Emir Hamdan
A junior world champion, proven international contenders and a Refugee Team debut feature in a five-day taekwondo programme, with eleven Youth Olympic titles to be decided in Senegal.
Taekwondo returns to the Youth Olympic Games on 8 November with eleven titles to be decided over five days at Dakar’s Complexe Iba Mar Diop. Mexico’s junior world champion Guillermo Cortés and Australia’s Oceania champion Mackenzie Macdonald are among the confirmed selections, while the sport will also feature in the first Youth Olympic Refugee Team.
The Games open on 31 October, making Senegal the first African host of an Olympic sporting event. For taekwondo, the individual competition runs from 8–11 November before Mixed Team closes the programme on 12 November.
Mexico’s Guillermo Manuel Cortes LABASTIDA will contest M-63kg after winning the M-59kg junior world title in Tashkent in April. His six-win championship run ended with a 2–0 final victory over Korea’s Ji Woong Ha, adding a Junior crown to the Cadet titles he earned in Sofia and Sarajevo.
His M-63kg record already includes this year’s U.S. Open and Kimunyong Cup titles. In the latter final, he beat Australia’s Bilal Atay 2–1.
Spain’s 2024 Junior world bronze medallist Ivan Lysenko SERRANO approaches Dakar with the M+78kg Vršac Grand Prix qualifier title, won on 17 October after a 2–1 final victory over Greece’s Grigorios Bozinis. His record also includes M+73kg gold at the 2025 European Youth Olympic Festival.
Australia’s sole taekwondo selection, Mackenzie MACDONALD, arrives with this year’s Oceania title. Her Tashkent campaign ended in the round of 16 against eventual champion Chieh-Ling Wang, following wins over opponents from the United States and Estonia.
Macdonald has since won the Kimunyong Cup final at W-49kg, after competing at W-46kg at the Junior Worlds. Australian Taekwondo lists her competition day in Dakar as 9 November.
Hosted by Kenya’s Olympic committee, Lourance will represent the Refugee Olympic Team at W-49kg. She is its sole taekwondo athlete in a six-strong delegation spanning athletics, judo and taekwondo.
Host Senegal has named four taekwondo athletes: Marie Sarr, Aïda Touré, Ameth Diop and Ibrahima Bèye. Alongside the competition, Côte d’Ivoire’s two-time Olympic bronze medallist Ruth Gbagbi will serve as an Athlete Role Model, advising young athletes and taking part in workshops.
The published schedule groups the individual divisions as follows. All times below are Dakar time (UTC+0); session times remain subject to change.
| Date | Divisions | First final |
|---|---|---|
| 8 November | W-44kg, M-48kg | 17:00 |
| 9 November | W-49kg, M-55kg | 17:00 |
| 10 November | W-55kg, M-63kg, W-63kg | 17:30 |
| 11 November | W+63kg, M-73kg, M+73kg | 17:30 |
| 12 November | Mixed Team | 16:45 |
Mixed Team awards a separate title through a team competition involving male and female athletes. Its quarterfinals are scheduled from 11:00 on 12 November, with semifinals from 15:00 and the bronze-medal match at 16:20 before the final.
Follow the Dakar 2026 tournament page on TAEKWONDO.TV for available brackets, athlete information and competition updates. Check the event page for confirmed live-stream and Court availability.
