Over 5000 athletes from schools across the country are expected to participate in the fourth edition of the MTN Champs, a sports competition aimed at discovering talented youngsters from the grassroots.
 The organisers made the announcement in Lagos during the week, saying that for the third season, over 2,000 promising young athletes from across Nigeria competed in the grand finale that held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
 At the unveiling of the third edition, MTN reaffirmed its long-term commitment to
Nigeria’s grassroots athletics ecosystem by signing a three-year extension with Making of Champions (MoC) for the continued sponsorship of the programme through to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
 The Season 4 tournament is scheduled to begin this month to coincide with the traditional inter-house sports window in secondary
schools.
 According to the organisers, the season will feature three regional qualifiers across the South, North, and West zones, culminating in a grand finale.
 While confirming the sponsorship, MTN’s Chief Technical Officer, Yaya Ibrahim, said the landmark multi-year agreement confirms that MTN CHAMPS Seasons 4, 5 and 6 are now secured through 2028.
 He said that the sponsorship will provide athletes nationwide across all age groups, from Cadet and Youth to Junior and Senior, with a structured three-year runway to support long-term preparation towards the 2028 Olympic Games, the 2026 and 2028 World U-20 Championships, and other continental and global competitions.
 The highlight of the event was the unveiling of 10 newly discovered athletes who received Golden Tickets to join MoC Athletics Academy.
 The induction of these 10 MVPs scouted during the intense trials of Season 3, according to the MOC, brings the academy’s total roster to a record 30 elite athletes.
 While previous seasons focused heavily on talent discovery across Nigeria, then MOC said that Season 4 marks a strategic transition toward talent development.
 This initiative, it said, is specifically engineered to ensure that the young athletes, Odunola Aderemi, Chidinma Esemonu, Destiny Reuben, Emmanuel Akolo, Kehinde Seriki, Michael Aniche, Mighty Okunola, Nneoma Okonkwo,
Rebecca Enilolobo, and Victory, are not just participants, but podium contenders at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
 Yahaya said: “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.
 “Nigeria has the raw potential and MTN is proud to provide the structured pathway to turn that potential into global excellence.”
 Among the dignitaries at the event was former African sprint record holder and Olympics medallist, Mary Onyali-Omagbemi, who said:
“We need more sponsors; MTN and MOC alone cannot get this done. After discovery, we must think of how to help them in the area of scholarship, mentorship and getting them to the podium.”
She described MTN Champs as “a growth in progress; they are about to take this to the next level. The next three years will be focused on
getting the talent to participate in 2028 Olympics.
 “If just one of the talents can get to the podium in the Olympics, I think that light switch of corporate entities partnering with the Federal Government to discover young talents will be met.”

On the current gale of athletes’ defecting to other countries after being discovered by Nigeria, she said: “Discovering athletes is one, nurturing them is another and taking them to world stage is where the matter lies. Nobody can do anything in regard to athletes’
defection.

“Nigeria is not the only country losing athletes; it’s a matter of interest. Other nations approached me when I was competing but I refused to leave my country. The treatment
could be better and that’s why the elite podium board was created by the National Sports Commission (NSC) and we are trying to correct the abnormalities in athletes’ welfare and
others that give birth to athlete’s defection.”

Also speaking on the programme, president,Nigeria School Sports Federation, Olabisi Joseph, said: “I do say that impact cannot be measured by having a one-off event. MTN has
impacted sports in schools, running for four editions.