Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge says he is ready to share his experience with young athletes at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games after being named a Global Ambassador for the event, Made In Africa Sport reports.
The Kenyan distance-running legend will join Brazilian skateboarding star Rayssa Leal, a two-time Olympic medallist, in the role as Senegal prepares to host the first Olympic sporting event on African soil from 31 October to 13 November.
Kipchoge told Olympics.com that the appointment offered him an opportunity to give back after 24 years in elite sport.
“I’ve been in the sport for 24 years; it’s my time to give back to the next generation. And the youth in Dakar are exactly the next generation I want to walk with,” he said.
“When I go to Dakar, I’ll make sure I meet young athletes from across the world, have an honest talk, mentor them, and look at what the future of sport, and the world, looks like.”
Kipchoge brings wealth of experience
Kipchoge has won four Olympic medals, including consecutive marathon golds at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. He previously claimed 5,000m bronze at Athens 2004 and silver at Beijing 2008 before switching his focus to road running.
The Kenyan has also won five Berlin Marathon titles and four London Marathon titles, and twice broken the marathon world record.
In 2019, he ran the marathon distance in one hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds in Vienna during a specially staged event, becoming the first person to complete the distance in under two hours.
He hopes his career can encourage young athletes to seize their opportunities at Dakar 2026.
“My message to these young people is that this chance is the key,” he said. “It’s their time to fight for their space – and that space is happening in Dakar. Let’s fight for it, show your ability, in the universal language of sport.”
A landmark moment for Africa
Dakar 2026 will mark the first time an Olympic sporting event has been held on the African continent, a milestone Kipchoge believes will remain in the memories of young people across the region.
“Dakar 2026 is a huge event on our young continent – something we’ve long waited for here,” he said.
“Being the first, it will stay vivid in the minds of young people and the general public for a very long time.”
The Kenyan also expects the Games to bring young people from different countries and cultures together, allowing them to learn from one another through sport.
“It’s about mixing with the world in order to understand it,” he said. “That will be the best thing for us, to realise the world is all around us.”
Kipchoge to mentor Refugee Olympic Team
Beyond his ambassadorial duties, Kipchoge will mentor the six athletes who will make history as the first Refugee Olympic Team to compete at the Youth Olympic Games.
He has already held a mentoring session with the young athletes, discussing discipline, education, personal values and the meaning of success in sport and life.
“Mentoring the Refugee Team means a lot to me. I talked to them about the importance of having the right values in your life, your education and your sport – the real recipe for success, and what success means in sport and in life,” he said.
Kipchoge believes competing at Dakar 2026 will give the refugee athletes an important opportunity to demonstrate their abilities on the international stage.
“The advice I love to give refugees is this: sport is life,” he said. “For them, sport is a real opportunity – it gives them a platform to showcase themselves and to fight for their space.”
The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games will bring together around 2,700 athletes aged 17 and under across three host zones: Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly, from 31 October to 13 November.