team manager for eight days of comprehensive development.
The camp exemplified ITTF’s holistic approach to athlete and coach development in Africa. Over eight intensive training days, participants engaged in dual daily sessions of two hours each, focusing on technical fundamentals including stroke connection, footwork consistency, serve and return techniques, tactical awareness, and individual skill development through many-ball training exercises. The structured programme incorporated both technical drilling and competitive scenarios, culminating in a two-day tournament that allowed players to apply their newly developed skills under match pressure.
Coaches participated in dedicated educational sessions covering training session components, player assessment methodologies, and requirements for ensuring consistent progression – building the local coaching capacity essential for sustained development after the Youth Olympic Games conclude.
The Dakar camp builds on earlier international exposure opportunities. Prior to the ITTF training camp, six Senegalese players and one coach completed an extended training programme in Changsha, China, from 3 August to 29 September 2025. Offered through the Chinese Ministry of Commerce via Senegal’s Prime Minister’s Office and facilitated by ITTF, this experience provided valuable international standards exposure and technical development that complemented the ITTF’s domestic preparation efforts.
Among the camp participants, young Senegalese hopefuls are now preparing with dreams of competing on home soil at the Youth Olympic Games, benefiting from world-class training support and the expertise of ITTF’s development network.
Looking ahead to 2026, ITTF will deliver a specialised training opportunity for selected African players, supported by Olympic Solidarity, as part of targeted Youth Olympic Games preparation. This initiative will provide identified talent with additional high-performance support as the Games approach.
ITTF Development Impact
The Senegal training camp exemplifies ITTF’s comprehensive approach to development, which extends well beyond athlete preparation to encompass coach education, technical official certification, and grassroots capacity-building initiatives across the continent.
A major milestone came in 2024 when Tunisia hosted the Level 3 Coaching Course – the first time this advanced qualification returned to Africa in eight years. With 17 participants from nine Member Associations completing the rigorous programme, this has significantly strengthened the continent’s coaching expertise.
Technical capacity has also seen remarkable growth. Competition management workshops and online certification programmes resulted in 18 individuals from nine member associations achieving “Regional Competition Manager in Progress” status, whilst International Umpire examination success rates reached 58% in 2024. Meanwhile, digital learning platforms proved invaluable, with African associations accessing 170 hours of ITTF’s online educational services to strengthen their organisational capabilities.
These development programmes are establishing strong foundations as preparation intensifies in Senegal and across the continent for the last year leading up to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games – the historic first Olympic event on African soil.
