ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The flame for the Dakar Youth Olympics was lit in Athens on Thursday for the first Olympic competition ever staged in Africa.
International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry, the organization’s first African and first female leader, said the moment carried profound personal meaning.
“As an African, this moment means so much to me,” Coventry, an Olympic swimming champion from Zimbabwe, said, her voice breaking with emotion.
“For so many years we have spoken about the day when an Olympic event would finally come to our continent,” she said. “And now we have that great honor.”
With a nod to Apollo, the ancient Greek god of truth, healing and the sun, the flame was kindled using a concave mirror that channels the sun’s rays.
The hourlong ceremony was at the Panathenaic Stadium, the venue of the first modern Olympics in 1896.
The Youth Games from Oct. 31-Nov. 13 bring together some 2,700 athletes aged 15-18 in 25 sports in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, and two other cities.
Dakar organizing head Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye offered assurances the Games would be a success.
“We do not promise the perfect games. We promise real games, warm games,” he said.
Thursday’s ceremony featured hip-hop dancers, cheerleaders, a youth choir and a performance by Senegalese singer Kya Loum. The flame was lit after dancers performed as ancient Greek high priestesses.
Runners then carried the torch and an olive branch through the stadium, built entirely of white marble in the shape of a horseshoe and recently given a deep clean and a new blue-and-white track.
Isidoros Kouvelos, president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, said the day was dedicated to young people.
“This ceremony belongs above all to you: To your dreams, your courage, to the early mornings, the long training sessions, the sacrifices, and the hope,” Kouvelos said. “Sport will teach you many lessons. It will teach you patience and respect. And if you listen carefully, it will teach you something greater: That the true measure of an athlete is the character formed along the way.”
See full AP coverage of African sports here
Dakar 2026 Organizing Committee president Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye, left, and Hellenic Olympic Committee president Isidoros Kouvelos, hold the Olympic torch during the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games flame handover ceremony at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
BERLIN (AP) — Napheesa Collier scored 19 points and the U.S. routed Hungary 108-56 to advance to the semifinals of the women's FIBA World Cup on Thursday.
The U.S. will play the winner of the Spain-Australia game on Saturday in the medal round. France played China and Belgium played host Germany in the other quarterfinal matchups.
The Americans have now won 34 consecutive games in the tournament dating to a loss to Russia in the 2006 World Cup semifinals. The U.S. has made every medal round since 1983 when the format changed to have medal rounds.
It was a record-breaking performance for the U.S. The 108 points was the most by any team ever in a quarterfinal. The U.S. had 31 assists, again the most in this round.
“When that ball is moving, we want to get the best possible shot,” said Kahleah Copper, who had 10 points. “We want to make sure everybody gets involved. Everyone here on this roster, we know what they’re doing on their respective (WNBA) teams. But you come here, you sacrifice a little bit of that.”
Copper said the players were always looking to turn good scoring opportunities into great ones. The Americans did just that.
The U.S. was off and running early against Hungary, jumping out to a 36-12 lead after the first quarter. The Americans were constantly pounding the ball inside and converting turnovers into easy layups. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese showed their growing chemistry on the court, finishing the quarter with a nifty pick and roll just before the buzzer. Collier had 10 points in the first 10 minutes.
The offense was sizzling early on as the Americans hit 20 of their first 26 shots (77%), including five of six 3-point attempts to race to a 50-18 lead with 6 minutes left in the first half. The Americans led 59-30 at the break — the highest scoring first half in team history in a knockout game at the event according to FIBA.
The Americans got a little scare when Sonia Citron had to leave in the third quarter when she was hit in the nose by a Hungary player's hand by accident. Citron returned to start the fourth quarter.
Clark finished with 10 points and nine assists, just missing out on her second double-double of the tournament.
The U.S. was also solid on defense. They contained Hungary's top scorer Dorka Juhasz, who plays for the Minnesota Lynx. She came into the game averaging 15.3 points and 11 rebounds in the tournament. She missed her first seven shots and didn't get her first basket until 2:26 was left in the half. She finished the game with two points on 1 of 12 shooting.
Hungary came away with its best finish ever in the World Cup by reaching the quarterfinals for the first time. Hungary was fifth in the 1957 tournament but back then it was a round robin with no medal rounds.
See AP’s full WNBA coverage here
Angel Reese, of the United States, left, and Paige Bueckers, react during the Women's Basketball World Cup quarterfinal match between the United States and Hungary in Berlin, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Jackie Young, of the United States, goes for a shot during the Women's Basketball World Cup quarterfinal match between the United States and Hungary in Berlin, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Hungary's Kinga Josepovits guards Angel Reese, of the United States, during the Women's Basketball World Cup quarterfinal match between the United States and Hungary in Berlin, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Angel Reese, of the United States, gies for a shot in front pf Hungary's Panka Dul during the Women's Basketball World Cup quarterfinal match between the United States and Hungary in Berlin, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
