Team Nigeria began its campaign at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on a disappointing note on Saturday, October 31, after suffering opening-day defeats in women’s beach volleyball and table tennis mixed doubles.
The Nigerian representatives were unable to secure victories in their respective opening engagements, although both events offer different routes for the young athletes to continue their pursuit of honours at the Games.
In women’s beach volleyball, Pamela Miyoum Bawa and Joy Lawrence lost 2-1 to Japan’s Auru Kato and Mei Nakagawa in their Pool D encounter.
Despite taking a set from their Japanese opponents, the Nigerian pair could not complete a comeback, leaving them needing improved performances in their remaining preliminary matches.
Nigeria’s women are drawn in Pool D alongside Japan, Italy and Egypt. The competition follows a round-robin format, with the top two teams from each group and the two best third-placed teams earning automatic qualification for the Round of 16.
The remaining four third-placed teams will contest an additional qualification round for the final two places in the knockout stage.
Bawa and Lawrence will therefore have further opportunities to strengthen their qualification prospects, with their next group assignment against Italy scheduled for Sunday, November 1.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s table tennis pairing of Matthew Kuti and Favour Ojo suffered a 3-1 defeat to Thailand’s Thitaphat Preechayan and Kulapassr Vijitviriyagul in their Round of 16 mixed doubles encounter.
The defeat ended Nigeria’s participation in the mixed doubles competition, shifting the focus to the individual singles events for both players.
Ojo is scheduled to face Czechia’s Hanka Kodet in the women’s singles preliminary round, while Kuti will take on Hong Kong’s Ho Ki Li in the men’s singles preliminary round on Sunday.
The opening setbacks come as Nigeria seeks to make an impact at an edition of the Youth Olympic Games carrying enormous historical significance for the continent.
Dakar 2026 is the first Olympic sporting event to be staged on African soil, with Senegal hosting the fourth Summer Youth Olympic Games from October 31 to November 13, 2026.
The competition brings together approximately 2,700 athletes from across the world, featuring 25 sports and 153 medal events across three host locations: Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly.
Nigeria is represented by 19 athletes, comprising 12 females and seven males, competing in six sports: athletics, boxing, road cycling, swimming, table tennis and beach volleyball.
Beyond the medals, the Youth Olympic Games provide an international platform for emerging athletes to gain high-level competitive experience, develop their abilities and prepare for future senior-level assignments.
For Nigeria, attention now turns to Sunday’s programme, with Bawa and Lawrence seeking to revive their beach volleyball campaign, while Kuti and Ojo begin their individual quests in table tennis.
