The President of the National Olympic Committee of Sierra Leone (NOC-SLE), Prince Vandy Sualley, has assured athletes and technical officials preparing for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, that arrangements are being put in place for their participation, urging them to remain focused on preparations and delivering strong performances.

Sualley gave the assurance during a meeting with athletes, coaches and members of the media at the NOC-SLE headquarters on Walpole Street, Freetown, on Monday, October 19, as the country prepares for the Games scheduled for October 31 to November 13, 2026.

He encouraged athletes and technical teams not to worry about their participation, stressing that the NOC-SLE was working to ensure Team Sierra Leone takes part in the historic sporting event.

“The NOC is doing its job, and the technical people and athletes should also do their jobs very well so that they can make Sierra Leone proud at the Games,” Sualley said.

He urged the athletes to maintain their training routines, pay attention to technical details, safeguard their health and nutrition, and prepare mentally for the competition.

Sualley also disclosed that a meeting involving the Minister of Sports and the Executive Director of the National Sports Authority would be held before the delegation’s departure to discuss important matters concerning the team. He advised athletes and technical officials to channel their concerns through Chef de Mission Yayah Koroma.

Providing an update on the delegation’s preparations, Koroma said the main contingent was expected to travel to Dakar on October 30, a day before the opening ceremony. However, arrangements were being made for the beach volleyball team to depart earlier because its competition begins on October 31.

“We are putting mechanisms in place to ensure that the beach volleyball team departs on October 23 so that they can train well and acclimatise to the environment. For the rest of the delegation, we are planning to travel on October 30,” Koroma said.

He explained that the beach volleyball team would be the first Sierra Leonean athletes to compete, while judo is scheduled for November 1–3, swimming for November 1–6, and athletics for November 8–10.

Sierra Leone is expected to compete in four sporting disciplines: beach volleyball, athletics, swimming and judo. Alie Kainesie and Sulaiman Bangura will represent the country in beach volleyball, while Mabinty Kamara will compete in the women’s 800 metres.

Swimmer Peter J. Bewie will contest the 50-metre butterfly, 50-metre breaststroke, 50-metre freestyle and 100-metre freestyle events. Sierra Leone will also field an athlete in the men’s 81kg judo category.

Koroma acknowledged the need for further government support but said the delegation was continuing to make arrangements to meet its essential requirements ahead of the Games.

In a further boost for the athletes, he disclosed that each participating athlete would receive a brand-new Samsung mobile phone as a gift from a sponsor of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

He encouraged the athletes and technical teams to remain committed to their preparations, stressing that their immediate responsibility was to train diligently and represent Sierra Leone with pride on the international stage.