Governing Bodies
DAKAR 2022 YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES POSTPONED UNTIL 2026
BY LIAM MORGAN
The 2022 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar have been pushed back by four years to 2026, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced.
Amid widespread disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, IOC President Thomas Bach said the organisation had mutually agreed to postpone the first Olympic event to be held in Africa following a request from Senegal President Macky Sall.
The decision was approved by the IOC Executive Board during its latest remote meeting today and will be given the green light by the Session on Friday (July 17).
The IOC said the postponement results from the “large scale of the operational challenges which the IOC, the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the International Federations (IFs) are facing following the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020”.
Bach claimed the Senegalese capital hosting the Games “would have meant we would have had to organise five Games in three years”.
“This really was too heavy workload for everybody,” Bach added.
In a statement, the IOC said postponing Dakar 2022 “allows the IOC, the NOCs and the IFs to better plan their activities, which have been strongly affected by the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, by the subsequent postponements of major international sports events, and by the operational and financial consequences of the global health crisis”.
Dakar 2022 had been awarded the event in 2018 and the IOC was keen to stress the significance of it being the first Olympic event to take place in Africa.
Preparations for the Youth Olympic Games appeared to hit problems in January as the Senegalese Government had not released the required funding.
Moving the event to 2026 means it is now set to take place in the same year as the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Bach admitted the IOC had “not had time” to relay the decision to postpone Dakar 2022 to the countries who had expressed varying degrees of interest in staging the 2026 Youth Games.
Colombia, India, Russia and Thailand had all entered into discussions with the IOC’s Future Host Commission, which identifies and recommends potential venues for Olympic events, over hosting the Games in 2026.
Bach said the four nations would be in a “privileged position” for 2030 and that he was “sure they will understand the situation”.
“I would like to reiterate that the IOC has my full support for the organisation of the Youth Olympic Games, postponed to 2026,” Sall said.
“I take this opportunity to reaffirm my confidence in the Executive Board and welcome the commitment of its teams, working side by side with us, to make Dakar 2026, the first Olympic event in Africa, a successful and memorable occasion.”
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FIFA’s independent Ethics Committee has banned former Guyana Football Federation (GFF) General Secretary Ian Alves from all football-related activities for five years after finding he sexually harassed female staff members.
FIFA also fined Alves 20,000 Swiss francs ($22,000) after determining that he had breached provisions of the FIFA Code of Ethics relating to the protection of physical and mental integrity, abuse of position and general duties.
“FIFA has a strict stance against all forms of abuse in football,” the organisation said on Monday.
The decision followed a review of written statements from the victims, documents provided by the GFF, submissions from Alves, and other evidence gathered during the investigation.
Alves stepped down from his position in 2024.
The ban came into force on Monday, when the terms of the decision were notified to Alves, and the full grounds for the ruling will be communicated within 60 days in accordance with the Code of Ethics, FIFA added.
The GFF did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Alves could not immediately be reached for comment.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that he planned to seek re-election for a fourth term in a bid to continue to lead the governing body of world soccer.
Infantino confirmed he would run for the 2027–2031 term in the closing moments of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, which comes less than two months before the start of the World Cup.
The election will be held on March 18 in Morocco, which is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup.
Infantino said he was “honoured and humbled” to have the chance to run for a fourth term.
The Italian-Swiss took office in 2016, replacing Sepp Blatter, and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.
Infantino has pushed for the expansion of FIFA competitions during his tenure, with this year’s World Cup in North America the first to feature 48 teams, while the women’s tournament in 2023 has been expanded to 32 teams.
Infantino’s tenure has also drawn some criticism over issues such as high World Cup ticket prices and the decision to award the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to U.S. President Donald Trump at the World Cup draw in December.
Earlier this month, the council of South American football’s governing body (CONMEBOL) said in a statement it would unanimously support the 56-year-old if he decided to seek another term.
-Reuters
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The supporters of Vancouver Whitecaps, a professional football (soccer) club in Canada, have staged a protest outside the FIFA Congress on Thursday, voicing fears that the Major League Soccer club could be relocated as uncertainty deepens over its ownership and long-term future.
The club is one of Canada’s most historic football institutions and has long been a central part of Vancouver’s sporting identity.
Around 100 fans gathered as delegates arrived for the annual FIFA meeting in Vancouver, chanting, singing and waving club flags in a show of solidarity. The demonstration comes just days after Vancouver Whitecaps FC revealed difficulties in securing a buyer willing to keep the club in the city.
The Whitecaps disclosed earlier this week that “stadium economics, venue access and revenue limitations” have complicated efforts to sell the club, despite a 16-month search for new ownership.
Season ticket holder Derek Hawksworth said supporters felt compelled to act amid growing fears of relocation.
“I wanted to come down given the threat of the team possibly moving,” he said. “It’s a rich history with the Whitecaps in North America… we want Vancouver to stay and not relocate. The history is here, and we want to continue with that history moving forward.”
The Vancouver Whitecaps are a professional football (soccer) club based in Vancouver, Canada. They currently compete in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-tier league in the United States and Canada.
Concerns were heightened by reports that cities such as Las Vegas and Phoenix are leading contenders should the club relocate.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has urged intervention, calling on the provincial government — which owns BC Place — to negotiate a “bridge deal” that would allow the team to remain while plans for a new stadium are explored. The club’s current lease at BC Place expires at the end of the year.
Despite the off-field uncertainty, the Whitecaps have been one of the standout teams this MLS season. They currently sit second in the Western Conference with 24 points from nine matches, just three points behind the San Jose Earthquakes.
For supporters, however, performances on the pitch offer little comfort as the future of their club hangs in the balance — a situation they hope global football leaders gathering in Vancouver will not ignore.
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