Jaya Kalsi Heads to Dakar for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games

Jaya Kalsi has joined Team GB’s cohort for the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games, which takes place from 31st October – 13th November in Senegal.

The Cleary’s boxer will compete alongside peers, Lily Bassett and Michael Maughan, as the trio look to make their mark on the prestigious international stage.

The Warwick-based athlete will compete in the 54kg weight category and is raring to go ahead of what promises to be a memorable experience.

Speaking about the appointment, Kalsi said: “I’m over the moon; it’s a dream come true to be representing GB and it’s a massive achievement.

I found out the day before my birthday and I literally couldn’t believe it. The opportunity is so big and I’m over the moon. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. What a present for my birthday!

My aim is to get Youth Olympic gold out there, I’ve seen the medal (design) and it looks really good. In the future, I’d like to go to the Olympics in 2028 or 2032 too.

Preparation has gone really well to be honest, I’ve been training for the World Championships and then I found out about Dakar, so now I’ve been training so hard for this – I want it so bad.”