Armenian athletes on the road to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games

The next Olympic event for Armenian athletes will be the 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games, which will take place in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. The tournament will be held from October 31 to November 13 and will become the first event of this kind in eight years.

The Youth Olympic Games are held every four years and are intended for teenage athletes. The last summer tournament took place in Buenos Aires in 2018. The 2022 Games were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. In total, three tournaments have been held in history:
2010 in Singapore,
2014 in Nanjing,
2018 in Buenos Aires.

Despite relatively small delegations, Armenian athletes have regularly achieved strong results at these competitions.

Armenia’s performance at the Youth Olympic Games

Buenos Aires 2018

Armenia was represented by 8 athletes. The team won two medals — one gold and one bronze.

Gold
Karen Margaryan — weightlifting (77 kg)

Bronze
Saak Hovhannisyan — Greco-Roman wrestling (60 kg)

Also participated:
Yuri Islaelyan (judo)
Hayk Babayan (shooting)
Artur Barseghyan (swimming)
Andranik Khachatryan (taekwondo)
Liana Gyurjyan (weightlifting)

Nanjing 2014

In China, the Armenian delegation consisted of 14 athletes and produced the best result in the country’s Youth Olympic Games history — 7 medals (2 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze).

Gold
Hakob Mkrtchyan — weightlifting (77 kg)
Simon Martirosyan — weightlifting (+85 kg)

Silver
Hrachik Babayan — shooting (air rifle)
Zaven Mikaelyan — Greco-Roman wrestling (58 kg)

Bronze
Narek Manasyan — boxing (81 kg)
Vaginak Matevosyan — freestyle wrestling (54 kg)
Sargis Hovsepyan — freestyle wrestling (76 kg)

Also participated:
Anush Grigoryan (boxing)
Lev Sargsyan (diving)
Vigen Khachatryan (artistic gymnastics)
Harutyun Dermishyan (judo)
Zaven Igityan (shooting)
Vahan Mkhitaryan (swimming)
Sona Poghosyan (weightlifting)

Singapore 2010

At the first Youth Olympic Games, Armenia was also represented by 14 athletes. The team won four medals — one silver and three bronze.

Silver
Gor Minasyan — weightlifting (85 kg)

Bronze
Smbat Margaryan — weightlifting (56 kg)
Artak Hovhannisyan — freestyle wrestling (66 kg)
David Ghazaryan — judo (66 kg)

Also participated:
Vasil Shakhnazaryan (archery)
Diana Khubeseryan (athletics)
Graig Matevosyan (boxing)
Edgar Babayan (canoe)
Gevorg Papoyan (diving)
Vahan Vardanyan (artistic gymnastics)
Romik Vardumyan (shooting)
Sergey Pevnev (swimming)
Anahit Barseghyan (swimming)
Varos Petrosyan (Greco-Roman wrestling)

Qualification features for the 2026 Games

The qualification system for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games remains relatively unclear. Official qualification tournaments in most sports have not yet been announced.

The International Olympic Committee has stated that the Games will place special emphasis on the participation of African nations. All 54 African countries will receive quotas in all sports and will be able to use them at their discretion.

The remaining places will be allocated among athletes from other countries based on results at continental and world championships in the U17, U18, and U19 age categories. However, the exact number of quotas has not yet been determined.

Boxing

In boxing, a mandatory qualification requirement has already been announced. The international federation World Boxing stated that participation in the https://sportaran.com/en/post/world-boxing-futures-cup-2026-stanet-obyazatelnym-dlya-otbora-na-yunosheskie-olimpijskie-igry/U19 World Boxing Futures Cup 2026 will be required to qualify for the Youth Olympic Games.

The tournament will take place in Thailand and will start on March 9.

Wrestling

In wrestling, a similar key qualifying event will likely be the U17 World Championships, which will take place in July in Baku.

Armenian wrestlers have traditionally performed well at the Youth Olympic Games, but participation in a tournament in Azerbaijan may be uncertain. If Armenia skips the world championships, its athletes risk losing the opportunity to qualify for the Games.

Competition program

The program includes 25 sports, with 154 medal events.

3×3 basketball — 2
Archery — 3
Artistic gymnastics — 5
Athletics — 28
Badminton — 2
Baseball5 — 1
Beach handball — 2
Beach volleyball — 2
Beach wrestling — 8
Boxing — 10
Breaking — 2
Coastal rowing — 5
Equestrian — 1
Fencing — 6
Futsal — 2
Judo — 8
Road cycling — 4
Rugby sevens — 2
Sailing — 2
Skateboarding — 2
Swimming — 36
Table tennis — 3
Taekwondo — 11
Triathlon — 3
Wushu — 4
Canoe — 8 events
Golf — 2
Hockey 5×5 — 3
Karate — 6
Modern pentathlon — 3
Shooting — 6
Sport climbing — 2
Surfing — 2
Tennis — 5
Weightlifting — 12

Prospects for the Armenian national team

The Youth Olympic Games traditionally serve as an important platform for future stars of world sport. Many athletes who succeeded at these competitions later became medalists and champions of the senior Olympic Games and regular members of the Armenian national team — Gor Minasyan, Simon Martirosyan, Hakob Mkrtchyan, Narek Manasyan, Anush Grigoryan, and others.

For Armenia, the main medal hopes traditionally remain wrestling, weightlifting, and boxing. However, the specifics of qualification and new selection rules may significantly influence the team roster and the number of Armenian athletes who will be able to compete in Dakar.