One of the oldest cities in Nigeria, Benin and Edo State capital, is set to launch Season 3 of the country’s premier schools’ athletics championships, MTN CHAMPS. MTN has reaffirmed its commitment as the Title Sponsor for the 2025 season.
The inaugural edition, held from October to November 2023 across Benin, Uyo, Ibadan, and Abuja, saw over 7,000 athletes from nearly 500 schools competing in three age categories: Cadet (U-14), Youth (U-17), and Junior (U-20).
Season 2 expanded the competition, introducing a fourth age category, the Senior level (no age restrictions), to include adults in school, university, clubs, states, national, or unattached athletes. This provided a platform for Olympic qualification for elite athletes aiming for the Paris 2024 Games. The first leg in Asaba served as the National Trials for the African Games in Accra, Ghana, with subsequent events in Ibadan, Jos, and Calabar for the Grand Final.
Season 3 will be hosted in three cities: Benin (March 13th to 15th), Lagos (April 9th to 12th), and the Grand Final in Uyo (April 30th to May 3rd). For the first time, competitions before the Grand Final will be held at two simultaneous locations. In Benin, the MTN CHAMPS Athletics Classics will take place at both the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium and UNIBEN Sports Complex. In Lagos, the MTN CHAMPS Continental Relays will be held at the Yaba Tech Sports Complex and UNILAG Sports Complex. The Grand Final will be hosted at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
MoC is partnering once again with the Nigeria School Sport Federation (NSSF) as the Official Schools’ Partner to ensure widespread access and participation of schools and their students across the host cities. The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) will continue as the official Technical Partner to ensure all races are electronically timed and results ratified for global recognition by World Athletics.
The Roster Athletics app, used in Seasons 1 and 2 to generate athlete results and school/team scoring, will be deployed again for Season 3 to decide the titles in each city.
The ultimate goal of MTN CHAMPS is to reignite grassroots athletics talent searches across Nigeria, discovering athletes who will be trained and developed to deliver global medals and become future sporting legends for the nation.
Winners from Season 3 will have the opportunity to join the MoC Athletics Academy in Lagos, with MTN as the lead sponsor, enabling the best talents to earn college scholarships at home and abroad, and potentially represent Nigeria in future global competitions.
MTN CHAMPS Season 3 is expected to attract 7,000 athletes from 500 schools and teams. Online registration is now open across all three locations at mtnchamps.com.