Ghana’s contingent for the 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games has been confirmed, with 13 athletes selected to compete across eight sports when the Games open in Dakar, Senegal, on 31 October.
The squad, unveiled by Elite Schools League, represents Ghana’s qualifiers and age-eligible nominees under International Olympic Committee criteria for the continent’s first-ever Olympic event.
The Youth Olympic Games, a global multi-sport festival for teenage athletes held every four years, will run for two weeks, concluding on 13 November 2026. Dakar’s staging of the Games marks a historic achievement as the first Olympic sporting event to be held anywhere in Africa, with competition venues spread across Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly.
Team Ghana
13 Athletes
8 Sports
31 Oct–13 Nov: Competition Dates
Dakar: Host City
Sport Athlete(s)
Athletics: Stephen Oduro, Jmary Coffie
Swimming: Mercedes Abdallah, Jada Yankey, Tamba Akin Boamah, Kelvin Abdallah
Table Tennis: Joanita Borteye
Badminton: Obapomba Adu Mintah
Boxing: Robert Amartey Tagoe
Beach Volleyball: Jouise Amoafo Adusei, Daniel Lartey
Taekwondo: Jessica Mensah
Judo: Bernice Akakpo
Swimming carries the largest share of Ghana’s representation, with four athletes, Mercedes Abdallah, Jada Yankey, Tamba Akin Boamah and Kelvin Abdallah named to the pool events, underlining the sport’s growing depth in the country’s youth ranks.
Athletics and Beach Volleyball each contribute two athletes, while Table Tennis, Badminton, Boxing, Taekwondo and Judo will each be represented by a single competitor.
Selection for the Games follows International Olympic Committee age-restriction rules and qualification benchmarks specific to each discipline, meaning the squad reflects both performance standards and the strict eligibility windows that govern youth-level competition.
With the Games limited to athletes within defined age brackets, national federations across Africa have had to balance emerging talent against the qualification marks set by their respective international federations.
Dakar 2026 will also carry symbolic weight beyond the competition itself. As the first Olympic event staged on the African continent, the Games are being positioned as a catalyst for sporting development across the region, with organisers hoping the occasion inspires a new generation of athletes in host nation Senegal and beyond.
For Ghana, fielding a squad across eight sports offers a broad platform to assess emerging talent ahead of future age-grade and senior international competitions.