NAIROBI, Kenya, November 15, 2026 – Two-time world record holder Eliud Kipchoge believes Kenya should host the next edition of the Youth Olympics after a successful one in Dakar, this year.
Kipchoge said Kenya has the requisite infrastructure to stage a competition of such calibre, bringing together hundreds of competitors from around the globe.
“This is a good chance for Africa to showcase that they can organise and manage a huge championship. We have enough infrastructure and I think we are ready to host a big championship also,” the double Olympic marathon champion said.
Comprising approximately 2650 athletes from 204 countries, the Dakar Youth Olympics was the first such event of its kind to be held on African soil.
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Staged in three cities – Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly – the week-long competition featured 25 sporting disciplines including baseball5, 3×3 basketball, skateboarding, coastal rowing, athletics, wrestling and rugby 7s among others.
It was an event that marked the coming to birth of a number of African nations, including Kenya who won their first-ever medal in team sport courtesy of the women’s rugby 7s side – Rising Lionesses – who beat Australia 17-12 in the final.
Overall, Team Kenya finished eighth on the medal table with six medals (four gold and two silver), a return that excited Kipchoge who was among those in the Senegalese capital to witness the competition.
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Based on their performances, Kipchoge backed his fellow countrymen and women to do well at subsequent competitions.
He also expressed delight at the abundance of talent in the country even as his generation of sportsmen and women slowly exit the stage.
“It shows that Africa and Kenya have the right talent to win many races in the future. It means actually Kenya is really rich as far as talent is concerned. We have actually the right next generation to move on It has been a good experience,” he said.
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Team Kenya’s next focus is on the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 where many of those who competed in Dakar will be hoping to take their careers to the next level by gracing the quadrennial competition.
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