France, Sept. 11 -- Some 2,700 young athletes are expected to compete, while thousands of young Senegalese have been trained for jobs linked to the event.

Malick Diouf, head of the Prims agency and founder of the Dakar Sport Summit, an annual forum on the sports economy, told RFI the Games could help prepare a new generation of African athletes for international competition - while giving Senegal the skills to host more major events in future.

RFI: From a sporting perspective, what are you expecting from this fourth edition of the YOG.

Malick Diouf: The Youth Olympic Games are coming to Senegal at exactly the right time. It is already the first time that Senegal has hosted an event of this scale, and the same is true for Africa. From a...