In the first MTN CHAMPS, over 7,000 athletes and 500 schools will compete for over 1,000 medals and 32 school team titles.
The Making of Champions, in collaboration with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria and the Nigeria School Sports Federation, is the organization behind the competition, which is sponsored by telecom giants MTN.
The event, which spans three age divisions—cadets (U-14), youth (U-17), and juniors (U-20)—will take place in four different cities across Nigeria: Benin City, Ibadan, Uyo, and Abuja.
Adia Showo, Chief Marketing Officer of MTN, stated at a press conference on Wednesday in Lagos that the top 10 athletes from the competition would join the MoC Academy and benefit from a structured training schedule that would help them learn the value of self-discipline, time management, and life skills.
“MTN is committed to Nigeria’s young people and what we are trying to do is power the dreams of these young people and provide them with the platform and technology that they need to take on the world.’’
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“MTN CHAMPS now joins the group of initiatives; we hope to provide our young athletes with the platform to shine as they learn life’s valuable skills: we hope that this initiative contributes to their overall well-being and success in life,” Showo said.
“I am the main beneficiary of this championship because there are no appropriate competitions for this age cadre, and MoC have just rescued us from that challenge through the MTN CHAMPS,” said Tonobok Okowa, president of the AFN, at the ceremony.
“The athletes will eagerly anticipate these events and prepare for them, since occasionally we lose kids between the ages of 15 and 18 because there aren’t enough worthwhile tournaments to keep them motivated. The AFN will provide the tournament with all the support it requires.
The creator of MoC, Bambo Akani, emphasized the advantages of hosting the MTN CHAMPS and thanked all the organizations that supported the project.
“I am pleased that MTN is now supporting our efforts to take track,” he said.
