Forrester Christopher Osei, Ghanaian Olympic weightlifter, has been named among 31 elite athletes selected as Athlete Role Models for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The selection forms part of preparations for the Youth Olympic Games, scheduled to be held from 31 October to 13 November 2026 in Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly, marking the first Olympic event to be hosted in Africa.
Osei, who is Ghana's Commonwealth Games gold medallist, would join a list of Olympic champions, medallists and accomplished stars drawn from 25 competition sports and 10 engagement disciplines.
He has competed at World Weightlifting Championships across multiple editions and consistently ranked among Africa’s leading weightlifters. He holds a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering.
He is the International Relations Manager for the Ghana Weightlifting Federation, member and Vice-Chair of the International Weightlifting Federation Athletes’ Commission and an advocate for clean sport, athlete education and governance reform.
According to the IOC, other notable athletes selected for the include Clarisse Agbegnenou (France, judo), Stéphane Badji (Senegal, football), Christopher Bak (USA, rowing), Asunción Batista (Spain, beach handball), Rémy Bedu (France, golf), Yves Bourhis (Senegal, canoe slalom), Jean-Pierre Bourhis (Senegal, canoe slalom), Darcy Bourne (Great Britain, hockey), Douglas Brose (Brazil, karate), Sheila Chajira (Kenya, rugby sevens), Doaa Elghobashy (Egypt, beach volleyball), and Jomana Elsaiy (Egypt, shooting).
Other are Ruth Gbagbi (Cote D'Ivoire, taekwondo), Sonja Greinacher (Germany, basketball 3×3), Zohra Nora Kehli (Algeria, fencing), Khadija Krimi (Tunisia, rowing), Xiaoxiao Lai (China, wushu), Rayssa Leal (Brazil, skateboarding), Vincent Luis (France, triathlon), Jamila Lunkuse (Uganda, swimming), Dina Meshref (Egypt, table tennis), Halimah Nakaayi (Uganda, athletics) and Kaylia Nemour (Algeria, artistic gymnastics).
The rest are Blessing Oborududu (Nigeria, wrestling), Ayako Rokkaku (Japan, baseball5, baseball/softball), Edmond Sanka (Senegal, canoe sprint, Para canoe), Combe Seck (Senegal, canoe sprint), Richard Torrez Jr. (USA, boxing), Maja Włoszczowska (Poland, cycling), and Siwei Zheng (China, badminton).
Kaveh Mehrabini, IOC Athletes' Department Director, explained that the Athlete Role Models would mentor young competitors, provide guidance during training sessions, and lead workshops on topics such as career development, injury prevention, and mental preparation.
“Like many in our society, young athletes naturally look up to Olympians for guidance and inspiration. They represent the very best of Olympism and will help shape the experience of the young athletes competing in Senegal,” he noted.
---GNA
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