Omar Al Marzooqi will return to the Youth Olympic Games in a new role at Dakar 2026.
The UAE show jumper has been selected by the International Olympic Committee as an Athlete Role Model for next year’s Games in Senegal.
It is a fitting appointment for Al Marzooqi, who made UAE Olympic history at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018. He became the first Emirati athlete to win a Youth Olympic medal after taking silver in individual show jumping.
Now he will be part of a group asked to guide the next generation of young athletes. The IOC’s Athlete Role Models will offer sporting and mental guidance, take part in workshops, and share their experience from competition.
The full Dakar 2026 list now includes 36 athletes across 25 competition sports and 10 engagement sports. The group includes Olympic champions, medallists and Olympians from across the world.
Among the names selected are French judoka Clarisse Agbegnenou, Algerian gymnast Kaylia Nemour, Brazilian skateboarder Rayssa Leal, and Egyptian table tennis player Dina Meshref.
For Al Marzooqi, the role links a major moment in UAE sport with a Games that will carry its own place in Olympic history.
Dakar 2026 will be held from October 31 to November 13, 2026. It will be the first Olympic sports event staged on African soil, with Senegal hosting young athletes from around the world.
Al Marzooqi’s selection gives the UAE a direct link to that stage. It also places one of the country’s own Youth Olympic medallists in a position to help others manage the demands of international competition at a young age.
