LOBAMBA – Swimmer Luca Fraser will headline Team Eswatini at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
This was announced by Eswatini Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (EOCGA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Maxwell Jele during a press conference held at the association’s headquarters in Lobamba on Monday.
The Games will take place in Dakar, Senegal, from October 31 to November 13, with about 2 700 athletes from more than 200 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) expected to participate.
The event will feature 25 competitive sports.
Eswatini has secured three slots across swimming, athletics and taekwondo.
Fraser will compete in the 50m breaststroke and will be accompanied by Coach Meluleki Simelane.
Knowledge Mkhwanazi will represent the country in the 100m, with Muzi Mabuza as his Coach.
In taekwondo, Simisile Thwala will compete in the -55kg category under Coach Mbongeni Nsibandze.
The seven-member delegation will be led by Chef de Mission Zakhele Zulu.
Jele said the team’s composition followed an extensive selection process involving the respective national sports federations.
“We are pleased with the work done on the team composition and we are confident that our athletes will represent the country well,” Jele said.
He said the athletes had been preparing consistently and would be expected to compete at the highest level.
“All the athletes have been training and we have faith that they will compete at the highest level,” he said.
The team will travel in a staggered fashion according to the respective competition schedules.The swimming contingent will arrive on October 29 and compete from November 1 to 6 before departing on November 8.
The athletics and taekwondo contingents will arrive on November 4.
Athletics competition will run from November 8 to 10, with the delegation scheduled to depart on November 12.
Taekwondo will take place from November 8 to 12, with departure scheduled for November 14.
Jele thanked government for its financial support, saying the assistance had enabled the EOCGA to cover the team’s logistical requirements.
He also acknowledged the contribution of the national sports federations in preparing the athletes for the Games.
The Dakar Youth Olympic Games will be the first Olympic event to be staged on African soil.
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