Uganda will send 25 athletes to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, hoping its largest team at the event can produce another generation of international stars.
The team comprises seven women and 18 men competing in athletics, badminton, road cycling, coastal rowing, rugby sevens, swimming and table tennis.
Scheduled for October 31 to November 13 in Senegal, Dakar 2026 will be the first Olympic sporting event staged on African soil.
Uganda’s delegation exceeds its combined representation at the previous three editions, the country sent six athletes to Singapore 2010, six to Nanjing 2014 and five to Buenos Aires 2018.
Those appearances yielded four medals, all in athletics, and provided an early international platform for athletes who later excelled at senior level.
Zakaria Kiprotich opened Uganda’s medal account with bronze in Singapore before Geofrey Balimumiti claimed silver in Nanjing.
Uganda’s most successful edition came in Buenos Aires, where Sarah Chelangat won gold and Oscar Chelimo secured bronze.
Chelangat’s victory combined her performances in the women’s 3000m and cross-country stages, while Chelimo earned bronze in the corresponding men’s competition.
Both subsequently progressed into senior international athletics, following a pathway also taken by Halimah Nakaayi.
Nakaayi competed in the women’s 400m at Singapore 2010 before switching her focus to the 800m and becoming world champion in Doha in 2019.
Her Youth Olympic journey will come full circle in Dakar, where she has been selected as an Athlete Role Model alongside fellow Ugandan Jamila Lunkuse, a 2-time Olympic swimmer
That history offers encouragement to the Dakar team, particularly its five-member athletics contingent, which has been preparing in Kapchorwa under coach Ziana Chetoyek.
Baskaline Cherotwo will contest the women’s 1500m, Racheal Chelimo the women’s 2000m steeplechase and Keren Chelimo the women’s 3000m.
Michael Kibet will compete in the men’s 2000m steeplechase, while Timothy Cheptoek has been entered in the men’s 800m.
Uganda’s ambitions, however, extend beyond the sport responsible for all its previous Youth Olympic medals.
Rugby sevens accounts for the largest contingent, with 11 players selected under coach Peter Ochol. Swimming contributes four athletes entered in 13 individual events.
Jemimah Nakawala and Joseph Sebatindira will compete in table tennis singles and join forces in mixed doubles, while Ramiah Bukenya contests badminton’s women’s singles.
Ali Ssali will represent Uganda in the men’s cycling road race and individual time trial. Marcel Otim will compete in coastal rowing’s men’s solo beach sprint event.
The team’s size and spread give Uganda opportunities to build experience across seven sports while pursuing further medal success.
For the 25 youngsters, Dakar offers the international exposure that helped shape some of their predecessors’ careers.
Their next challenge is to turn that opportunity into performances capable of supporting the transition to senior competition.
Team Uganda for Dakar 2026
Athletics: Baskaline Cherotwo, women’s 1500m; Racheal Chelimo, women’s 2000m steeplechase; Keren Chelimo, women’s 3000m; Michael Kibet, men’s 2000m steeplechase; Timothy Cheptoek, men’s 800m
Badminton: Ramiah Bukenya, women’s singles
Cycling: Ali Ssali, men’s road race and individual time trial
Coastal rowing: Marcel Otim, men’s solo C1x beach sprints
Rugby sevens: Victor Ampiire, Bonamy Bwambale, Trey Rugamba Gateja, Jeremiah Iragaba, Sanyu Katushabe, Moses Kibeti, Deogracious Muliira, Shafik Okole, Abdulrahman Ongima, Almadi Otema and James Ssebuufu, men’s tournament
Swimming: Mary Peyton Suubi, women’s 400m freestyle, 100m breaststroke and 200m breaststroke; Marie Mbanga, women’s 50m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke and 200m individual medley; Mark Arthur Mwase, men’s 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle; Peterson Inhensiko, men’s 50m and 100m freestyle, 50m backstroke and 50m butterfly
Table tennis: Jemimah Nakawala, women’s singles and mixed doubles; Joseph Sebatindira, men’s singles and mixed doubles