Samsung Electronics officially sponsors the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games, the first Olympics to be held on the African continent. The company introduces the Victory Selfie feature for the first time in Youth Olympic history and will use the Galaxy S26 Ultra for live event coverage.
Samsung announced on Monday that it’s participating as the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) official wireless communications partner for the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games, which kicked off in Dakar, Senegal, on October 31. The Games will debut Samsung’s Victory Selfie program, allowing athletes to snap commemorative photos with Galaxy smartphones on the medal podium. The Galaxy S26 Ultra will also capture skateboarding and taekwondo events from various angles, complementing traditional broadcast cameras. Samsung will set up a Samsung Open Station in the athletes’ village, offering a space to experience Galaxy products. Attendees can create Olympic-themed photos using Galaxy AI at the Victory Wall and record video messages about their Dakar experiences and future aspirations through Victory Talk. These videos will be saved as short-form content, helping athletes preserve their memories through to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The tech giant will also feature a Victory Photo Zone mimicking the actual medal podium and provide hands-on Galaxy feature demonstrations. Additionally, Samsung will run Beyond the Medal, a mentoring program where IOC-selected role model athletes share growth experiences and advice with young competitors. Choi Seung-eun, Vice President (VP) and Head of Mobile Marketing at Samsung Electronics’ Mobile Experience (MX) Division, said that the Youth Olympic Games are a crucial platform for young athletes to uncover their potential and develop for the future. It aims to support these rising stars with cutting-edge wireless technology experiences, enabling them to push boundaries, learn, and fully embrace life’s special moments. The 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games, running until November 13 in Senegal, marks the first Olympic event on African soil. It will feature about 2,700 young athletes competing in 25 sports. Samsung’s Olympic journey began with regional sponsorship of the 1988 Seoul Olympics and expanded to include the Youth Olympic Games in 2010. The company has provided Galaxy Olympic Edition smartphones to athletes at seven Olympic events, including the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics and 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
