By Oluseye Ojo
Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, is currently abuzz with excitement as 2,600 athletes from across Nigeria storm the city for the highly anticipated Season Two of the MTN Champions Athletic Competition, known as MTN Champs Season 2.
The event, which is set to last for four days, will kick off on Friday, April 5, 2024.
General Manager, Segments and Devices at MTN Nigeria, Mr. Idowu Adesokan, and founder of Making of Champions (MoC), Mr. Bambo Akani, at a press conference held in Ibadan on Thursday, to herald the competition, announced that the track and field events would take place simultaneously at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex and University of Ibadan Sports Complex.
A total of 96 games will be played, with the ultimate goal of making Nigeria the headquarters of athletics, especially relays in Africa. The grand finale of the competition will hold at Lekan Salami Stadium on Monday.
They stated that of the 2,600 athletes participating, 1,600 are drawn from secondary schools, adding that the MTN Champs is known as Nigeria’s premier schools’ athletics championships and is now in its second season.
Adesokan stated that the MTN Champs, which is regarded as Nigeria’s premier Schools’ Athletics Championships, would continue its second season in Ibadan, following a successful kickoff in Asaba.
He described the MTN Champs as an initiative by MTN Nigeria, and a dynamic platform that nurtures the competitive spirit of young athletes across four distinct age categories: Cadet (U14), Youth (U17), Junior (U20), and the newly introduced Senior (no age limit).
Akani also expressed his enthusiasm for Ibadan as the repeat host of the competition, noting that it is a “wonderful host” and that the facilities at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex are excellent.”
He added that the MTN Champs has received overwhelming support from various organisations, including the Nigerian School Sports Federation, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, and the Oyo State Government.
“MTN Champs has come to stay and we shall come ro Ibadan many times. Ibadan has been a wonderful host. The Lekan Salami Sports has excellent facilities.This competition is geared towards nation building. This is a competition, where 2,600 athletes from Nigeria will participate. As in the past, champions from this competition will go on to do Nigeria proud at national, subcontinental, continental, and international competitions,” he said.
The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology in Oyo State, Prof Salihu Adelabu, and the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Wasilat Adegoke, both commended the MTN Nigeria for sponsoring the competition.
They were optimistic that it would uncover and nurture talents in track and field competitions, especially in the state. The commissioners also called on other corporate organisations to partner with the government by offering their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) via sports.
The Tokyo Olympics 100m finalist, and the 2019 African U20 100m champion, Enoch Adegoke, who was present at the press conference, noted that Nigeria is really talented in the area of sports, but needs to nurture the talents for productive ventures.
Former Nigeria international athlete and now Athletics coach, Deji Aliu, also expressed optimism about the glorious future of Nigeria in supporting events.