Dakar, Senegal, November 1, 2026: The opening ceremony of the fourth Youth Olympic Games took place at the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Senegal on October 31.
Man Wui Kiu (swimming) and Poon Hao Ran (wushu) served as the flag-bearers for the Hong Kong, China delegation, joining other youth athletes and delegation members to celebrate the grand opening of the first Olympic event ever held on the African continent.
Man, aged 17, clinched gold medals in the Women’s 50m and 100m Breaststroke events and, together with her teammates, won a silver medal in the Women’s 4x100 Freestyle Relay at the Asian Aquatics Championships held in India last year.
She continued her outstanding performance at the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain, bagging a total of three gold medals, two silver and one bronze.
Man said: “Serving as the flag-bearer for the Hong Kong, China delegation is a tremendous honour. Competing in the YOG is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I will give my all to strive for the best possible results.”
Poon, 15, claimed a gold medal with his teammate in the Youth Boys’ Duilian and a silver medal in the Youth Boys’ Taijishan at the World Junior Wushu Championships held in Tianjin this year. He later added to his achievements at the World Taijiquan Championships in Bulgaria, where he captured two gold and one silver medals.
Poon also expressed his excitement about being named the flag-bearer: “As wushu makes its debut as an official Olympic medal event, I feel deeply privileged to represent Hong Kong, China. Serving as a flag-bearer for the delegation makes this experience even more special.”
The fourth YOG takes place in Dakar from October 31 to November 13. This edition of YOG features 25 sports, with approximately 2,700 youth athletes aged 15 to 17 participating.
Hong Kong, China is sending a delegation of 35 members, including 15 athletes, to compete across 12 sports: athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, breaking, fencing, rowing, swimming, table tennis, triathlon, windsurfing and wushu.