Schools from Lagos were truly at home at the weekend as they dominated the swimming, athletics, and football events at the inaugural Africa School Games held at the British International School, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Sunday, October 19.
The three-day sports festival brought together young athletes from 11 schools, who competed across U-11, U-13, and U-15 categories. Beyond the medals and podium finishes, the Games highlighted the vast potential within Africa’s grassroots sports ecosystem.
Points were awarded based on medal performances, with several Lagos schools dominating the leaderboard.
Hosts British International School, Grange School, RiverBank School, Supreme Education Foundation, and St Saviour’s School all featured prominently.
St Saviours emerged overall winners in the U-11 category with 1,042 points, while Grange School topped the U-13 category with 1,168 points. In the U-15 division, British International School and Grange School were tied at the top, each scoring 909 points.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to talent discovery through strategic partnerships and inclusive scouting.
“Our technical crew is on the ground, and many school coaches are opening their doors to us through this competition,” Fatodu said.
Renowned sports content creator, Dr Kelechi Anyikude, also praised the initiative, particularly its emphasis on grassroots development.
He said: “We need to tap into our grassroots. The Africa School Games is something that will grow. I’m especially excited about the swimming events. The more talent we discover here, the better we can compete globally.”
Reflecting on the success of the event, co-founder Aderoju Ope-Ajayi expressed pride in the athletes’ performances and revealed plans to expand the competition in future editions.
“The past three days have shown us the resilience and strength of these children. We’ve seen records broken in athletics and personal bests in swimming. We’re planning to scale up. While I’m not sure if we’ll add more sports, we will definitely welcome more schools from across Africa,” she said.
