Soda Faye, Mame Cheikh Ibrahima Fall Faye and Khadidiatou Boiro will represent host nation Senegal when the boxing competition at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games begins on 7 November.
The three young boxers will compete in the men’s 50kg, women’s 57kg and women’s 60kg categories at the Dakar Expo Centre, where 116 athletes from 77 countries will contest ten titles across five men’s and five women’s divisions.
Their appearance will carry added significance as Dakar 2026 becomes the first Olympic sporting event to be held on African soil, giving Senegal’s young athletes the opportunity to compete on the Youth Olympic stage in front of a home crowd.
Soda Faye will compete in the women’s 57kg category after building valuable international experience over the past year.
Despite having only two to three years of experience in the sport, Faye attracted attention through an unbeaten run in national galas and development competitions before making her mark internationally.
She earned a silver medal at the African Youth Games in Angola in December 2025 and later reached the quarter-finals of the World Boxing Futures Cup in Bangkok, Thailand, in March 2026.
Mame Cheikh Ibrahima Fall Faye will represent Senegal in the men’s 50kg division. Like Soda, he has been boxing for approximately two to three years and established himself through a series of strong performances at national level.
He also competed at the World Boxing Futures Cup, reaching the quarter-finals in Bangkok. His performances were praised by the Senegalese team for the courage, determination and composure he displayed against international opposition.
Senegal’s third representative, Khadidiatou Boiro, will bring a broader combat-sport background to the women’s 60kg competition.
Boiro began her sporting career in 2020 through Chinese boxing and hapkido. She became a two-time Senegalese champion in Chinese boxing and a three-time national champion in hapkido, in which she holds a black belt. She also collected several gold medals in interclub competitions.
After taking up Olympic-style boxing in 2025, Boiro continued her domestic success and has remained unbeaten across championships, interclub competitions and other national events. Her rapid progress has been driven by the strength of character and desire to improve that have defined her sporting journey.
Guiding the three athletes is Senegal youth team head coach Ibrahima Wade, whose own involvement in boxing began at an early age.
Wade progressed through the national age-group system before becoming a multiple Senegalese champion and earning selection for the national team. He represented his country at Zone 2 tournaments, African Championships and several other international competitions.
After moving into coaching, Wade opened a boxing gym named in honour of his late mentor, Antoine Marie Mbengue. He has since devoted himself to grassroots and youth development, helping to prepare a new generation of Senegalese boxers.
A state-certified Level 1 coach, Wade has undertaken further coaching courses in France and China. He was subsequently appointed head coach of Senegal’s Olympic youth team in preparation for Dakar 2026.
Under his leadership, the team competed at the African School Games in Algeria and the African Youth Games in Angola in 2025 before travelling to Bangkok for the World Boxing Futures Cup in March 2026.
The final phase of the team’s preparation included an advanced training camp in China from 21 August to 14 September, attended by Wade and eight members of Senegal’s Olympic youth boxing programme.
For Soda Faye, Mame Cheikh Ibrahima Fall Faye and Khadidiatou Boiro, those years of preparation will culminate with the opportunity to represent their country at a home Youth Olympic Games.
Boxing at Dakar 2026 will take place from 7–12 November, with two sessions scheduled each day.