President Xi's Special Envoy Gao Zhidan Attends Dakar Youth Olympics Opening Ceremony, Meets Senegalese President Faye
On October 31, 2026, at the invitation of the government of the Republic of Senegal, Gao Zhidan, special envoy of President Xi Jinping and director of China's General Administration of Sport, attended the opening ceremony of the 4th Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal. That morning, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye met with Gao in Dakar. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released the news on November 1.
Gao conveyed President Xi's cordial greetings and best wishes to Faye, saying China attaches great importance to developing China-Senegal and China-Africa relations, and is ready to enrich the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between China and Senegal, give full play to the Olympic Movement's unique role in promoting peace, solidarity and inclusiveness, and contribute more to building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.
Faye asked Gao to convey his sincere greetings to President Xi and thanked him for sending a special envoy to the Games. Faye spoke highly of Senegal-China relations, saying China is one of Senegal's most important cooperation partners, and thanked President Xi and the Chinese government for their long-standing strong support for Senegal's economic and social development and for hosting these Youth Olympic Games.
The 4th Summer Youth Olympic Games opened in Dakar on the evening of October 31, the first Olympic event ever held on the African continent, with about 2,650 athletes aged 14 to 17 from 204 national and regional Olympic committees and a youth refugee team taking part.
Source: Released by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on November 1, 2026.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：10月31日，运动员们在塞内加尔首都达喀尔举行的第四届青奥会开幕式上进场。新华社记者陈为摄（经京报网）。 / Athletes enter the opening ceremony of the 4th Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, on October 31. Photo by Chen Wei, Xinhua (via Beijing Daily).
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- 2026-10-31President Xi's Special Envoy Gao Zhidan Attends Dakar Youth Olympics Opening Ceremony, Meets Senegalese President FayeThis story
