Kipchoge will also mentor the Refugee Olympic Team at Dakar 2026, which will make history as the first to compete at the Youth Olympic Games.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest marathon runners of all time, Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge has competed at five Olympic Games, winning four medals, including consecutive marathon golds at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

As Global Ambassador for Dakar 2026, the 41-year-old is now preparing to connect with young athletes in Senegal, drawing on more than two decades at the highest level of international sport to help them make the most of their YOG experience. He will also serve as a mentor to the Refugee Olympic Team, which will compete at the YOG for the first time at Dakar 2026.

Kipchoge joins Brazilian skateboarding star and two-time Olympic medallist Rayssa Leal as a Global Ambassador for Dakar 2026, following the involvement of other celebrated Olympians at previous editions of the YOG, including Eileen Gu, Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, Michelle Wie, Yao Ming and Chad Le Clos.

For Kipchoge, the role represents an opportunity to give something back to the young athletes following in his footsteps.

Kipchoge’s remarkable career has seen him become one of the most successful distance runners in history.

After winning 5,000m bronze at Athens 2004 and silver at Beijing 2008, the Kenyan switched his focus to the road and went on to win consecutive Olympic marathon titles at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

He also won five Berlin Marathons and four London Marathons, and twice broke the marathon world record. In 2019, Kipchoge became the first person to cover the marathon distance in under two hours, clocking 1:59:40 in Vienna as part of a specially staged event. He is currently attempting to run seven marathons on seven continents in order to inspire runners in every corner of the globe and raise funds for the Eliud Kipchoge Foundation. See this link for more details: Eliud’s Running World

Now, he hopes to use those experiences to encourage young athletes as they begin their own journeys.

“My message to these young people is that this chance is the key,” he says. “It’s their time to fight for their space – and that space is happening in Dakar. Let’s fight for it, show your ability, in the universal language of sport.”

Dakar 2026 will hold particular significance for Kipchoge, with the YOG becoming the first Olympic sporting event to be staged on the African continent.

“Dakar 2026 is a huge event on our young continent – something we’ve long waited for here,” he says. “Being the first, it will stay vivid in the minds of young people and the general public for a very long time.”

Beyond the competition itself, Kipchoge is looking forward to seeing young athletes from across the world come together in Senegal, sharing experiences and learning about different cultures.

“It’s about mixing with the world in order to understand it,” he says. “That will be the best thing for us, to realise the world is all around us.”

Supporting the Refugee Olympic Team
Kipchoge has already begun working with the young refugee athletes who will compete at Dakar 2026, leading a mentoring session focused on discipline, education, values and what it takes to succeed in sport and in life.

“Mentoring the Refugee Team means a lot to me. I talked to them about the importance of having the right values in your life, your education and your sport – the real recipe for success, and what success means in sport and in life.”

Kipchoge believes the Refugee Olympic Team’s participation at Dakar 2026 will provide its six young athletes with an important platform to demonstrate their abilities on an international stage.

“The advice I love to give refugees is this: sport is life,” he says. “For them, sport is a real opportunity – it gives them a platform to showcase themselves and to fight for their space.”

For Kipchoge, Dakar 2026 will ultimately be an opportunity to celebrate sport with a new generation on his home continent.

“These Youth Olympics are reason enough for me to be there – to meet people, talk to them, and celebrate with athletes from different countries,” he says.

The Dakar 2026 YOG will take place from 31 October to 13 November 2026, bringing together around 2,700 young athletes aged up to 17 across three host zones: Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly.

The 2036 Olympic Games projects will be assessed on a number of technical factors such as:

venue masterplan and athlete experience,
funding strategy,
political and public support,
Games delivery capabilities, and
legacy strategy to create long-term benefits for host communities.
They will also be evaluated on strategic elements such as their vision for the Games and their alignment with both local development plans and the goals of the Olympic Movement.

“I was fortunate to compete at five Olympic Games, across four continents. Each had their own character,” said IOC President Kirsty Coventry. “Each host brought something unique through its people, its culture and the way it chose to stage the Games. But wherever the Games take place, one thing must never change: athletes have to be at the heart of everything we do. As an athlete, you spend years working to make your Olympic dream come true. The experience you have when you finally reach the Olympic Games stays with you for the rest of your life. That is why, for every future host, delivering the best possible experience for the athletes must always be the starting point.”

The changes to the selection process build on the dialogue approach that was successfully introduced in 2019, and which is overseen by the Future Host Commission.

There is strong interest in hosting future Olympic and Paralympic Games in part due to the successes of recent editions. For example, Paris 2024 changed lives for the people of Paris and France, and will bring an estimated net contribution to the Île-de-France economy of EUR 9 to 11 billion by 2034.

