Cape Verde will field a delegation of eight athletes across four sports at the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games, scheduled to take place from 31 October to 13 November in Senegal. This squad, announced by head of delegation Heritson Resende, includes representatives in swimming, athletics, beach volleyball and judo from the diaspora and the country’s various islands.
Cape Verde will be represented at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, taking place from 31 October to 13 November, with eight athletes competing in four sports: athletics, swimming, judo and beach volleyball. According to the Head of Delegation Heritson Resende, the expanded contingent reflects Cape Verde’s sporting progress, increasing from three representatives at the 2018 edition to eight for this first Youth Olympic event on African soil.
Cape Verde will be represented in athletics by Lucas Delgado in the men’s 200 metres and Leandro Duarte in the men’s 400 metres. In swimming, the national team consists of Miles Gonçalves in the men’s 100-metre freestyle, Kaila da Cruz in the women’s 100 metres and Kaira Tati in the women’s 50-metre freestyle. Judoka Edvaino Fidalgo will compete in the men’s under-66kg category, while the pair of Ienda Mendes and Gabriela dos Reis will represent the country in women’s beach volleyball.
Heritson Resende, Chef de Mission at Dakar 2026 YOG – Cape Verde
Through the allocation of Olympic quotas, the national federations have selected eight athletes aged between 15 and 17 to represent Cape Verde. The diverse team comprises two sprinters in athletics, one judoka, a women’s beach-volleyball pair and three swimmers from the diaspora.
This training camp will bring together the athletes, coaches and members of the delegation to combine sports preparation with training on crucial issues. The sessions will cover the promotion of athletes’ well-being, their protection, the issue of safeguarding, the prevention of competition manipulation and codes of conduct during the mission. Particular emphasis will also be placed on everyone’s responsibilities as proud representatives of Cape Verde throughout the event.
Ivete Rosa, Deputy Chef de Mission at Dakar 2026 YOG – Cape Verde
For Cape Verde, sport is a powerful driver of integration and social cohesion among young people. The archipelago’s progress is providing its young athletes with an international platform to shine and showcase the island nation through the values of sharing and pushing oneself beyond one’s limits.
