…as 3,250 athletes feature in 2026 Season 4 MTN Champs in Ibadan
MTN has reaffirmed its commitment to youth and sports development in the country, just as about 3,250 athletes from over 250 secondary schools and 325 athletic clubs set to compete in the Ibadan leg of the 2026 Season 4 MTN Champs,
MTN Nigeria, in partnership with Making of Champions (MoC), launched MTN CHAMPS with the primary goal of reviving grassroots athletics across Nigeria to discover, train, and develop young talent into world-class athletes, future Olympians, and global sporting legends.
MTN Champs Season 4 is Nigeria’s premier schools’ athletics competition, running from March to April 2026, featuring three legs (Calabar, Jos, and Ibadan) and designed to discover and train young athletes for the 2028 Olympic Games.
The Ibadan event which is the largest season yet would feature Junior (U20), Youth (U17), and Cadet (U14) categories.
Idowu Adesokun, MTN General. Manager, Consumer Segment and Devices while addressing the press in Ibadan on Monday, said since its launch in 2023, the programme.had grown into a significant nationwide competition, involving thousands of athletes and featuring four age categories—Cadet, Youth, Junior, and Senior—making it a comprehensive talent search program.
According to him, the launch of the MTN Champs is a clear, deliberate vision by MTN to discover, Nurture and develop young athletes across the country.
He said that 30 most valuable talented athletes had been discovered and selected, adding that they had been enrolled in special academy.
While describing it as a grassroots programme, he noted that it was geared towards encouraging young ones to take athletics as a sports career.
For the first time this season, we also introduced a N20 million regional grant to schools—an initiative designed to drive grassroots sports development, boost participation, and reward outstanding institutional performance.
Beyond sports, Adesokan said the initiative aims to keep young people positively engaged, offering mentorship, potential academic scholarships at home or abroad, and opportunities to represent Nigeria.
Bambo Akanni, Founder and CEO of Making of Champions (MoC) , in his address, said that the young champions were qualified for the competition in line with Olympic standards.
While saying that 20 athletes were sponsored including their education, he stated that “as a nation, we should be thinking of sponsoring about 100 to 200 athletes”,.
The 20 young athletes who emerged from the Calabar and Jos editions of the MTN Champs were transported to Ibadan where they will compete at Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan and the University of Ibadan Sports Complex.
Wasilat Adegoke, Oyo State Commissioner for Sports commended MTN for the initiative, saying that “Oyo state will continue to provide enabling environment for the athletes and their coaches to enjoy, as well assured them of adequate security during their week-long stay.”
Mary Onyali-Omagbemi, a Nigerian former sprinter and 5x Olympian 1988 – 2004, who won the bronze medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 1992 Olympic Games and in the 200 m at the 1996 Olympic Games, as well as, the 1994 Commonwealth Games 100 metres title commended MTN for the promotion of the young athletes.
The telecommunications company, she said “has given this country a future for our teeming youths.
According to her, they are tue investment of today that we will reap their fruits in the future. Kudos to the MTN for deeming it fit to train our youths. I am glad to give the MTN another name: ‘A One Stop Shop’. Medically, these youths are covered; they have solid mentorship and nutrition. Our Media should promote them too.
In attendance at the press briefing were, Oba Jacob Dario Olutayo, Tunde Ajibola (Acting GM Oyo state Sports Council), Enoch Adegoke, and many others.