The IOC is in Continuous Dialogue with a number of National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and their partners, who have been working on a Games plan and vision for several months or years. During the Continuous Dialogue, the IOC has delivered a series of virtual technical workshops to the Interested Parties to help them develop their projects in terms of venue masterplan, funding strategy, and vision, impact and legacy. Their projects are being technically evaluated by the IOC, supported by independent reports and public opinion polling.

The Interested Parties currently in Continuous Dialogue with the IOC, with a stated interest in hosting the 2036 Olympic Games, are (in alphabetical order): Germany, Hungary, India, Qatar, Republic of Korea, South Africa and Türkiye. There are also a number of NOCs taking part in noncommittal talks with the IOC about hosting future Olympic Games beyond 2036.

The Interested Parties have been invited to present their projects to the Future Host Commission in November. For this reason, after 31 October 2026 no other Interested Parties will be considered for 2036.

Timeline to select the 2036 Olympic Games host
The next steps for the Interested Parties currently in Continuous Dialogue with the IOC, with a stated interest in hosting the 2036 Olympic Games, are:

31 October 2026: No other Interested Parties will be considered for 2036 after this date
November 2026: Virtual presentations by the Interested Parties to the Future Host Commission
By March 2027: IOC Feasibility Assessments
March 2027: Opening of 2036 Strategic Dialogue by the IOC EB
During the new Strategic Dialogue, the IOC will offer enhanced technical support to the Interested Parties, as they provide an initial response to the Future Host Questionnaire and core legal and financial guarantees. The Future Host Commission will carry out site visits to the proposed host regions and produce a report for the EB.

In December 2028, the EB will open a Targeted Dialogue with a select number of Preferred Hosts, who will provide a final response to the questionnaire and a full set of guarantees.

The host of the 2036 Olympic Games will be elected by IOC Members at the IOC Session in mid-2029.

IOC

Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant, Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission, said: “Through this week’s site visits, discussions, presentations and decisions, we have seen the Organising Committee make real progress across every part of the project, supported by its delivery partners, the IOC, the International Paralympic Committee and the wider Olympic and Paralympic Movements. These Games now have a clear vision, a striking visual identity, a compelling sports programme, an optimised venue plan and solid economic foundations. The teams are growing and gaining strength, and they are well placed to move from strategy to detailed operational planning and engagement.”

Vincent Roberti, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Alpes 2030, added: “This second annual visit by the IOC teams provided an opportunity to observe the tangible progress of the Alpes 2030 project and to reinforce the confidence placed in the Organising Committee to deliver spectacular Games that live up to strong sustainability ambitions. The delegation was able to assess the quality of the work carried out by the Committee in recent months and fully appreciate the potential of its five outstanding clusters: Lyon, Haute-Savoie, Savoie, the Briançonnais region and Thialf in the Netherlands, with particular attention given to the ice venues and infrastructure.”

Lyon will host the Games’ ice sports across three confirmed sites, all of them visited by the Coordination Commission members this week before the allocation was finalised. Ice hockey will be played at the arena in Décines-Charpieu that will also stage the 2028 Ice Hockey World Championships, and at the historic Hall Tony Garnier. The Eurexpo convention centre and its exhibition halls will host curling, figure skating and short track speed skating, together with the Main Media Centre.

A housing development project already underway in Oullins-Pierre-Bénite was confirmed as the Olympic Village for the Lyon cluster, chosen among other reasons for its potential to leave a lasting legacy of urban renewal in the metropolitan area.

In the mountains of the Savoie cluster, Courchevel will host the Alpine skiing speed events – the downhill and super-G – while Val d’Isère stages the technical events, the giant slalom and slalom. The women’s and men’s team combined events will take place in Courchevel.

Beyond the venue masterplan, the Organising Committee pointed this week to a series of milestones reached since the Commission last met in December last year. These include the definition of the Games vision, the launch of the Games emblem and confirmation of the sports and event programme, which will make Alpes 2030 the first fully gender-equal Olympic Winter Games. The organisers also outlined a procurement strategy designed to open opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses, and the arrival of the first domestic sponsor.

With the venue masterplan settled, Alpes 2030 will roll out a number of initiatives between now and early 2027. The first is Rencontres Alpes 2030, a series of meetings across the host territories to gather the views of local communities and stakeholders and ensure that the Games reflect regional priorities. The sustainability and engagement plans, including the launch of Terre de Jeux 2030, based on Paris 2024’s initiative of the same name, along with the concept for celebration sites, are also due in the months ahead.

