Senegal becomes first African nation to host Olympics

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The International Olympic Committee has picked its first African host of any Olympics, awarding Senegal the 2022 Youth Olympic Games.

The decision was determined by unanimous vote at an International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Argentina.

Christophe Dubi, IOC Sports Director and Deputy Olympic Games Executive Director: "First, let's celebrate the fact that the Youth Games are going to Senegal and Dakar in 2022 and that's a first. As you heard the president mentioning the historic moment that we all witnessed this morning."

The budget for the forthcoming games would be around $150 million (€130 million). A 50,000-seater stadium will be constructed for the government-backed project.

It is often observed that the host countries spend large amount of funds in building facilities for the games that are often under utilized resulting in wastage of resources. What is the take of the Olympic committee given Senegal is a least developing nation?

Christophe Dubi, IOC Sports Director and Deputy Olympic Games Executive Director: "What we want to avoid is to over-deliver and under-consume. Let's be very clear, what is planned and delivered has to be consumed. Now I'm pretty clear and you have all witnessed that in some of the games, including in Pyeongchang, we had some overcapacity, including in the transportation for you. How many times have you been riding the bus that was half-empty?"


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