Kenya Olympic chief backs Senegal bid to host 2022 Youth Olympics

Nairobi : Kenya will throw its support behind Senegal in its bid to host the 2022 Summer Youth Olympic Games.

Nigeria, Botswana and Tunisia have also bid to stage the Youth Games, which are held every four years, reports Xinhua news agency.

The winner will be revealed at a session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Buenos Aires in October, where this year's Youth Olympic Games will be taking place.

Speaking in Nairobi on Saturday, Paul Tergat, President of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK), said it will be a great honour for Africa to host the prestigious competition.

"The Youth Olympics Games are important in nurturing tomorrow's sporting stars and Africa will now prove it is capable of hosting the main Olympics soon. We support Senegal," Tergat said.

The host country will be selected based on a report from the IOC Evaluation Commission, chaired by IOC Vice-President Ugur Erdener.

IOC President Thomas Bach has backed the idea of Africa hosting the next edition of the Games after Buenos Aires.

"It is time for Africa. Africa is the home of many successful and prominent Olympic athletes. Africa is a continent of youth. That is why we want to take the Youth Olympic Games 2022 to Africa and to Senegal," said Bach in a statement to media on Saturday.