At the Iba Mar Diop sports complex in Dakar, Kenya and Australia needed extra time to settle the women’s rugby sevens final. Kenya scored first in the extra period to take gold. On 8 November, attention at the same complex will turn to a different kind of finish: the first evening of athletics ends with the women’s and men’s 100 metres finals, nine minutes apart.

Between those two dates lies a useful way to read the opening week of Africa’s first Olympic sporting event. Some young athletes have already stood on the podium. For others, including the track and field competitors, their Games are still ahead. Senegal is hosting approximately 2,650 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees and the Youth Refugee Olympic Team, with competition across three host areas through 13 November.

Two close finals on the rugby pitch

Kenya’s victory over Australia brought an African country its first rugby sevens gold at either the Olympic or Youth Olympic Games, according to the IOC’s report on the women’s final. In the men’s final, South Africa came within two points of France with a minute to play. Jake Dave scored two second-half tries and converted both, narrowing the score to 21–19. France had the final word, winning 26–19. Across the two finals, one African side won in extra time; the other took silver after a late comeback.

A first gold for Ecuador, and a team behind one judoka

The first gold medal of Dakar 2026 came in the pool at the Tour de l’Œuf complex. Ecuador’s Elvira Espinosa, 17, won the women’s 400 metres freestyle in 4:22.87. South Africa’s Leah Markgraaff finished second and Belgium’s Célya Paques third. Espinosa’s eight lengths earned Ecuador its first Youth Olympic gold in any sport and its first Olympic swimming medal at youth or senior level, the IOC Newsroom reported.

At the Dakar Expo Centre in Diamniadio, all five of Arno Yafunga’s teammates came to watch him become the first athlete to compete for the Refugee Olympic Team at a Youth Olympic Games. Coached by his father in Kenya, Yafunga won his opening judo bout, lost in the quarter-finals and fought his way back into contention for bronze. He lost the medal bout, but afterwards he singled out the support he had heard from his teammates. Read the IOC’s account of his competition.

Where the Games meet the city

The three host areas give these Games quite different settings. In Dakar, the Tour de l’Œuf brings swimming into the same complex as breaking, skateboarding and 3×3 basketball. Diamniadio is home to the Youth Olympic Village as well as the indoor judo and fencing venue. At Saly, the coast itself is part of the field of play: the beach programme includes wrestling and volleyball, while coastal rowers race out on the water.

Visitors have a place on the programme, too. At Corniche West, where the road cycling races start and finish, the organisers’ Espace Let’s Move gives young people a chance to try sports such as climbing, hockey and surfing. These activities are separate from the 25 competition sports. The official venue guide also lists food stalls, live entertainment and workshops: a way to spend a day at the Games even without a competition entry.

That invitation began at the opening ceremony in Diamniadio on 31 October. Senegalese percussion and wrestling shared the programme with hip-hop; Gambian musician Sona Jobarteh brought the sound of the kora. Nearly 1,500 locally made costumes were part of a production built around teranga, the Senegalese tradition of hospitality, according to the official opening ceremony report.

Next on the track: 8–10 November

For Eritrean supporters, two familiar names give the athletics programme a national connection. The IOC’s official flagbearer list identifies Kanari Estifanos and Ghebreab Mantay as Eritrea’s representatives at the opening ceremony and lists both in athletics. The schedule below is a guide to selected finals for all competitors; individual starts are confirmed separately on event start lists.

World Athletics schedules three days of track and field at Iba Mar Diop. On the first afternoon, the men’s hammer and women’s triple jump finals begin while the sprinters are still qualifying. Distance fans can follow the women’s steeplechase and the men’s 3,000 metres before the two 100 metres titles are decided.

Times as scheduled on 4 November. Asmara is three hours ahead of Dakar. Check the World Athletics timetable for changes.