Colo.– Team USA athletes at the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 have elected beach volleyball athlete Caden Phillips (Gilbert, Arizona) and rugby sevens athlete Luisa Moala (Syracuse, Utah) as the Opening Ceremony flag bearers. The Dakar 2026 Opening Ceremony is set for Saturday, Oct. 31, with competition taking place through Nov. 13. Phillips and Moala will lead Team USA’s delegation made up of 29 total athletes across 12 sports, ranging in age from 13 to 18
Phillips is a rising beach volleyball talent from Arizona. He earned his spot at Dakar 2026 alongside his competition partner after a victory at the U.S. Youth Olympic Beach Trials followed by a ninth-place finish at the U18 Beach Volleyball World Championships in The Netherlands this summer. A junior at Williams Field High School, Phillips competes as half of the school’s No. 1 beach volleyball pair and has helped elevate the sport’s profile in Arizona. Off the court, he serves as junior class vice president and takes honors, Advanced Placement and dual-enrollment courses. Phillips will waste no time getting into the action at Dakar 2026, opening his Youth Olympic Games campaign with round-robin competition on the first day of the schedule.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a flag bearer for the U.S. It’s an honor to be seen as worthy of carrying our nation’s flag at the Opening Ceremony and I’m eager to get started. Being able to play at this level against some amazing athletes is truly exciting, and I feel really grateful to be here,” Phillips said.
Phillips will share flag-bearing duties with Moala, a rugby sevens athlete who will also serve as co-captain of Team USA’s women’s rugby sevens team. Moala has played rugby for just five years but has quickly risen through the ranks, competing at both the state and national levels. Rugby is a family affair for Moala, who was introduced to the sport by her father, a former rugby player, and now plays under the direction of her mother, who serves as her coach. Beyond the pitch, Moala embraces her musical talents and Polynesian heritage. She enjoys playing the ukulele, piano, guitar and saxophone, as well as participating in song and dance performances. Moala will begin her Youth Olympic Games run Nov. 1, leading Team USA into Pool B competition against Czechia, Madagascar and Spain.
“When I put on the USA jersey, I’m not just wearing it for me, but for my family, everyone who has supported me back home and girls who are growing the game of rugby across the United States. It’s an honor to represent the United States on an <a href="https://absafricatv.com/crop-trust-and-international-potato-centre-expand-potato-work-in-east-africa/” title=”Crop Trust and International Potato Centre Expand Potato Work in East Africa”>international stage and I hope to represent with pride, gratitude and humility to show other young girls that they can work toward opportunities like this too,” Moala said.
Dakar 2026 will be the fourth edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games and a historic milestone for the Olympic Movement, marking the first-ever Olympic event to be held on the African continent. The Games will welcome 2,700 of the world’s top young athletes competing across 151 events with the competition program emphasizing gender equality (72 men’s events, 72 women’s events and seven mixed-gender events).
The Youth Olympic Games will give valuable competition and multicultural experience for young Team USA athletes and Olympic hopefuls. Across all YOG rosters, 89 athletes have gone on to represent Team USA at an Olympic Games.
The full roster for the 2026 U.S. Youth Olympic Games Team can be found below:
- Archery: Aarya Arun (Baltimore, Maryland), Ye-eun Whang (San Diego, California)
- Badminton: Micah Henares Cruz (Bridgeport, New York), Rithik Rasamsetti (Norwood, North Carolina)
- Breaking: Keira Barth (Jersey City, New Jersey)
- Coastal Rowing: Allison Grove (Hamilton, Ohio), Isaac Moos (Thousand Oaks, California)
- Equestrian: Liza Tittle (Atlanta, Georgia)
- Rugby sevens: Mallory Crawford (Boise, Idaho), Sofie Ferri (Akron, Ohio), Hunivaololo Folau (West Jordan, Utah), Chloe Gandy (Portland, Washington), Rebekah Jenks (Boise, Idaho), Sophia Johnson (Orem, Utah), Lavinia Lomu (Orem, Utah), Abigail McGettigan (Downingtown, Pennsylvania), Luisa Moala (Millbrae, Utah), Eseta Moala (Millbrae, Utah), Ella Moynihan (Seattle, Washington), Avery Russer (Silverthorne, Colorado)
- Skateboarding: Julian Agliardi (Long Beach, California)
- Taekwondo: Karlee Vogel (Seymour, Indiana)
- Triathlon: Avalyn Thompson (Orlando, Florida)
- Beach Volleyball: Gavin Mortensen (Mesa, Arizona), Caden Phillips (Gilbert, Arizona)
- Beach wrestling: Aleia Apostol (Chula Vista, California), Matilda Hruby (Brighton, Colorado), Piper Fry (Jackson, Michigan)
- Wushu (martial arts): Marshall Brayton (Portland, Oregon)
Coverage and information on the Youth Olympic Games can be found on the official website forDakar 2026. For any media questions for Team USA, please contactMedia.Relations@usopc.org.
