The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games is an historic and emotional global sporting spectacular for many reasons, but for the Senegalese beach handball national teams, their opening day of competition was extra poignant.

Just over one year ago, the National Technical Director at the Senegalese Handball Federation, Papa Ibnou Mouhamed SARR, tragically passed away at the age of just 50.

Nicknamed ‘Cassius’, SARR was a beloved figure amongst the handball family in the West African nation, responsible for overseeing the formation of the national beach handball teams and implementation of the ‘Dakar 2026 Project’ in partnership with the French Handball Federation and, subsequently, the IHF, to create Senegalese youth teams and a legacy for the sport at Dakar 2026 and beyond.

On this first day of beach handball action at Saly Beach West, players from both Senegal teams wore a special piece of clothing under their national team vests – a tribute to Cassius. Standing proudly on a beach, complete with the sea behind him, he looks into the distance with a Dakar 2026 flag firmly planted in the Senegalese sand at his feet.

 

“Cassius was here from the beginning. He fought a lot for beach handball in in Senegal, and was one of the most important people for beach handball in Senegal,” said an emotional Senegal men’s captain Abdourahmane DIOP to IHF.info about what SARR meant to him.

“I don't know how to thank him, so the only way is to compete, to do a great competition and give him this tribute.”

At the beginning of the Dakar 2026 project, French handball coaches Mika ILLES and Valerie NICOLAS became part of the coaching and planning set-up and Cassius was welcoming from day one, becoming a bridge between cultures.

“Cassius was there right at the beginning of the project and was the father for everyone,” said ILLES. “He was a guy who was talking with us all the time; we were explaining beach handball to him and he was happy to learn. He was the link between our French spirit and the Senegalese spirit.

“At the beginning it was a bit difficult to understand how things worked in Senegal, but he was always talking with us, being positive and making that link. He wanted so much to see beach handball in the Olympics in Senegal.”

“He made a lot of things happen and was working 23 hours every day,” adds NICOLAS. “He was very involved; involved with the players, involved with the coaches. He was a guy who could be at the centre of everything but would not put pressure on you. He was fine with everyone; he would say; ‘Okay, you have to do this, remember this,’ but he was doing it with a smile, talking with everyone – and that was very important.

 

“We lost him one year ago and all the time we think about him; during the preparation and when we play. We miss him a lot. The players wanted him to be part of this, Dakar 2026, because he would have loved it. So, they made the t-shirts and we were all wore them.”

And SARR would have been in dreamland in the morning as Senegal’s women beat France and their men beat Hungary via shoot-outs on the centre court in front of a packed, beautiful atmosphere, both games live on national television and IOC President Kirsty Coventry in attendance too.

“Today was important for Senegal because handball is something here, but beach handball is not that well-known so it's really great that we can highlight beach handball at the Olympic Games,” explained ILLES. “It's a good thing for the future. Beach handball is a sport that is really easy to practice, and you can reach a higher level really fast; faster than indoor.

“It's a cool sport and it's fun to watch,” added the coach about the special atmosphere created by the Senegal fans. “Every time there is a cool action, you want to cheer. That's normal. There is the music; the atmosphere is really cool and you can get involved in the sport really fast.”

 

But in sport, you cannot win all the time and despite the euphoria of the morning session, the afternoon session bought losses for both Senegal teams as South American opposition came through twice via shoot-outs, Uruguay in the women’s competition and Brazil in the men’s. It was a day full of different emotions.

“I spoke a lot with the players since September about their mental preparation and to explain what will happen and the feelings they will they will get,” explained NICOLAS, who admitted she had nerves before making her Olympic Games debut as coach.

“Of course, our players will have stress, but we can play with stress – you just have to manage it; keep breathing and being clear in your mind. They tried to do this and I'm happy for that today. It was a good day and my players tried to do something good and try to play. But they know they can be better than this and at the end of this week they will play much better.”

That philosophy permeates throughout the Senegal set-up, with the spirit of Cassius running throughout the squads, best explained by captain DIOP.

“I’m really happy to be here, and I only remember the victory this morning,” said the player, who is nicknamed ‘Yahoo’. “I don't want to think about the match we lost because we played really great. It's not about the result, it's about the spirit, and I can only think about good things, good vibes today. We felt like we were flying today because of the crowd.”

And on this special, historic day for Senegal beach handball, what would DIOP say to Cassius if he could tell him one thing?

“I would tell him; ‘The children you helped to grow are here now. They are ready to fight and they will always fight in your memory.’”