Youth Olympics 2026 begins

The Youth Olympic Games have officially started in style, with a huge opening ceremony in Dakar, Senegal.

An audience of tens of thousands gathered in the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium to watch the games begin.

Over 1,100 people took part in the show, with drumming, dancing, storytelling, and plenty of parades.

With the Olympic cauldron now lit, young Olympians aged 14 to 17 will be getting ready for two weeks of sporting competition.

The story of the ceremony was all about three characters of a mother, son and young girl, who each represent the past, present and future of Africa.

Called 'The Rise of Sitoé', the ceremony featured many different performances.

This included a wresters' dance, locally called lamb, which was performed by around 100 real life wrestlers.

Hundreds of dancers also took to the stadium, creating a dancing map of Africa and spelling out Dakar.

There was lots of music, with singer Baaba Maal - who you might have heard on the soundtrack to the Marvel film Black Panther - performing at the ceremony, as well as plenty of other Senegalese musical icons.

The world's biggest TikToker also appeared - Senegalese-born comedian Khaby Lame.

With over 163 million followers, he has the most followers on the social media platform.

The cauldron was lit by Senegalese athletes Abdourahmane Marieme Sy and Aicha Diop - fencing and judo stars - so now the games can begin!