Macron, Nawrocki skip Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics
Senegal's President Diomaye Faye will host the games without two key foreign leaders due to domestic crises.
The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games opened on Saturday, October 31, without French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish President Karol Nawrocki. Both leaders cancelled their planned attendance due to domestic political issues in their respective countries. Macron's visit was called off due to unprecedented social unrest in France, while Nawrocki returned to Poland amid a sudden institutional crisis involving the Constitutional Tribunal.
President Macron had planned to visit Dakar on October 30 and 31 as part of a West African tour, but his trip was cancelled on October 23. President Nawrocki's flight to Senegal was diverted over Spain on Friday afternoon, October 30, after police entered the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw. Polish authorities stated their actions were legal and denied forcibly removing security agents.
The French decision was announced a week before the games, while Poland's withdrawal was a last-minute reaction to an institutional conflict between the government and the president. Neither cancellation cited issues with the games' organization or Senegal's bilateral relations. President Diomaye Faye had hoped for their presence at the games, which he considers a major event for Senegal.