Recap: 2026 Youth Olympic Games

Australia's Akira Chang and Daisy Xie have wrapped up their campaigns at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, gaining valuable international experience and delivering some impressive performances against the world's best emerging talent.

Competing at the Dakar Expo Centre, Chang (WA) and Xie (NSW) represented Australia across the mixed doubles and singles events, taking on some of the world's most promising young players at one of the biggest stages in junior sport.

The pair opened their campaign in the Mixed Doubles Round of 32, facing New Zealand's August Xiao and Anzhuo Han. Despite a competitive effort, the Australian duo were unable to progress, with the New Zealand pairing claiming a 3-0 victory.

Attention then turned to the singles preliminary rounds, where Chang produced a standout performance against Puerto Rico's Steven Moreno, securing an impressive 3-2 victory over the world No. 20 U19 player.

After establishing a 2-0 lead, Chang was pushed to a deciding fifth game as Moreno fought back, before the Australian held his nerve to secure a memorable victory.

Chang also faced New Zealand's August Xiao, going down 3-1 in a competitive encounter, before taking on Chinese Taipei's Chinting Lin in his final singles fixture. Despite pushing his higher-ranked opponent in two games, Chang was unable to find a way through, falling 3-0.

Xie opened with a 3-1 loss to Singapore's Ming Ying Loy before producing a determined performance against Tunisia's Ela Saidi. In a closely contested five-game encounter, Xie pushed her opponent all the way, narrowly falling 3-2.

Her final match against Republic of Korea's Yerim Heo proved another strong test, with Xie taking the opening game 11-9 before the Korean player fought back to claim a 3-1 victory.

Both athletes demonstrated resilience, determination and the ability to compete against some of the world's leading junior players.

The Youth Olympic Games marked another important milestone in the development of Australia's next generation of table tennis talent, providing Chang and Xie with invaluable experience competing internationally and representing their country on the Olympic stage.

Table Tennis at the Youth Olympic Games also saw TTA Board Member Sam Miller proudly representing Australia as an umpire.

TTA congratulates both athletes on their performances and for proudly representing Australia in Dakar.