The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed a global broadcast line-up for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, placing African broadcasters at the centre of coverage for the first Olympic event to be staged on the continent.
Taking place from 31 October to 13 November across Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly in Senegal, the Games will bring together approximately 2,700 athletes. Senegal’s public broadcaster, Radiodiffusion Télévision Sénégalaise (RTS), will serve as the local broadcaster, while regional partners will distribute coverage across Africa and international markets.
Across sub-Saharan Africa, MMS will provide coverage across approximately 40 countries, while beIN Sports will serve North Africa and the wider Arab region. The arrangement gives regional broadcasters defined roles in distributing the competition, while the IOC’s digital platforms will offer another route for audiences to follow events.
Olympics.com and the Olympic Channel are scheduled to stream live coverage in English and French without geographical restrictions. This creates an important distribution dynamic: audiences will have access to the IOC’s global streams alongside coverage from regional rights-holders. The practical implications will depend on how viewers choose between these services, as well as the availability and presentation of coverage in each market.
Outside Africa, the broadcast network includes partners such as Claro Sports, Chilevisión, Globo and Livemode, TelevisaUnivision, CBC, NBC Olympics, Nine Network, SKY New Zealand and China Media Group. Other partners include Infront Sports & Media, a Japanese broadcaster consortium comprising NHK, Fuji TV, Nippon TV and TV Asahi, South Korea’s JTBC, and European public-service broadcasters including France Télévisions, ARD and ZDF, RAI, RTVE, the BBC, ORF and SRG SSR. Radio France and RFI are also included in the wider international line-up.
The Games are attracting substantial media interest. According to Olivia Nloga, executive director of brand promotion for Dakar 2026, organisers received approximately 1,600 media accreditation requests and approved around 630, including more than 200 Senegalese media representatives.
For African broadcasters, Dakar 2026 offers both a major production opportunity and a test of how traditional television distribution works alongside unrestricted digital streaming. The event will also put the region’s sports broadcasting infrastructure, audience reach and digital access under an international spotlight. How audiences divide their viewing between licensed broadcasters and the IOC’s online platforms will be a key point of interest for rights-holders and media businesses.
