Officials of Team Nigeria are optimistic about overcoming the early setback recorded on the first day of competition at the ongoing 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal.
The 4th Summer Youth Olympic Games, the first Olympic sporting event hosted on African soil, got underway in Dakar on Saturday.

Team Nigeria started their campaign with defeats in two events. In Beach Volleyball, Pamela Bawa and Joy Lawrence lost 2:1 to Japan’s Kato and Nakagawa in the women’s preliminary round.
The Nigerian duo won the opening set 21–20 but could not sustain their advantage as the Japanese pair fought back to take the second set 11–21 before sealing victory with a 15–12 win in the deciding third set.

The Japanese duo, Kato and Nakagawa, showed greater composure in the final set to complete the comeback and secure a 2–1 victory over the Nigerian representatives.
However, despite the defeat, Lawrence and Bawa demonstrated their competitiveness by pushing their Japanese opponents to three sets in the encounter.
Though, the result marked a setback for Nigeria’s beach volleyball campaign at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, but the country’s young athletes continue their quest to make an impact on the international stage.

In Table Tennis Mixed Doubles, Matthew Kuti and Favour Ojo fell 3:1 to Thailand in the Round of 16.
Both pairs will now shift focus to their singles events on Day 2.
President of the Nigeria Olympic Commiteee (NOC), Engr. Habu Gumel, told The Guardian on Saturday that it is still early in the Games, adding that the young Nigerian athletes will discover their winning formula as the Games progresses.
Sprint sensation, Rosemary Nwankwo was Team Nigeria’s flagbearer during Saturday’s opening ceremony in Dakar.
Team Nigeria is represented by 19 athletes at the Games.