October 05, (THEWILL) – The first edition of the Schools’ Athletics Championships, now renamed MTN CHAMPS, is set to commence on Thursday, across four locations in Nigeria. Over 7,000 student-athletes from more than 500 schools will battle for over 1,000 medals and 32 school team titles at the meets in Benin, Uyo, Ibadan and Abuja.
The competition was unveiled on Wednesday, at a press conference in Lagos. Telecoms giant MTN was announced as the title sponsor, partnering with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigeria School Sport Federation (NSSF). Officials from MTN and the AFN highlighted the championship’s role in developing grassroots athletics and unearthing future talents.
MTN CHAMPS will feature cadet (U-14), youth (U-17) and junior (U-20) categories. Team titles and trophies will be awarded to the top boys’ and girls’ schools in each age group across the four meet locations, with 32 team titles up for grabs in total. The Roster app will be used to manage all aspects of the competition, including registration, results and scoring.
The competition format is modelled after the acclaimed Jamaican High School Championships, with the goal of becoming Nigeria’s premier platform for identifying and nurturing promising young athletes. The top 10 discovered athletes will earn spots at the Making of Champions Academy to support their development.
MTN CHAMPS marks a significant milestone in Nigerian school sports and athletics history. Stakeholders expressed confidence that the championship will unearth talents and foster the next generation of national team stars. The competition runs from October 12-22.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
