• Supporting the testing and implementation of solutions with high social impact potential.
• Promoting innovation across all categories, including social, organizational, economic, or methodological frameworks.
• Connecting, empowering, and equipping young changemakers.

• Direct Beneficiaries: Local communities, young athletes, and individuals facing barriers to physical and sports activities in Senegal.
• Indirect Beneficiaries: Young social entrepreneurs, community organizations, sports clubs, coaches, and dedicated educators.

• Inclusive Sport and Equal Access: Reducing barriers to sports participation to advance equal opportunities ;
• Green Sport, Climate, and Circular Economy: Leveraging sport as a driver for ecological transition and environmental awareness ;
• Sport, Well-being, and Community Cohesion: Strengthening individual and collective well-being, social ties, peace, and civic engagement ;

Required Collaborative Framework: Evaluators closely examine team leadership, complementary skills, and the capacity to mobilize diverse ecosystem actors to build long-term collaborations. Special attention may be given to cross-border initiatives led by young Europeans that directly operate on the ground in Senegal.

• Deploying social, methodological, economic, or organizational innovations through sports programs.
• Supporting early-stage initiatives or projects with pilot phases ready for execution.
• Adapting or replicating proven inclusive and green solutions within the local context in Senegal.

• The applicant or the core project team must be based in Senegal where all pilot activities must take place.

• be under 35 years of age;
• be led by a candidate or a team based in Senegal;
• directly or indirectly use sport as a lever for impact;
• address a clearly identified problem;
• align with at least one of the three thematic axes of the Challenge;
• be able to implement a pilot phase within a period of 8 to 12 weeks after selection;
• agree to participate in the mentoring and support activities planned as part of the Challenge.

Initiatives can be at the start-up stage or already operational, provided they demonstrate a potential for impact and development.

Benefits and Outlook of the Challenge

Following a pre-selection phase by a jury composed of organizations and key stakeholders committed to social and sports innovation, the finalists will have the opportunity to pitch their innovations during the Global Social and Sport Entrepreneurship Week (GSSEW). The top three innovations will receive awards, financial backing, and post-Challenge support aimed at strengthening their model and structuring their pilot project. Through this journey, the Challenge aims to transform the identified innovations into concrete, sustainable solutions capable of contributing to the legacy of Dakar 2026.

• Demonstrated ability to directly solve a real community or environmental problem in Senegal.
• Verifiable number and clear demographic profile of target beneficiaries reached.
• Replicability potential in other communities or relevance to future global sports events.