L-R: Deji Aliu, Olympic athlete and coach; Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria; Lekan Fatodu, Director General, Lagos State Sports Commission; Mercy Ogbonna, MTN Champs Athlete; and Magaji Benjamin, MTN Champs Athlete at the press briefing for the MTN Champs Lagos Continental Relays at the MTN Plaza, Ikoyi on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
The third season of MTN Champs continues with the Continental Relays scheduled to take place in Lagos from April 9 to April 12.
Events will be held at the Yabatech and UNILAG sports complexes. This follows the successful Benin Classics held from March 13 to 15.
A total of 2,505 athletes have registered for the Lagos Continental Relays, with 6,298 event entries from 155 secondary schools, with 1,598 male athletes and 907 female athletes.
The senior category will also include international athletes from the Republic of Benin, Togo, and Côte d’Ivoire.
Athletes will compete in a range of track and field events, including the 100m, 200m, 400m, relays, high jump, and long jump, in four age categories: Cadet (U-14), Youth (U-17), Junior (U-20), and Senior.
Speaking at a press briefing on April 8, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Marketing Officer, Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka, said. “MTN Champs is a platform that continues to grow, transform and inspire the future of athletes and athletics in Nigeria.
At MTN, we remain committed to supporting the dreams and aspirations of Nigeria, not only through innovative products, but involvement in socially impactful initiatives especially in football and athletics,” she said.
MTN Champs was launched in 2023 to discover and develop young athletic talent across Nigeria. Twenty athletes identified as Most Valuable Players (MVPs) through the program are currently enrolled in a Lagos-based academy on a one-year scholarship.
Deji Ogeyinbo, Country Manager at Making of Champions (MoC), MTN’s technical partner, highlighted the initiative’s impact. “MTN Champs was born out of a need to create structured training camps for athletes. We have been able to go to the remote villages in Nigeria, to discover exceptional athletes that otherwise would not have had the opportunity to showcase their talents,” he said.
The Lagos Continental Relays are supported by the Lagos State Government, the Nigeria School Sports Federation (NSSF), and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).
Lekan Fatodu, Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, reiterated the state government’s support for the MTN Champs initiative.
“There is no better way to describe this event than saying that it is exceptional and inspirational. This is a motivation for us as the government,” he said.
Fatodu also outlined plans to reform sports infrastructure in the state, including upgrades to the Teslim Balogun Stadium, to support broader sports development in Nigeria.
The grand finale of MTN Champs Season 3 will be held in Uyo from April 30 to May 3 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium. MTN Champs aims to invest in the future of Nigerian youth through mentorship, development programs, and scholarships, identifying talent at the grassroots and supporting the emergence of Nigeria’s next generation of sporting champions.
