Thai Youth Team Departs for Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics
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Thailand's youth national team is preparing to travel to Senegal for the 4th Summer Youth Olympic Games, "Dakar 2026," held from October 31 to November 13, 2026, in Dakar, Senegal. The host nation will stage 25 sports with 153 gold medals at stake. Thailand has secured quotas for 28 athletes across 11 sports: athletics (2), badminton (2), beach handball (10), beach volleyball (2), boxing (2), judo (1), rowing (2), cycling (1), windsurfing (2), aquatics/swimming (2), and table tennis (2).
The delegation will travel via Turkish Airlines with a layover in Istanbul, Turkey, split into four groups departing before their competition schedules. Group 1 (table tennis, judo, beach volleyball, rowing) departs October 27, 2026 on flight TK065 at 10:20, connecting to TK501 arriving in Dakar October 28 at 06:20 (Senegal time, 7 hours behind Thailand). Group 2 (swimming, badminton) departs October 28 on TK069 at 23:10, arriving October 29 at 19:20 via TK503. Group 3 (sailing, boxing, cycling, athletics) departs November 3 on TK065 at 10:20, arriving November 4 at 06:20 via TK501. Group 4 (beach handball) departs November 4 on TK069 at 23:10, arriving November 5 at 19:20 via TK503.
Regarding windsurfing, Thai Windsurfing Association Secretary-General Pathana Bunsawat revealed the association received two quota spots, a rare allocation granted by World Sailing and the IOC based on performance, world rankings, cooperation, and youth development standards. Only a few countries received two spots. However, Thailand's top 17-year-old athletes slightly exceeded the competition's age cutoff (must not turn 17 during the event) by about one month. The association adjusted by selecting two 14-year-old rising stars, Itthiphol Yamjinda and Pornphawit Butto, who have only about one year of windsurfing experience and competed in just one U17 Asian Championship in August. They will compete under coach Aran Homraerun. "We are concerned about the Thai athletes' experience and age, which likely puts them at a significant disadvantage against rivals, but the coach has been working hard to prepare them," the association noted.
