~ Kenya’s two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge has been named a Global Ambassador for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG), with the marathon legend set to share his experience with the next generation of athletes at the first Olympic sporting event to be held in Africa.
"VAN" (Sports Desk - 30.09.2026) :: 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.
“I was really happy – it made my day – to become a Global Ambassador for the Games,” he says. “I’ve been in the sport for 24 years; it’s my time to give back to the next generation. And the youth in Dakar are exactly the next generation I want to walk with.”
“When I go to Dakar, I’ll make sure I meet young athletes from across the world– meet them, have an honest talk, mentor them, and look at what the future of sport, and the world, looks like.”
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