Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics: France sends around 50 security experts

Five days before the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games open, France is deploying around 50 police, gendarmerie and civil security specialists to support Senegalese authorities. The experts, some of whom worked on the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, will provide technical and operational assistance. A welcome ceremony and discussions on security preparations are scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Residence of France in Cap Manuel, with Interior Minister Mouhamadou Makhtar Cissé and senior Senegalese officials attending. The first Youth Olympics to be held in Africa will take place in Dakar from October 31 to November 13, 2026.