MOSCOW, September 24. /TASS/. Thirteen young Russian athletes have been cleared to compete for their national team at the 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games, which kick off in Dakar, Senegal, late next month, Russian Sports Minister and President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Mikhail Degtyarev stated on his Telegram channel on Thursday.

The Russian national team’s roster of young athletes includes: Stepan Bortnik and Angelina Novolodskaya (cycling); Anastasia Dobrovolskaya (judo); Yaroslav Pushkin (equestrian); Bogdan Toropkin Serafima Fokina (swimming); Maria Ozhigova (skateboarding); Daniil Smirnov and Polina Dmitriyeva (gymnastics); Bashir Adzhiyev and Elina Tkhamakova (taekwondo); Artyom Blyuske (Wushu) and Ulyana Belykh (fencing).

The squad of Russian young athletes in Senegal will be assisted by ten coaches.

The 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar is set to be held in Senegal between October 31 and November 13. Russian athletes will compete under the country’s flag and to the tune of the national anthem.

In July, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled to reinstate the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and also recommended lifting restrictions on the participation of Russian athletes in all international tournaments. This recommendation applied to both individual and team sports. Numerous international sports federations followed the proposal.

Later on, some of the international sports federations decided to lift all previously imposed restrictions not only for youth athletes but for all athletes at various levels from Russia and Belarus.