US Olympic & Paralympic Committee announces team for Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee this week announced the 2026 U.S. Youth Olympic Games Team that will compete at the Youth Olympic Games from Oct. 31-Nov. 13 in Dakar, Senegal. Team USA’s delegation will include 29 total athletes representing 12 sports and ranging in age from 13 to 18.
“The Youth Olympic Games are an important milestone in the development of young athletes, giving them the opportunity to represent Team USA and gain valuable experience competing on the international stage,” said Daniel Smith, Director of Summer Games at the USOPC and Team USA Chef de Mission for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games. “Dakar will be a special moment for the Olympic Movement, and we’re excited for our athletes to embrace the opportunity, build connections with young athletes from around the world and proudly represent the United States on this historic stage.”
Team USA will compete in 12 sports, including archery, badminton, breaking, equestrian, rugby sevens, rowing, taekwondo, triathlon, skateboarding, volleyball, beach wrestling and wushu (martial arts). Competition will take place across Dakar, Diamiandio and Saly, Senegal.
Dakar 2026 will mark the fourth edition of the summer Youth Olympic Games and a historic first for the Olympic Movement, becoming the first Olympic event held on the African continent. The Games will welcome 2,700 of the world's top young athletes competing across 151 events. The program will feature an equal number of men's and women's events, with 72 each, along with seven mixed-gender events.
Dakar 2026 will be the first Summer Youth Olympic Games since Buenos Aires 2018, ending an eight-year gap between editions after the event was postponed from its originally scheduled 2022 date. In Buenos Aires in 2018, Team USA earned 18 medals, including six golds, five silvers and seven bronzes. U.S. athletes also contributed to five additional podium finishes in mixed-NOC events.
Since the Youth Olympic Games began, 577 U.S. athletes have competed across the Summer and Winter editions, with 264 competing on the summer side and 313 competing on the winter side. Across all YOG rosters, 89 athletes have gone on to represent Team USA at the Olympic or Olympic Winter Games.
The full roster for the 2026 U.S. Youth Olympic Games Team can be found below:
- Archery: Aarya Arun (Baltimore, Maryland), Ye-eun Whang (San Diego, California)
- Badminton: Micah Henares Cruz (Bridgeport, New York), Rithik Rasamsetti (Norwood, North Carolina)
- Breaking: Keira Barth (Jersey City, New Jersey)
- Coastal Rowing: Allison Grove (Hamilton, Ohio), Isaac Moos (Thousand Oaks, California)
- Equestrian: Liza Tittle (Atlanta, Georgia)
- Rugby sevens: Mallory Crawford (Boise, Idaho), Sofie Ferri (Akron, Ohio), Hunivaololo Folau (West Jordan, Utah), Chloe Gandy (Portland, Washington), Rebekah Jenks (Boise, Idaho), Sophia Johnson (Orem, Utah), Lavinia Lomu (Orem, Utah), Abigail McGettigan (Downingtown, Pennsylvania), Luisa Moala (Millbrae, Utah), Eseta Moala (Millbrae, Utah), Ella Moynihan (Seattle, Washington), Avery Russer (Silverthorne, Colorado)
- Skateboarding: Julian Agliardi (Long Beach, California)
- Taekwondo: Karlee Vogel (Seymour, Indiana)
- Triathlon: Avalyn Thompson (Orlando, Florida)
- Beach Volleyball: Gavin Mortensen (Mesa, Arizona), Caden Phillips (Gilbert, Arizona)
- Beach wrestling: Aleia Apostol (Chula Vista, California), Matilda Hruby (Brighton, Colorado), Piper Fry (Jackson, Michigan)
- Wushu (martial arts): Marshall Brayton (Portland, Oregon)
The Youth Olympic Games provides an opportunity for young, standout athletes to compete in elite environments and prepare future Olympic hopefuls. The YOG concept was created by the International Olympic Committee to inspire young people around the world to participate in sport and adopt the principles of Olympism.