The inaugural class of 20 athletes from Seasons 1 and 2 of MTN CHAMPS, selected to join the Making of Champions (MoC) Athletics Academy in Lagos, sponsored by MTN, has been unveiled.
The athletes, comprising five female sprinters, three female quarter-milers, seven male sprinters, and five male quarter-milers, were announced at a special unveiling ceremony and press conference held at the MTN Headquarters in Ikoyi, Lagos, on August 21, 2024.
These athletes, known as Team MTN, will be part of the Academy for an initial period of one year, with their stay subject to review based on their performance.
During the unveiling, MTN’s General Manager of Brand and Communication, Emamoke Ogoro, explained the motivation behind creating the MTN CHAMPS platform.
“We started MTN CHAMPS to foster Nigerian and African pride. At the last Olympics, the spotlight was on American and Jamaican athletes; we want to change that narrative. We want Nigeria to dominate the world stage. When Bambo presented the plan last year, I was thrilled because it reminded me of the Mobil Athletics National Trials in the ’90s. We want to be part of these athletes’ journeys so that when they reach the Olympics, we can proudly say they are products of MTN CHAMPS. To the athletes, keep training hard, and you will become future Nigerian Olympic Champions,” she said.
MTN CEO Karl Toriola expressed his excitement at the unveiling. “It’s a tremendous honour to welcome you all today to celebrate excellence and our investment in Nigeria’s future. This marks the beginning of a thrilling and inspiring new chapter in the history of MTN CHAMPS, and we hope to see some GOLD medals by the next Olympics. We launched MTN CHAMPS with a vision to discover and develop raw talent, giving young athletes across Nigeria a platform to showcase their abilities and inspire a generation. More importantly, we aim to contribute to the development of future Olympians,” he said.
“Today, as we induct the MVPs into the MoC Athletics Academy powered by MTN, we are filled with pride. The Academy is more than a training ground; it’s a platform where talent is recognized and honed, dreams are nurtured, and passion translates into performance, shaping the future of Nigeria’s athletics. We are here to honour 20 MVPs, athletes who embody the spirit of determination, sportsmanship, and excellence that MTN CHAMPS stands for,” Toriola added.
Making of Champions (MoC) Founder, Bambo Akani, praised MTN for providing a crucial platform to identify athletes who will soon become world beaters, as well as the competition’s partners, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigeria School Sports Federation (NSSF).
“The unveiling of these 20 athletes is the culmination of the most extensive nationwide talent search Nigeria has ever seen, with 15,000 athletes from 900 schools and teams screened nationwide. We’ve chosen the 20 best athletes to begin training for the 2028 Olympics. We extend our gratitude to MTN for the incredible platform that MTN CHAMPS has created for athletes across Nigeria. This is a contribution of national importance, greatly aiding our goal of Nigerian athletes winning up to 10 medals at the LA 2028 Olympics,” he said.