Youth Olympics in Dakar Make History, and Samsung Is There To Capture It

Olympics history is currently being made in Dakar. During the next two weeks, the Youth Olympic Games, which began on Oct. 31 and conclude on Nov. 13, are the first Olympics-related event to be held in Africa. It is also the long-awaited post-pandemic return of the Youth Olympics, and, for key technology sponsor Samsung, it offers a unique opportunity to provide mobile technology and related infrastructures centered on up-and-coming Olympians.

Sophie Kim, VP/head of Experience Marketing Group, Mobile eXperience (MX) Business, Samsung Electronics, says that, for this generation of athletes, digital storytelling is not a secondary activity; it is an instinctive extension of how they experience life and elite competition. These athletes are content creators in their own right, and that fundamentally shifts how they view media production.

With the help of the International Olympic Committee, she adds, every athlete has received a Galaxy Z Flip8, and, inside the Youth Olympic Village, interactive Galaxy experiences and workshops give them space to connect and create, and mentoring sessions bring them together with Olympians.

The Summer Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 Opening Ceremony featured athletes using Samsung phones to create new memories. (Photo: IOC/Greg Martin)One interesting aspect of how younger athletes approach digital storytelling is it is not just about the big moments.

They also want to share the experiences in between, meeting athletes from other countries, exploring the Village, or celebrating with teammates, Kim says. Those personal moments are just as much a part of their Olympic story.

Helping the athletes in their content-creation efforts, she adds, are creative tools like the ability to seamlessly leverage Galaxy AI to create personalized Olympic characters and posters for the Victory Wall. These creations can be saved digitally and shared on social media. This gives young athletes a creative way to express their individuality and share their Olympic experiences with friends, family, and fans around the world.

Galaxy AI will also allow athletes to communicate more easily.

At an event bringing together over 2,700 young athletes from more than 200 countries, the first hurdle to connection is often language, notes Kim. Our Samsung Open Station gives athletes a space to step away from competition and interact with peers from around the world.

Equipped with the Galaxy Z Flip8, she continues, athletes have access to intuitive on-device Galaxy AI features like Interpreter and Live Translate. Also, through Galaxy Tips, workshops and hands-on experiences within the Community Lounge, they can experiment with new tools, express their creativity, and learn from one another, with Samsung staff onsite to help them discover how to use their devices.

And Samsung is also doing more than just providing tech: it is providing leadership.

We're complementing the technology with mentoring sessions that bring young athletes together with Olympic Athlete Role Models and young innovators, explains Kim. One session focuses on the lessons athletes carry beyond competition, while the other introduces young changemakers from Samsung's Generation17' and Solve for Tomorrow' initiatives who are turning their ideas into solutions for their communities. Together, these experiences reflect our belief that supporting young athletes isn't just about what happens during competition. It's also about helping them discover new interests, build relationships and recognize what they can accomplish beyond sport.

Samsung is also introducing Victory Selfie to the Youth Olympic Games for creating an authentic moment that reflects the athlete's own perspective. Using Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition, medalists will be able to capture their celebrations on the podium, putting the moment in their own hands rather than relying solely on traditional event photography.

And Samsung will be supporting the broadcast coverage via Galaxy S26 Ultra devices. From a broadcast perspective, notes Kim, we're building on the work we've done at Paris 2024 and Milano Cortina 2026.

At Dakar 2026, she continues, we're integrating Galaxy S26 Ultra devices into skateboarding and taekwondo competitions where they will be used alongside traditional broadcast cameras. These devices can capture handheld, close-up, and vertical perspectives, offering viewers different ways to experience the action. Dakar is an important opportunity to test these applications and understand how mobile technology can complement future Games coverage.

For many of the athletes in Dakar, this is the start of a much longer Olympic journey, and Samsung plans to be there for it.

We're meeting many of these athletes at the beginning of their Olympic journeys, and many of them will be competing again when we reach LA28, says Kim. At Dakar, we will meet with young athletes, provide meaningful mobile experiences throughout the Games time, and going forward, will continue to engage with them for their journey to LA28.

Samsung's partnership with the Olympic and Paralympic Movements extends through LA28, and each Games, Kim notes, offers a new opportunity to connect with fans in a different way.

Each Games gives us a chance to build on what we've learned and explore new ways mobile technology can enhance the experience for athletes, broadcasters and fans, she says. We've seen that evolution through Olympic Edition phones, Victory Selfie and the growing role of Galaxy smartphones in Games-time production.

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/11/03/youth-olympics-in-dakar-make-hi...
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