With the sports and events programme confirmed, the Organising Committee can now build the competition schedule and set the principles for ticketing. New sponsors are also expected to join the project in the coming period. Drawing on the acclaimed handover ceremonies at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the team will also begin planning its own Opening and Closing Ceremonies, including the choice of venues to host them.

IOC

It is the first time that the EU has contributed to the European Games, with the funding being provided by the EU’s Erasmus+ programme. The EOC and the EOC EU Office worked alongside the Polish National Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Sport and Tourism in Poland and the Kraków-Małopolska 2023 Organising Committee to help secure the funding.

The project will be focused on promoting volunteering and its benefits in Poland over the next 12 months, and is a response to the problems and challenges related to the volunteering movement across the world. It aims to train volunteers, run promotional campaigns focused on the benefits of volunteering and to highlight the role volunteering and sport can play in promoting social inclusion among people from different backgrounds, starting at the European Games between 21 June and 2 July. Applicants have been received from across Europe for prospective volunteers.

EOC President Spyros Capralos said: “Congratulations to the Polish Olympic Committee and EOC Executive Committee Member Andrzej Krasnicki for their work in leading this project. The motto of this summer’s games is “We Are Unity” and this is fitting following the united work of many stakeholders in securing this funding.

“I am confident that the volunteering project will bring us many long-term benefits and I am convinced that by supporting organisers of future sports events and providing them with valuable resources, we will help increase the participation of volunteers and enhance the impact they have.”

“Volunteers play such a vital role in our sports clubs and at competitions. Major international events like the European Games provide an opportunity for volunteers to add to their skills and to empower sport in promoting social inclusion in Europe.”

This unprecedented step comes after a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the European Commission and the European Olympic Committees (EOC), which is based on the common values that the European Union and the EOC share. This will lay the foundation for collaboration at future events held by the EOC, including the European Youth Olympic Festivals and next European Games.

The Polish Olympic Committee will lead the project in Poland and work closely with the organisers of the European Games to successfully implement ambitious plans ahead of this summer’s event. As well as helping to train volunteers, the project will run promotional campaigns and marketing to increase awareness on the benefits of volunteering, as well as producing a series of handbooks related to volunteering and the management of volunteers.

President of the Polish Olympic Committee Radoslaw Piesiewicz said: “This is a historic programme for European sport. I would like to thank the European Commission, especially Mariya Gabriel, the former European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, for her help securing the funding and for entrusting the Polish Olympic Committee with the role of leading this project.”

 “Together we will promote the idea of volunteering and remind everyone how important it is in the organisation of large sports events, such as the European Games Krakow-Małopolska 2023, and in helping build an inclusive and welcoming society.”

The European Games

The third edition of the European Games will take place between 21 June and 2 July 2023. There will competitions in 26 sports during the games with 18 sports featuring events that are part of the Olympic qualification system for Paris 2024.  More than 7,000 athletes from 48 National Olympic Committees are expected to take part. Kraków will be the main hub of the Games with 11 different towns and cities hosting sports in a variety of different venues.

An opponnent of Radosław Piesiewicz in the election for the President of NOC of Poland was Kewin Rozum, the President of the Polish Sumo Federation. In a secret ballot, Radosław Piesiewicz got 138 votes whereas Kewin Rozum 24 of them.

Radosław Piesiewicz became the 13^th President of the Polish Olympic Committee. The first was Stefan Lubomirski (1919-1923). The next presidents of the NOC of Poland were Kazimierz Lubomirski (1923-1929), Kazimierz Glabisz (1929-1939), Alfred Loth (1946-1952), Włodzimierz Reczek (1953-1973), Bolesław Kapitan (1973-1978), Marian Renke (1978-1986), Aleksander Kwaśniewski (1988-1991), Andrzej Szalewicz (1991-1997), Stanisław Stefan Paszczyk (1997-2005), Piotr Nurowski (2005-2010) and Andrzej Kraśnicki (2010-2023).

NOC of Poland

The Olympic Committees for Dual Career (OCDC), supported by the EU Erasmus+ Sports Program and led by the Polish Olympic Committee, brings together five National Olympic Committees from Türkiye, Slovenia, Lithuania, and Greece, in cooperation with the European Network for Innovation and Knowledge (EUNIK). The main objective of the project is to promote the knowledge and understanding of dual career opportunities among athletes who compete in Olympic sports and National Sports Federations.

During the first phase of the meeting, TOC Secretary General Neşe Gündoğan delivered the opening speech, which was followed by an update on the current status of the project. The findings of the survey conducted by EUNIK among athletes were discussed, and the implementation of the single point of contact in each partner NOC was reviewed.

