The stage is set for an epic showdown as 2,300 athletes battle for honours at the Grand Final of the highly-anticipated MTN CHAMPS Season 2. The event will be held from 30th April to 3rd May, 2024, at the U.J Esuene Stadium in Calabar, Cross River State.
At the press conference held on Monday, April 30, to herald the kick off of the event, Commissioner for Sports Development in Cross River, Agnes Atsu lauded the organizers of MTN CHAMPS for choosing Calabar as the host of the Season 2 Grand Final.
Director of Administration, Ministry of Education, Cross River State, Augustine Odey, who represented the Commissioner for Education, Senator Stephen Odey reiterated the state’s support for the MTN CHAMPS Grand Final.
However, Adia Sowho, MTN’s Chief Marketing Officer, celebrated the progress of MTN CHAMPS, highlighting the remarkable growth of the competition since inception. “We’ve come a long way since the inception of MTN Athletics Championships. Season 1 was extraordinary. We were in four locations (Benin, Uyo, Ibadan, and Abuja), where 7000 Athletes from 375 schools registered and participated, showing their power, grit and unwavering determination to win. It was a beautiful discovery of raw talent and the amazing potential of Nigeria’s youths. Season 2 has already surpassed Season 1 in many ways. Over 8,000 people registered, and 2300 athletes registered for the Grand Finale,” she said.
Making of Champions (MoC) Founder Bambo Akani recounted the circumstances that led to the birth of MTN CHAMPS.
“I went to Jamaica 11 years ago now, I saw their Champs and I realized this was something that had to happen in Nigeria. Now, about just 6 months in, we are at the culmination of Season 2: eight events in seven different cities. We had 375 schools in Season 1, we’ve now exceeded that In Season 2 – over 400 schools. We’ve exceeded the 7000 registered athletes in Season 1, now 8000. I think the Grand Final in Calabar is a huge feat. We have 2300 Athletes registered for Calabar”.
He added: “First of all, at the Grand Final, we are bringing 70 Team MVP Athletes, which is unprecedented. In Season 1, we had 43. We increased that number to 70, so that we can find the best talent all over the country. Some of them are in this room already, very excited to compete. Some of them are flying in from Abuja and Lagos today, having that opportunity to travel the country to compete against the best of the best that we are discovering all over the country. So once again, I’d like to say a big thank you to MTN for making that possible.
“The 70 Team MVP athletes and the 2300 other Athletes who will be in Calabar this week will all be fighting for a place at the MoC Athletics Academy. MTN has been so gracious enough to sponsor 12 athletes from Season 1, and another 12 from Season 2, and we are already calling that team ‘Team MTN’. We’re going to really enjoy seeing the Athletes here progress to the Academy, and see their lives change. I think we have unlocked something very special in Nigeria, and I have no doubt that there will be many athletes discovered here that will represent Nigeria in the 2028 Olympics in the next four years,” he added.
NSSF’s Vice-President, Emmanuel Ebong, pledged the federation’s continued support for future MTN Champs events.