The Youth Olympic Games have opened in Senegal, the first Olympic event held in Africa, and Romania is taking part with 16 athletes.
Tens of thousands of spectators attended the opening ceremony at the Olympic Stadium in Diamniadio, near the capital Dakar, Associated Press reported. The programme included drumming and dance, a giant map of Africa formed by artists in traditional Senegalese dress, a concert by Senegalese singer Obree Daman and the athletes' parade. Senegal's president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, declared the Games open.
Competition continues until 13 November in Dakar, the neighbouring city of Diamniadio and the coastal resort of Saly. Athletes will contest 153 events across 25 disciplines.
Russia's delegation of 13 athletes is competing under the national flag for the first time at an Olympic event since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. A first refugee team of six athletes based in Kenya and Uganda will compete in athletics, judo and taekwondo.
Singapore hosted the first summer Youth Olympics in 2010. Dakar was due to stage the 2022 edition, but the coronavirus pandemic postponed the event. The Games come as African states increasingly treat sport as a tool of diplomacy and development. South Africa hosted the first FIFA World Cup on the continent in 2010. Morocco will co-host the 2030 tournament with Spain and Portugal. Rwanda staged Africa's first road-cycling world championships last year, and Formula 1 is due to return to the continent with a Grand Prix in Rwanda early in the next decade. Botswana hosted the World Athletics Relays in May.
Romania's 16 athletes will compete in athletics, boxing, coastal rowing, artistic gymnastics, swimming, beach wrestling, fencing, table tennis, archery and triathlon.
In athletics: Amelia Negulescu, Delia Aștefănoaie and Liviu Isache, coached by Marian Zărcan. In boxing: Mădălin Călugăr and Iasmina Moraru, coached by Marian Pița and Constantin Gălbenușe. In coastal rowing: Crina Neicu, coached by Marius Curelea, with Alexandru Florea handling the boat. In artistic gymnastics: Aniela Tudor and Alexandra Nica, coached by Anca Drăghici and Dan Potra. In swimming: Daria Silișteanu and Luca Marinescu, coached by Eduard Câșlaru and Andrei Pinticanu. In beach wrestling: Mădălina Pavel, coached by Marian Berbec. In fencing: Ștefan Popa, coached by Petre Ungureanu. In table tennis: Andreea Băiașu and Robert Istrate, coached by Anamaria Sebe. In archery: Daria Graur, coached by Zoltan Mikloș. In triathlon: Tünde Crișan, coached by Iosif Crișan.