“Senegal is hosting the 2026 Youth Olympic Games. The previous competitions, which took place in 2018 in Buenos Aires, proved their significance to the entire world community. In fact, they are the second most important after the Olympic Games,” said Stanislav Pozdnyakov. “I am glad to say that I am familiar with the organizational skills of Senegal since 14 years ago I took part in the Fencing World Cup competitions held in your country. And today we have a unique opportunity to discuss common approaches to organizing competitions. At the previous Youth Olympic Games, the Russian delegation was one of the largest. And we also plan to come to Dakar in a large composition in 2026.”
The leaders of NOC Senegal, within the framework of their visit to Russia, visited Kazan the day before, where they met with the President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov. They also had the chance to see the sports infrastructure of Moscow.
“Of course, Russia’s experience in organizing major sporting events is impressive. Having visited the existing and under-construction sports facilities, we felt the real Olympic spirit. What we saw here in terms of infrastructure is certainly worthy of the highest praise,” stressed Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye. “In the ROC, we saw a lot of photos taken during the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. This is the best evidence that Russia is taking these competitions seriously.”
The head of NOC Senegal invited Stanislav Pozdnyakov to visit Dakar and noted that his Russian colleague would always be a dear and welcome guest in Senegal.
The participants of the meeting also touched upon the use of Russian sports centers and bases to prepare for the Olympic Games. The Vice President of NOC Senegal, General Coordinator of the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Youth Games 2026 in Dakar Ibrahima Wade highlighted the sports that were the top priority for the Senegalese side: swimming, judo, shooting, wrestling, basketball, volleyball, field hockey, rowing and canoeing, as well as track-and-field athletics.
“We are working on an exhaustive list of aspects on which we would like to develop cooperation,” said Wade.
Stanislav Pozdnyakov, in turn, stressed that negotiations with the national federations on the above sports would be held and specific proposals for the joint training of athletes would be formed.
“In addition, of course, you can count on our practical assistance in organizing competitions in Senegal in 2026. I am sure that today’s meeting is only the beginning of a long journey that we have set out on,” said the President of the ROC.
In addition, the parties discussed the issue of Sambo development. FIAS received full recognition from the IOC, and Sambo competitions have already been included in the program of the European and Asian Games.
“We are actively developing on all continents. FIAS includes national federations of 130 countries. Of course, we would very much like to expand cooperation with the African continent where only 13 countries are active so far,” emphasized Vasily Shestakov. “Senegal is a very influential country on the continent. And we welcome the initiative to develop Sambo in Senegal itself and in neighboring states.”
Following the results of the negotiations that took place in Russia, a letter of intent was signed between FIAS and NOC Senegal. In the presence of the President of the ROC, Vasily Shestakov and Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye signed the document.
The development of Sambo in Senegal will be supervised by the Vice President of the country’s NOC, Head of the National Council of Employers, Baidu Ang. He noted that a group of professionals would deal with the issue.
Vasily Shestakov, in turn, invited the Senegalese team to the Kharlampiev Memorial Sambo World Cup scheduled to be held next March in Moscow.
