Youth Olympics 2026: India’s medal prospects suffered a major blow as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board removed shooting, weightlifting and hockey from the list of medal sports for the 2026 Youth Olympics to be held in Dakar, Senegal.
Shooting, weightlifting and hockey have been included as 10 non-medal sports in the Youth Olympics 2026.
At the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, India won 13 medals (three gold, nine silver and one bronze), of which four medals came in shooting (two gold and two silver) and two silver medals in hockey. Got a gold in weight lifting.
Paris Olympics double medalist star shooter Manu Bhaker had won gold medal in girls’ 10 meter air pistol and silver medal in mixed 10 meter air pistol.
At its meeting in Lausanne on 3 December, the IOC Executive Board confirmed the sports and athlete quotas for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, to be held from 31 October to 13 November 2026. The Youth Olympics is contested by players between the ages of 15 and 18.
“It was decided to maintain the official participation of all 35 international federations at Dakar 2026, with 25 sports included in the competition program and 10 sports part of the participation programme,” the IOC said on its website.
The 25 sports in which medals will be awarded are Athletics (Track and Field), Aquatics (Swimming), Archery, Badminton, Baseball (Baseball 5), Basketball (3×3), Boxing, Breaking, Cycling (Road Cycling), Horse Riding (Jumping). ), fencing, football (futsal), gymnastics (artistic), handball (beach handball), judo, rowing (coastal rowing), There are rugby (rugby sevens), sailing, skateboarding (street), table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, volleyball (beach volleyball), wrestling (beach wrestling) and wushu.
The non-medal sports included in these games are canoeing-kayaking, golf, hockey, karate, modern pentathlon, shooting, sport climbing, surfing, tennis and weightlifting.
The Games will be held in three host venues in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, Diamanteau and Saly.
