NEW DELHI: The Olympic flame was welcomed by music and dancing in the capital of Senegal on September 12, as a march by 100 women marked the countdown to the first Olympic sporting event held in Africa — the Youth Olympic Games.
The event, running from October 31 to November 13, will bring together about 2,700 young athletes to compete in 35 sports across Dakar and the nearby cities of Diamniadio and Saly.
The Youth Olympics, first held in Singapore in 2010, are a smaller version of the Olympic Games for athletes aged 15 to 18.
The flame was carried by 100 Senegalese women, known as “lingeer” — a title for queens or royal women in Wolof, one of the main languages of Senegal. They included influential actors from the cultural, sports and economic sectors.
Senegalese basketball legend Mame Maty Mbengue lit the Olympic cauldron at the ceremony.
The flame left the Greek capital, Athens, on September 10 , where it was lit using the sun’s rays and a parabolic mirror, following Olympic tradition, before being handed to Senegal at the Panathenaic Stadium.
The flame covers a 3,600-kilometer (2,237-mile) tour of Senegal, traveling through all 14 regions with over 400 Senegalese torchbearers before returning to the capital for the official opening ceremony.
I n t e r n a t i o n a l Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry, who is from Zimbabwe, said the Games will be a “proud moment” for Senegal and the continent.
