France, Nov. 1 -- "I declare open the fourth Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar," announced Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye at the Diamniadio Olympic Stadium near the capital Dakar.

Tens of thousands of spectators cheered as hundreds of drummers and dancers celebrated Senegalese and African culture in line with the Games motto, "Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates".

A giant map of Africa was created by performers dressed in yellow, black and white traditional Senegalese gowns, dancing in unison, in a grandiose ceremony that saw West African oral storytelling, concerts by Senegalese singers and athletes parading.

Senegalese athletes Abdourahmane Marieme Sy (fencing) and Aicha Diop (judo) lit the Olympic cauldron.

For 11-year-...