In brief
Preparations for the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympics saw Senegalese table tennis player Marieme Diallo and peers from Africa train in China as part of the China‑Africa Year of People‑to‑People Exchanges. They praised Chinese methods and facilities, and returned home ready to represent their countries with confidence and pride.
With the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games looming, African athletes have finished intensive camps in China, honing their form in table tennis, wushu, changquan and taijiquan, the Xinhua report said.
Senegal based 16‑year‑old table‑tennis player Marieme Diallo admitted she could keep the ball in play longer after training in Changsha, central China, where she observed the precision of Chinese competitors, the outlet described.
"We can keep the ball in play much longer than usual because they taught us the proper techniques," Diallo told Xinhua.
Spokesperson Marie Fara Mendy, travelling with Diallo as a coach from the Senegalese Table Tennis Federation, highlighted the rigor, discipline and state‑of‑the‑art facilities she witnessed, noting Xinhua’s coverage of the experience.
"What impressed me most was the rigor, discipline and sports facilities. I was also impressed by the attention paid to technical details, the volume of ball practice and the role played by sparring partners," Mendy stated.
She added that the camps had included extensive physical conditioning and patience from the coaches, despite language barriers, and that the athletes grew capable of four‑to‑five‑hour training sessions, an observation detailed in the Xinhua article.
Scope of the Training Program
The camps were organized under the China‑Africa Year of People‑to‑People Exchanges program, and Senegalese youth table‑tennis athletes returned for a second consecutive year, the Xinhua editorial noted.
Four Senegalese athletes trained for nearly two months at the Tianjin Huoyuanjia School, where they focused on refining their moves in changquan and other martial‑arts styles, the report said.
During the camp, the athletes held friendly matches against local Chinese peers, an activity highlighted by the Xinhua source to underscore the exchange spirit.
Athlete and Coach Reflections
Both Diallo and her teammates credited the Chinese training methods with improving technical aspects such as serves, returns, backhand consistency and footwork, according to Xinhua.
They also reported newfound confidence and a deeper mental resilience, the outlet’s notes indicated, as they prepared to compete under the pressure of a historic youth event.
Upon returning home, the athletes are described by the Xinhua piece as highly motivated, intent on representing Senegal and Tunisia with pride and humility in front of the domestic crowd.
The report concludes that the trainees aim to showcase the progress made in their sports since returning from the intensive Chinese camps, framing the effort as a significant step towards Dakar’s first youth Olympic event.
