Dakar:Nicosia Cyprus is set to participate in the 4th Youth Olympic Games, known as 'Dakar 2026', scheduled to occur in Dakar, Senegal, from October 31 to November 13, 2026. The Cyprus Olympic Committee has announced that the nation will be represented by eight athletes competing across six different sports.

According to Cyprus News Agency, the head of the Cypriot delegation will be George Papageorgiou, who is also a member of the COC Executive Council. The athletes representing Cyprus include Andrew Marcus Lagoutis and Maria Kermanou in swimming, Evgenia Maria Polykarpou in rowing, Aris Kayias in fencing, Marina Chatzikosta and Andreas Panteli in athletics, Ioanna Constantinou in taekwondo, and Vladimiros Charalambous in judo.

The coaching team for the Cypriot athletes comprises Nicolas Stylianou for swimming, Charalambos Charalambous for judo, Nikos Polykarpou as the rowing boat manager, Maria Hatziilia for rowing, Nikos Nicolaou for taekwondo, Konstantinos Stavrou for athletics, and Lauria Lorenz for fencing. Panayiota Ioannou will serve as the physiotherapist for all members of the Cypriot delegation.

George Papageorgiou and other delegation members left Cyprus on Monday, October 26, traveling via Zurich and Brussels before heading to Dakar. The athletes, coaches, and other delegation members will travel in stages corresponding to their competition schedules.

The Cyprus Olympic Committee highlighted that this participation is noteworthy as Cyprus will compete in six different sports for the first time at the Youth Olympic Games. Dakar 2026 will also mark Cyprus' debut in fencing, taekwondo, and rowing at the event, expanding the country's international sporting presence.