diff --git a/modules/tracking/CMakeLists.txt b/modules/tracking/CMakeLists.txt
index 9a8717458..35a913616 100644
--- a/modules/tracking/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/modules/tracking/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
 set(the_description "Tracking API")
-ocv_define_module(tracking opencv_imgproc opencv_core opencv_video opencv_highgui opencv_datasets WRAP python)
+ocv_define_module(tracking opencv_imgproc opencv_core opencv_video opencv_highgui OPTIONAL opencv_datasets WRAP python)
diff --git a/modules/tracking/samples/multiTracker_dataset.cpp b/modules/tracking/samples/multiTracker_dataset.cpp
index ce4c70551..2826b199c 100644
--- a/modules/tracking/samples/multiTracker_dataset.cpp
+++ b/modules/tracking/samples/multiTracker_dataset.cpp
@@ -39,6 +39,10 @@
 //
 //M*/
 
+#include "opencv2/opencv_modules.hpp"
+#include "opencv2/core.hpp"
+#ifdef HAVE_OPENCV_DATASETS
+
 #include "opencv2/datasets/track_vot.hpp"
 #include <opencv2/core/utility.hpp>
 #include <opencv2/tracking.hpp>
@@ -227,4 +231,11 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 	waitKey(0);
 
 	return 0;
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
+
+#else // ! HAVE_OPENCV_DATASETS
+int main() {
+	CV_Error(cv::Error::StsNotImplemented , "this sample needs to be built with opencv_datasets !");
+	return -1;
+}
+#endif // HAVE_OPENCV_DATASETS
diff --git a/modules/tracking/samples/tracker_dataset.cpp b/modules/tracking/samples/tracker_dataset.cpp
index 489469fea..8b7832aa3 100644
--- a/modules/tracking/samples/tracker_dataset.cpp
+++ b/modules/tracking/samples/tracker_dataset.cpp
@@ -39,6 +39,14 @@
 //
 //M*/
 
+
+//
+//  !!! this sample requires the opencv_datasets module !!!
+//
+
+#include "opencv2/opencv_modules.hpp"
+#ifdef HAVE_OPENCV_DATASETS
+
 #include "opencv2/datasets/track_vot.hpp"
 #include <opencv2/core/utility.hpp>
 #include <opencv2/tracking.hpp>
@@ -221,4 +229,13 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 	waitKey(0);
 
 	return 0;
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
+
+
+
+#else // ! HAVE_OPENCV_DATASETS
+int main() {
+	CV_Error(cv::Error::StsNotImplemented , "this sample needs to be built with opencv_datasets !");
+	return -1;
+}
+#endif // HAVE_OPENCV_DATASETS