Dakar 2026 - Qualification & Entry
Context and Rationale
- Align with the revised approach to deliver Games that fit within the local and regional context.
- Reduce YOG specific travel and costs for athletes, MNAs and NOCs.
- Consider athletes that are on a development pathway.
- Reduce the workload for NOCs in terms of quota allocation and confirmation as this is done via the IOC Sport Entries and Qualification (SEQ) system.
- Allow sufficient time between quota allocation and final sport entries to help facilitate NOC planning and operations.
Key Changes
- Participation Principles does NOT equal Qualification system principles .
- All entries for participation are managed directly between the NOCs and the IOC, in collaboration with Dakar 2026 OCOG and World Sailing.
- The Delegate Registration Process milestones are reversed from previous Games.
- The process starts with NOCs telling the IOC in which sports/disciplines they intend to send athletes.
The six pillars
- Universality
- Continental Representation
- Priority to Africa
- Host Country Representation
- Athlete Performance
- Gender Equality
Further details of the Dakar 2026 Participation Principles
All athletes must respect and comply with the provisions of the Olympic charter currently in force, including but not limited to Rule 41 (Nationality of Competitors) and Rule 43 (World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of Manipulation of Competitions).
Only those athletes who respect and comply with the Olympic Charter, World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevent of Manipulation of the Competitions, including the conditions established by the IOC, plus the rules of World Sailing may participate in Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
Age
- Athletes must be born between 14 November 2009 and 31 October 2012 (inclusive).
World Sailing membership
- Be registered as a World Sailing Sailor and provide their Sailor Identification Number to the IOC SEQ during the entry process.
Insurance
- Hold a valid insurance certificate showing proof of third party liability insurance with a minimum coverage per incident of €2,000,000 or equivalent, if deemed the “person in charge”.
There is no qualification system for Dakar 2026. Instead, only NOCs may request quota places in the sports/disciplines they wish to enter.
The Process
- 31 July 2025 Deadline for NOCs to send Intention of Participation Form back to IOC Sports Entries.
- IOC compile and analyse the requests with IFs and provide feedback
- 31 October 2025 IOC and IF feedback shared with NOCs
- March 2026 IOC allocates quota places to NOCs
- NOCs accept or reject quota places
- July 2026 athlete selection by NOCs
MNAs should be in regular dialogue with their NOC and clearly expressing their interesting in entry the two sailing events – Men’s Windsurfing and Women’s Windsurfing. The submission of an entry request does not guarantee an allocation of a quota place so proactive engagement by MNAs is required.