Saturday, 12th September, marked the arrival of the Olympic Flame in Dakar, Senegal, with the countdown clock having reached 50 days to go on Friday.
As part of adding to the Flame Tour celebrations, SASCOC partnered with Altus Sport to celebrate the day, with scores of Grade 6 and Grade 7 learners (12-13 years) from Mamelodi East.
Under the slogan “Pass the Energy”, the Flame Tour has officially started its African journey in Dakar – aiming to place schools and young people at its heart. The tour will consist of 30 stops over around 50 days across the city of Dakar and all regions of Senegal, running until the Opening Ceremony on 31 October 2026.
The IOC encouraged the 54 NOCs in Africa to mark the day with activities that aim to strengthen the advancement of the Olympic values and build anticipation for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
With the collective symbolic objective of achieving 30,500km of run, children were invited to run (or walk) and take part in some sport-based activities suggested in the Flame Tour 2026 toolkit, by contributing an average of 5km each, depending on their individual abilities. This one-day
activation also offerrf an opportunity for learning about the Olympic Movement and its fundamental values.
South Africa’s activation took place at the Nellmapius Community Ground in Pretoria.
Photos: Frennie Shivambu