Nearly 3000 athletes are set to compete in the second leg of MTN CHAMPS Season 2 from 5th to 8th April 2024, across two locations simultaneously: the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, and the University of Ibadan Sports Complex, both in Oyo State, with over 150 secondary schools set to vie for honours over four days.
The press conference to herald the event was held in Ibadan on Thursday, 4th April, and had in attendance Prof. Salihu Adelabu, the Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology; Hon. Wasilat Adegoke, the Oyo State Commissioner for Youth and Sports; Idowu Adesokan, GM Segment and Devices, MTN, Temitope Akarah, Regional Implementation Manager MoMo PSB, and Mr Akin Osun Sunday, State Co-ordinator, Nigeria School Sports Federation (NSSF).
Others present at the event were the Permanent Adviser, NSSF, HRM Oba Dairo Jacob Olutayo, Fadairo 1, the Olasole of Lasole Kingdom; Bambo Akani, Founder, Making of Champions (MoC); Mrs Bisi Adegoke, Director of Sports Administration, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Oyo State; Deji Aliu, Olympic medallist and MTN CHAMPS Meet Director, and Enoch Adegoke, MTN CHAMPS Ambassador and former 100m National Champion.
In his welcome address, Prof. Adelabu applauded the decision for MTN CHAMPS to make a return to the ancient city, having hosted the third leg of the competition in Season 1.
He said: “I appreciate MTN CHAMPS because they want to catch these athletes young and for them to do that, they need to partner with the ministry. This is the second time the competition is coming to Ibadan and I want to assure you that this is the right decision because there are a lot of talent here. We don’t joke with extra-curricular activities in Oyo State, so sporting activities have been incorporated into the school time table. The major ingredient that can foster development, unity and love is nothing else but sports, and that is why we support this initiative.”
In her address, Hon. Adegoke commended the organisers for partnering with the Ministry of Sports and other key stakeholders in ensuring that MTN leaves a befitting legacy through CHAMPS which she described as an intervention programme for the youth of Oyo State.
Representing NSSF President Olabisi Joseph, HRM Olutayo said: “The NSSF is in charge of school sports, and not only that; we participated in Season 1 of MTN CHAMPS, and we’re here for Season 2. The NSSF appreciates the efforts of MTN in sponsoring this grand programme, and we pray for the sustainability of the competition. While appreciating all other stakeholders, we promise to continue to foster the relationship between the NSSF and MTN CHAMPS, as well as other stakeholders involved in this initiative.”
Adesokan highlighted the importance of MTN providing a platform for young talents to be discovered, which would in turn go a long way in reviving Track and Field in Nigeria.
He said, “We all know that sports has a lot to do with the economic sector and is one of the major drivers of our togetherness as a nation. In sports, we don’t know ethnicity, religion and tribe; it’s one Nigeria, so this is a very important sector. We know that Football is the biggest sport in Nigeria but over the years, Athletics has taken its own fair share and we’ve seen our athletes make us proud. For instance, Nigeria finished second overall at the recently-concluded African Games in Accra, and the performance of our athletes brought us back the good old days when Nigeria was at the forefront. I’m proud to say that MTN is here to stay in Athletics.”
Whilst giving his speech, MoC Founder Akani re-iterated the vast potential Nigeria has to dominate Track and Field globally, and appreciated MTN for keying into the vision to raise future champions for Nigeria, whilst also commending the leadership of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the NSSF for their support in ensuring a successful staging of MTN CHAMPS.
“It has been an 11-year-old journey and we are very grateful for MTN’s support for this initiative. Last year, we had about 2000 athletes register for MTN CHAMPS Ibadan and this time around, we’ve had about 2600 registrants. Ibadan is the location that every other location needs to live up to, and this is a testament to Oyo State’s investment in sports, especially by providing two great facilities for us to use”, he said.
He added: “MTN CHAMPS Ibadan is happening across two locations, and we will be making use of electronic timing devices at both venues; this is the first time this is happening in the history of Nigeria, and we are using this event to launch the concept of the Continental Relays. Nigeria is like the nexus of sprinting in Africa and have won eight of the 10 relay medals Africa has won at the Olympics. The Continental Relays as an event has come to stay. We are going to make Nigeria the relay capital of Africa.”
