Government Funding Support Youth Olympic Games & Samoa Deaf Sports Association

Coach Leaupepe Alesana Tuilagi preparing the Samoa team for the World Deaf Rugby Sevens in Japan later this month.

Apia, SAMOA -13 October 2026 – The Government has approved $184,400 in funding to support of Team Samoa’s preparations for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

The funding will go to the Samoa Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (SASNOC) to help prepare the country’s athletes for the international sporting event.

Samoa will send a 15-member team to compete in five sports at the Olympic Games, which will run from 31 October to 13 November 2026 in Dakar, Senegal, Africa.

The Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Tonga have confirmed their participation in the event.

Samoa will compete in athletics, swimming, handball, 3×3 basketball and boxing.

The 2026 event is Samoa’s fourth appearance at the Youth Olympic Games having first competed in the competition in 2010.

Cabinet has also approved a $50,000 for the Samoa Deaf Sports Association to support preparations for Samoa’s participation in the World Deaf Rugby Sevens Tournament, to be held in Japan from 30 October to 3 November 2026.

The Samoa delegation will comprise 14 players and four management staff.