Recently, in the Medina district of Dakar, the capital of Senegal, an old sports stadium that has been in use for many years is waiting for its final delivery. The Diop Sports Stadium renovation and expansion project, constructed by China Civil Engineering, will be officially delivered to Serbia this month. This is the first time the Youth Olympic Games have come to Africa, and the renovated stadium will serve as one of the important competition venues for the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games. From detailed drawings to on-site installation, China Civil Engineering completed the transformation of this old sports stadium in less than 9 months.

Nine months to conquer old venues

The Diop Stadium is located in the center of Dakar. The main project includes the demolition, reconstruction, and expansion of the main stands, as well as the renovation of basketball courts, handball courts, volleyball courts, and the upgrading of supporting facilities such as the sports hall, fitness training facilities, and internal roads. The renovated football stadium stands have 8000 seats. More than 1200 tons of steel structure and aluminum square curtain wall were detailed from drawings to on-site installation in less than 9 months. Drawing approval, sea transportation, and customs clearance took more than two months, and the components were delivered in batches and the construction site was divided into zones. During the peak construction period, there were over 400 on-site workers, including more than 350 Serbian employees and about 60 Chinese management and professional technical personnel.

Replacing training with labor to train troops in Africa

Due to a shortage of skilled welders in the local area, Chinese technicians were trained on behalf of workers and advanced together with Senegalese workers. Chinese employees are mostly on the front line of the project, and the project manager and chief engineer run to the site every day. Project employee Tidiane Fale has been working on the project since November 2024 and enjoys using his mobile phone to record every detail of changes on the construction site. He expressed that the Youth Olympic Games are coming to Africa and his homeland for the first time and hopes to document and showcase the work being done here. The renovated sports stadium is not only a building, but also a training ground for over 350 Serbian employees' skills. Keywords: the Belt and Road news, infrastructure, international cooperation

Youth Olympic Games debut on the African continent

The 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games will be held from October 31 to November 13, marking the first time an Olympic event has been held on the African continent. On July 25, 2026, Senegalese President Faye inspected the Diop Stadium and expressed appreciation for Chinese companies for completing the venue construction as scheduled. He pointed out that the best conditions must be created for Africa to host the Youth Olympic Games for the first time, and Chinese companies must excellently complete the project tasks, demonstrating the high-level Serbia China relations. After the Youth Olympic Games, the stadium will continue to be used for professional events and athlete training, and will be opened to the public in different time periods. China will transfer operation and maintenance technology to Serbia. From venue construction to educational operation, China Civil Engineering is opening up the value space of full lifecycle services for sports venues. African sports infrastructure is becoming a new track for Chinese enterprises to go global. Major events such as the 2030 Morocco World Cup and the 2034 Saudi Arabia World Cup are releasing demand for venue construction. Segmented tracks such as steel structures, curtain walls, mechanical and electrical installations, and sports facilities deserve long-term attention. In the African market, whoever can deliver both engineering and skills simultaneously will gain longer-term trust.Editor/Gao Xue