The Youth Olympic Games get under way this Saturday with the opening ceremony at the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium. For this major Olympic event, scheduled from 31 October to 13 November, the eyes of the world will be on Senegal, across Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly. A historic event that calls for exceptional measures. That will be the case during the opening ceremony.

“I cannot give details of the personnel assigned specifically to traffic. However, the police have deployed nearly 5,000 people for the Games. The gendarmerie has also deployed 5,000, while the Bnsp has more than 2,000 people on duty. The Army, for its part, has deployed around 2,000 to 3,000 people. In all, nearly 15,000 members of the Defence and Security Forces are engaged for the Games,” said Colonel Samba Diallo, head of the National Gendarmerie’s Mobility Support Centre. As chairman of the Transport and Traffic Commission for the Olympic Games, Colonel Diallo outlined the arrangements made for the YOG opening ceremony.

“For the opening ceremony, exceptionally, on the basis of the order issued by the Governor of the Dakar region, a number of restrictive measures have been taken. First, on the toll motorway, specifically the left-hand lane, from the Patte-d’Oie section to exit 12, the motorway will exceptionally be reserved for official delegations, vehicles bearing Cojoj passes, Defence and Security Forces vehicles and, finally, emergency and rescue vehicles, in particular ambulances and Senelec and Eiffage vehicles, among others.” The measure will apply from 7am to 7pm, he said. In the Aibd–Dakar direction, “this left-hand lane will also be reserved for the same categories of vehicles from 7pm to 11.30pm”. He added: “It is important to point out that exit 11 of the toll motorway, which serves the Maître-Abdoulaye-Wade Stadium, will be reserved exclusively for these categories of vehicles, in both directions, from 7am to 11.30pm. Spectators coming from Dakar will nevertheless be able to use the right-hand lanes. They may also choose to take exit 10, at the Diamniadio bridge, or exit 12, at Sébikotane, to reach the Abdoulaye-Wade Stadium.”

Those taking exit 10 will be able to take the Bargny or Senico road to reach Diamniadio.

As for spectators who wish to come in their own vehicles, “even though this is not recommended”, Colonel Diallo stressed, “they will still be able to access the ministerial spheres area. The gendarmerie will set up a filtering checkpoint there to direct them to the car parks located to the west of the ministerial spheres, specifically at the Cité SenegIndia”.

Additional restrictions banning traffic on the motorway from 7am to 11.30pm have been imposed on lorries with a gross laden weight of more than 3.5 tonnes. A carefully planned, temporary arrangement.

Regarding the other competition sites, such as the Corniche, the Tour de l’Œuf and the Cicad site, as well as Saly, “restrictive measures have also been taken. They will apply on specific dates and at times that will be announced in due course”.

Nearly 2,700 athletes from 206 countries are expected in Dakar.

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