In the second phase of the meeting, participants evaluated the online courses that will be created to support the education and business life of athletes. Additionally, future plans for the project were discussed for the upcoming term.
The next meeting of the project is scheduled to take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from October 12-13.

OCDC Project

The OCDC Project aims to provide support to national athletes in managing dual careers and career transitions, both during and after their active sporting lives. Over a two-year period, the project will develop a guide that will increase athletes’ knowledge and awareness of dual career options. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that athletes have the necessary support to pursue successful careers both in and outside of sport.

The third edition of Europe’s premier international multi-sport event will take place between 21 June and 2 July 2023. Just three months before the Opening Ceremony takes place at Henryk Reyman Stadium in Kraków, EOC president Spyros Capralos reiterated his belief that Poland will host an exceptional event.

Speaking at the meeting, President Capralos said: “There are less than 100 days to go to the European Games 2023 and the lighting of the flame of Peace in Rome is just a couple of weeks away. The Organising Committee has achieved significant progress since our last visit in October. I am confident that, with the support of the NOCs and the Sport Federations – the Organisers and the Polish National Olympic Committee will deliver successfully the biggest sport event in Europe in 2023. I would like to express my thanks to the Members of our Coordination Commission and our Polish Organisers for their hard work and dedication in these difficult and turbulent times in Europe.”

Made up of 27 members with a wide range of expertise and experience in delivering European, Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Coordination Commission considered updates from the full range preparation work. With no permanent new venues to build, the LOC has been able to focus on ensuring effective operations during the Games.

Coordination Commission Chair Hasan Arat thanked all those in attendance for their inputs, as well as the LOC for the work it continues to do to make sure that the third edition of the European Games provides the right conditions for athletes to give their best performances. Many of the competitions of Kraków-Małopolska 2023 will also serve as qualification events for Paris 2024.

Arat said: “The second Coordination Commission meeting has proven another important step for everyone involved. I must thank all the members who have joined us both in person and remotely for their comments and expertise. And most of all, the EOC expressed its deep gratitude to our Polish friends for the welcome they are preparing to give to our continent’s leading athletes.”

“Kraków-Małopolska 2023 is on course to be a fantastic event thanks to the continued hard work of all members of the LOC. Our friends are fully aware of the work that remains to be done and of our full support for delivering it.”

The LOC updated the Commission on all areas of preparation for the Games during the meetings including on budget and insurance; sports, medical and antidoping; NOC Services; transport and logistics; communications, commercial and marketing; broadcast; ticketing and accreditation; volunteers; and security.

LOC President Marcin Nowak thanked the Commission members for their time and commended everyone at the Organising Committee for their continued work on the preparations.

He said: “Today has given us another chance to show the EOC Coordination Commission all the progress that we have made as the start of the Games draws closer.

“The hard work by all those involved in the Organising Committee has enabled us to get to this stage and we have a clear sense of being part of a team whose members are coming from all of Europe. This will be the biggest event that Poland has ever hosted, and it is a real opportunity to show our ability and expertise. We will be ready.”

About the European Games

The third edition of the European Games will take place between 21 June and 2 July 2023. There will be 26 sports played during the games with 18 Olympic and eight non-Olympic sports scheduled and more than 7,000 athletes expected to take part. Kraków will be the main hub of the Games with 11 different towns and cities hosting sports in a variety of different venues.

More information can be found on the official event website here https://www.european-games.org/

The third staging of Europe’s premier multi-sport event takes place between 21 June and 2 July in Poland, when thousands of the continent’s top athletes will descend on the region.

The famous Jan Nowak Jezioranski Square in Kraków, the epicentre of the games, will house the clock, while fans who register for tickets before 3 April will be given a code which entitles them to 25% off four single event tickets.

Priced between 20 Polish Zlotys (€4) and 90 (€20) Polish Zlotys per ticket, the first 10,000 single event tickets sold will be discounted when they go on sale in April.

Full-day tickets and multi-day passes will also be available, while it has been decided that the first three days of the athletics competition and the sports of teqball, padel, muaythai and kickboxing will all be free admission.

EOC Coordination Commission Chair Hasan Arat said: “It is a pleasure to mark 100 days until the start of the European Games Kraków-Małopolska 2023 with a range of promotions and the launch of the ticket sales platform. Preparations continue and we are confident that the Poland will deliver the best and biggest European Games yet thanks to the tremendous hard work of the Organising Committee.

“Today is an important milestone as we look ahead to the summer and it is fantastic to be able to sell 10,000 discounted tickets. I know that the Polish fans will come out in large numbers and by offering free admission to a range of sports, these Games will truly be accessible to everyone.

