Upcoming Youth Olympic Games

The Youth Olympic Games are an elite sporting event for young people from all over the world. An event distinct from other youth sports events, as they also integrate a unique Culture and Education Programme (CEP), based around five main themes: Olympism, Social Responsibility, Skills Development, Expression and Well-being and Healthy Lifestyles.

The Youth Olympic Games aim to bring together over 3,500 talented young athletes aged from 15 to 18 from around the world for a 12-day period, featuring a variety of sports on the summer programme, including Jumping.

Just like the Olympic Games, the Youth Olympic Games are held every four years, with the 4th Summer Youth Olympic Games to be held in Dakar, Senegal 31 October - 13 November 2026. The Motto for these Games is "Africa Welcomes, Dakar Celebrates"

Previous Australian Participants in the Youth Olympic Games have been:

- Tom McDermott in Singapore 2010 who placed 8th Individual and 2nd in Teams (for Australasia)

- Jake Hunter in Nanjing 2014 who placed 3rd Individual and 5th in Teams

- Madeline Sinderberry in Buenos Ares 2018 who placed 9th Individual and =4th in Teams

The IOC approved the qualification system for the Youth Olympic Games in March 2025 and Equestrian Australia are now working through the qualification process and producing the Selection Policy which will be available in the coming weeks.

In summary, to be eligible, an athlete will need to gain their Minimum Eligibility Requirement (MER) at specified MER events (yet to be confirmed) and then will then go through a selection process.

We look forward to providing more detail around this in the coming weeks.