"It's my first time in China. I've often heard others say that one can only truly understand what China is like by experiencing it firsthand." On September 2, Avelino Gomes Monteiro, technical director of the Senegal Olympic Committee, expressed in Changsha that Hunan offers excellent training facilities, catering, accommodation, and medical services. He also noted that the people of Hunan are very warm and hospitable, believing that the athletes' training will meet the expected targets.

Xu Jiawei (1st, L) and Jin Hao (3rd, L) visit Avelino Gomes Monteiro, technical director of the Senegal Olympic Committee. 

The opening ceremony for the 2025 Senegalese national youth sports team training program in China, part of the technical assistance project for the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games, was recently held at a training base in Hunan. The Senegalese sports delegation is scheduled to have a two-month training in China to prepare for the 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. The delegation consists of twelve teams: track and field, swimming, taekwondo, judo, wrestling, table tennis, pistol shooting, gymnastics, fencing, basketball, badminton, and martial arts. Nine of these teams, including gymnastics and fencing, are training in Changsha.

The 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games will be the first Olympic event to be held on the African continent. It is worth mentioning that Wushu or martial arts is set to debut as an official medal event at the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games.

The technical assistance project for the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games is a concrete achievement in implementing China's efforts to strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges with Senegal. As a good brother, partner, and friend to both Senegal and the African people, China will assist Senegal in successfully hosting this major international sporting event and help enhance its performance in the international multi-sport event and individual sports events. The assistance project includes dispatching batches of sports coaches and group gymnastics experts in phases to provide short-term technical support in Senegal, arranging for Senegalese athletes and coaches to undergo training in China in stages, and providing some sports training equipment. The project will be implemented over a period of two years.

On the same day, Xu Jiawei, former director of the Office of the Chinese Embassy in Senegal, and Jin Hao, editor-in-chief of the West Africa Chinese Voice newspaper, visited Avelino Gomes Monteiro on behalf of the overseas Chinese community in Senegal and the Hua Zhi Ai Charity Association, and presented him with gifts.

During the conversation, they all agreed that sports promote global exchanges and serve as an ideal medium for people-to-people connectivity. They emphasized that the Youth Olympic Games represents an excellent opportunity to showcase Africa to the world. They expressed the hope that the event will be leveraged to enhance exchanges with the African people, foster mutual understanding between Chinese and African citizens, and promote bilateral cooperation and development.

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: chinanews