“I am looking forward to the Games starting with a fantastic Opening Ceremony at the Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium on 21 June.”

Local Organising Committee Chair Marcin Nowak said: “100 days is a symbolic moment for us. It reminds us that we are facing the last days until the biggest sports event in the history of our country begins.

“We are aware that a very hectic period is ahead of us, but I am sure that the Games will kick off in a very good spirit on 21 June 2023, with the Flame of Peace lit in Krakow.”

At the same time, a promotional campaign was also launched on various media platforms in urban spaces, shopping malls, fitness clubs, on the streets and at bus stops. A total of 20,000 LCD screens in many Polish cities are advertising the European Games, while people are also informed about the Games by voice announcements at Krakow Airport.

While the official ticketing campaign will kick off in April, people wanting to volunteer to work at the Games have until the end of March to apply, with all the information available on the European Games official website https://www.european-games.org/.

The third edition of the European Games will take place between 21 June and 2 July 2023. There will be 26 sports during the games with 18 Olympic and eight non-Olympic sports scheduled and more than 7,000 athletes expected to take part. Kraków will be the main hub of the Games with 11 different towns and cities hosting sports in a variety of different venues.

EOC

EOC President Spyros Capralos and Coordination Commission Chair Florin Misca were at the ceremony on 2 March 2023 in Tiblisi as the country was confirmed as the host for the 17th Winter EYOF.

Georgia will become the seventh European country to host both the summer and winter editions of the games, after welcoming Europe’s best young athletes to Tbilisi in 2015.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sport and Youth Ioseb Baghaturia, Mayor of Borjomi Otar Arbolishvili, Executive Director of the Municipal Development Fund of Georgia David Tabidze and Georgia National Olympic Committee president Leri Khabelov were also present at the signing, showing the support and backing of all major stakeholders’ for the Festival.

President Capralos said that the EOC were honoured to be back in the country and reiterated his belief that Georgia will host an excellent edition of the Festival again in two years’ time.

Speaking at the signing, he said: “Today we are very honoured to sign this host city contract. Congratulations and I am sure that Georgia will host an excellent Winter EYOF. In 2015 you hosted an excellent summer edition, so it was only natural to say yes to Georgia.

“The summer and winter EYOFs gather the best European athletes between 14 and 18 years old and some of these athletes, later on in their careers, become Olympic champions. Now this festival has become even more important because the events are transmitted live through the EOC TV channel all around Europe. This gives the opportunity for the athletes to be better known in their own countries, but also for the countries and the cities that host the festival to be seen all around Europe – so it is fantastic for your tourism and to attract visitors.”

Coordination Commission Chair Florin Misca said: “We are looking forward to working closely with the Organising Committee, the Georgian NOC and the local authorities over the next two years in the build-up to the Winter EYOF 2025.

“Borjomi-Bakuriani is a beautiful part of the country of Georgia and we know they will host a fantastic Festival for all the young athletes to compete in when they visit in two years’ time.”

For Paris 2024, this new generation of Phryges will write history. Led by one Olympic and one Paralympic Phrygian, the tribe of mascots will be central to Paris 2024’s vision to change lives by leading a revolution through sport.

Their mission is to demonstrate to the world that sport can change everything and that it deserves to have a central role in society. The Phryges will strive to bring sport into everyday life – all sports, and every way of experiencing sport – whether through participation or as fans.

To mark the launch of the mascots, the Organising Committee announced that Phryges and other mascot merchandise can now be purchased both online and in stores. More information can be found on the Paris 2024 website.

Speaking about the launch, Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet said: “We wanted mascots that would embody our vision and be able to share it with the French people and the world. Rather than an animal, our mascots represent an ideal. The Phrygian cap is a symbol of liberty. Since it is familiar to us and appears on our stamps and the pediments of our town halls, it also represents French identity and spirit.”

He continued: “As well as embodying our Games, our mascots will carry them forward, showcasing the ambition of the Games, which is truly revolutionary.”

The Phrygian cap

An international symbol of liberty that appears on many different emblems in North and South America, the Phrygian cap, also known as the “liberty cap”, has become one of the symbols of the French Republic. 

Today, it represents a common reference point for French people: in art (as a metaphor for freedom), within French institutions, and even featuring on everyday objects such as coins and stamps.

More details about how the Phrygian caps were brought to life through these mascots, the design process and other influences in their creation can be found on the Paris 2024 website.

The Olympic Games in 2024 will be held from 26 July until 11 August, while the Paralympic Games will take place between 28 August and 8 September.

The IOC