Senegal has chosen Mame Maty Mbengue, former captain of the Lionnes and the first African woman inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame, to officially light the cauldron at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. The announcement comes as the country prepares to host the event, with the Senegalese press agency APS highlighting her contribution to the history of women's basketball in the country.
Her trajectory is now the subject of a 114-page book, Confidences d'une légende du basketball, written with sports journalist Mamadou Koumé and published by L'Harmattan-Sénégal. Former Senegalese president Abdou Diouf wrote the preface, presenting her as one of the emblematic figures of the women's national team, whose jersey and captain's armband she wore for many years.
Mbengue began playing basketball in 1983 at the age of 14. Introduced to the sport by Larry Diouf, she was then coached by André Akibodé and joined the senior national team at 16. Her honours include the 1985 African juniors title, six senior African championships in 1984, 1990, 1992, 1997, 1999 and 2000, two gold medals at the African Games in 1995 and 1999, a title at the 1997 Jeux de la Francophonie, three World Championship appearances and a place in the Senegalese squad at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Among her most memorable moments was the 1990 Afrobasket in Tunis, where she arrived in time for the semi-final after a difficult journey from the United States and scored the decisive basket in the final seconds to give Senegal a 70-68 victory on the way to the title. Mbengue, who considers Jeanne d'Arc her second family, also holds an MBA from Ohio University. She was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in September 2022.
