Beyond the Medal: Samsung Helps Young Athletes Explore What Comes Next at Dakar 2026

The Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 are under way in Senegal from October 31 to November 13, bringing together some 2,700 young athletes across 25 sports for the first Olympic event ever held on the African continent.

As a Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner, Samsung Electronics is supporting the Games with Galaxy technology — from Victory Selfie and broadcast integrations to the Samsung Open Station, an experience space inside the Youth Olympic Village. Having supported the Youth Olympic Games since the inaugural edition in Singapore in 2010, Samsung is going beyond technology at Dakar 2026 to support young athletes’ personal growth as well.

For the athletes competing at Dakar 2026, reaching the Olympic stage is the result of years of dedication. But some of the most lasting lessons come from what happens along the way — overcoming setbacks, building resilience, discovering what matters beyond results.

That is why, on November 3, Samsung hosted “Beyond the Medal: Your Journey Shapes What Comes Next,” a mentoring session at the Samsung Open Station inside the Youth Olympic Village. By bringing in athletes who have walked the Olympic path before them, the session aimed to inspire pride and motivation in the next generation — and to share the spirit of openness at the heart of Samsung’s Olympic partnership.

Two IOC Athlete Role Models — Senegalese canoe slalom Olympian Jean-Pierre Bourhis (31) and Ugandan swimmer Jamila Lunkuse (29) — joined New Zealand tennis bronze medalist Marcus Daniell (36) for a conversation with young athletes.

Moderated by Lefa Makgato, CSR Manager at Samsung Electronics Africa, the session brought the three mentors together with 28 young athletes from 12 countries to share the journeys that shaped them — and offer a guide for exploring where life beyond sport might lead.

Open the Way: Finding Your Own Path

Makgato opened by asking each mentor where their Olympic journey began.

For Bourhis, who represented Senegal at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 and is featured in Samsung’s “Voices of Galaxy: Paddling for the Future,” the dream took shape in 2008, when Togo’s Benjamin Boukpeti won a bronze medal in kayaking at Beijing 2008.

“As a kid, I realized an African paddler could reach the podium,” he said. “Rio 2016 showed me the way could be opened. Now my job is to keep it open for others.”

Lunkuse, who made her Olympic Games debut at 15, recalled that swimming began with friendship rather than ambition. “I wasn’t thinking about medals or the Olympics,” she said. “I just enjoyed being part of something with my friends, and that’s what built my love for the sport.”

Daniell, who ended New Zealand’s 109-year wait for an Olympic tennis medal at Tokyo 2020, pointed to choosing tennis over football at 14. “Because I’d given up a sport I loved, I knew I had to fully commit,” he said.

Break Your Boundaries: Learning Through Challenges

The conversation then turned to the biggest challenges each mentor faced.

With almost no whitewater facilities in Senegal, Bourhis had to build his training base in France — while holding down a full-time job as an engineer in electric vehicle repair. “As an engineer, I see a limit as a problem to solve, not a wall,” he said. “I train before work, during lunch, or late at night. What keeps me going is purpose.”

Lunkuse spoke openly about the anxiety she faced ahead of Rio 2016. “I became so focused on qualifying times that I no longer enjoyed it,” she said. “It was only when I took time away that I could see what I was going through and what help I needed — and that’s what got me to Rio 2016.”

Daniell described a knee injury in 2022 that kept him out for nearly two years. “What got me through was having something bigger than tennis,” he said. “Everyone fails. Those who last are the ones who learn to pick themselves up when they fall.”

Beyond the Game: Turning Experience Into Opportunity

Finally, Makgato asked how the lessons of sport carried into what came next.

Through nonprofit work, Bourhis is building a canoeing ecosystem in Senegal. “We’re building it step by step — and building canoes locally makes the sport more affordable, creates local jobs, and leaves a lasting legacy,” he said. “I want to give the next generation the tools to build their own way.”

Lunkuse, a youth coach and World Aquatics Athletes’ Committee member, urges young athletes to look beyond results. “Results do not define your value,” she said.

Similarly, Daniell — an IOC Athletes’ Commission member and founder of High Impact Athletes, a nonprofit connecting athletes with charities — advised: “Look for a goal beyond personal success. For me, that was what kept pushing me forward.”

Opening Possibilities for the Next Generation

Makgato closed the session with a story of her own. Growing up in a small township in South Africa, she first encountered a computer at 18 — at one of Samsung’s Solar Powered Internet Schools. She later joined Samsung Electronics Africa, where she now leads CSR programs across the continent, including Solve for Tomorrow, giving the next generation the kind of opportunity she once received. Having seen firsthand how a single opportunity can change a life, she had good reason to stand before the young athletes that day.

“I know firsthand how access to technology and education opens doors you may never have imagined. Where you are today doesn’t determine where you’re going,” she said. “We wanted to encourage young athletes to stay open to new ideas and recognize the potential they have to shape their own futures.”

• IOC Athlete Role Models (ARMs) have been part of the Youth Olympic Games since Singapore 2010. Selected by International Federations for each sport, these experienced Olympians stay on site to speak with young athletes and lead workshops on topics such as career management and injury prevention, helping shape the athletes of tomorrow. ↩︎