MTN Nigeria on Wednesday launched Season 4 of MTN CHAMPS in Lagos, outlining a three-year plan aimed at preparing young athletes for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
The company also announced a three-year extension of its partnership with Making of Champions (MoC), covering Seasons 4, 5 and 6 through the 2028 Olympic cycle.
At the launch held at the MTN Rooftop, 10 athletes discovered during Season 3 were unveiled as recipients of “Golden Tickets” into the MoC Athletics Academy.
They are Victory Aganya, Emmanuel Akolo, Michael Aniche, Rebecca Enilolobo, Chidimma Esomonu, Abdulfatah Oduwole, Nneoma Okonkwo, Mighty Otunola, Destiny Reuben and Kehinde Seriki.
Their induction brings the academy’s total number of athletes to 30, including 20 recruited in previous seasons.
Speaking at the event, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Technical Officer, Yahaya Ibrahim, said the programme aligns with national sports objectives.
“With Season 4 of MTN CHAMPS, one of our primary objectives is to align with the national sports agenda to ensure that the talent we discover today is standing on the podium at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games,” he said.
Season 4 will begin this month to align with the inter-house sports calendar in secondary schools. The competition will feature three regional qualifiers before a grand finale.
According to the schedule, the MTN CHAMPS Athletics Classics will hold in Calabar from March 5 to 7.
The Continental Relays will take place in Jos from March 26 to 28, while the Grand Finale is scheduled for Ibadan from April 15 to 18.
MoC said the Calabar and Jos meets could support Nigeria’s preparations for the 2026 World Relays, with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria considering the events as part of qualification planning.
President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Tonobok Okowa, said the federation would continue to provide technical support.
“I have had the opportunity to attend some of the editions of MTN CHAMPS, and the organisers have been doing very well. We look forward to the role MTN CHAMPS will continue to play over the next three years in preparing our athletes for competitions on the continental and global stage,” he said.
Since its launch in 2023, MTN CHAMPS has recorded over 22,000 athlete entries from more than 1,300 schools across eight cities.
The Nigeria School Sports Federation also welcomed the new season.
Its president, Olabisi Joseph, commended MTN Nigeria and MoC for their commitment to athletics development at the school level.
She said the initiative has provided a platform for talent identification, particularly in the Under-14 and Under-17 categories and noted that athletes discovered through the competition recently represented Nigeria at the First Africa School Games in Algeria.
Joseph urged coaches, teachers, parents and state coordinators to mobilise more students to participate and called on other corporate organisations to support school sports development.
