No less than 148 secondary schools and groups are set to contend as the 2026 edition of the MTN Champs sports competition begins in Jos, with organisers projecting a highly competitive trip among young professional athletes from throughout the nation.
The three-day championship, holding at the New Jos Area Stadium, is the third leg of this year’s nationwide series and types part of MTN Nigeria’s broader grassroots sports advancement initiative focused on determining and nurturing emerging talents in athletics.
Speaking at a media instruction ahead of the event, MTN’s Chief Internal Audit and Forensic Providers Officer, Ibe Etea, said the telecoms firm remains dedicated to buying youth development through structured sporting platforms.
He noted that the Jos meet builds on the momentum tape-recorded in earlier legs of the competition, which were effectively held in Lagos and Calabar, with the grand finale arranged for Ibadan.
According to him, approximately 1,300 student-athletes will compete in 94 track and field events spanning four age categories, reflecting the competitors’s broadening reach and growing credibility within Nigeria’s sports calendar.
He included that organisers have examined the reward structure to further encourage getting involved schools, with the general winning group expected to get 2 million, while the 2nd- and third-placed schools will make 1.5 million and 1 million respectively. The fourth-placed group will receive 500,000.
The MTN Champs, released in 2022 in partnership with Making from Champions, has rapidly developed into one of Nigeria’s most popular independently financed school sports competitions. Created as a skill discovery and advancement pipeline, the programme offers student-athletes with access to structured competition, professional training exposure, and pathways into elite athletics.
Read also:
MTN MoMo TechSpark Graduate Program 2026
2026 University of Melbourne Graduate Research Study Scholarship
Since its inception, the effort has drawn in participation from more than 20,000 athletes representing over 1,500 schools across the country. Organisers divulged that at least 30 standout professional athletes have progressed into the MTN Champs Sports Academy, where they get sophisticated training and mentorship.
Individuals from the programme have actually currently started to make an impact on the nationwide phase. According to organisers, athletes found through the competitors have collectively secured over a lots medals in domestic competitors and have actually included in worldwide events, consisting of representing Nigeria in relay competitions such as the males’s 4 × 400 metres.
Likewise speaking, Handling Editor at Making of Champions, Yemi Galadima, emphasised the value of the competition in reinforcing grassroots athletics in Nigeria.
She explained that the structure of the MTN Champs, particularly its addition of multiple age categories has helped bridge a longstanding space in youth sports development in the nation.
Galadima kept in mind that, unlike previous systems where young professional athletes had actually limited chances to complete regularly, the MTN Champs now offers a recurring and standardised platform that lines up more closely with worldwide development models.
“This competition has ended up being an important path for young professional athletes. It allows them to complete regularly, gain exposure, and measure their development throughout different age levels, which was previously lacking in Nigeria,” she stated.
Officials of the Sports Federation of Nigeria have also recognised the event as an important component within the domestic athletics calendar, mentioning its function in skill recognition and early-stage athlete development.
Plateau State authorities have promised complete support for the hosting of the occasion. The Commissioner for Sports, Musa Ashoms, stated the state federal government is devoted to supplying a making it possible for environment for the effective staging of the competitors.
He explained the champion as an opportunity to display Plateau’s sporting capacity while contributing to youth engagement and advancement.
Likewise, the Commissioner for Education, Kachollom Gang, said the effort lines up with efforts to promote holistic advancement amongst trainees by combining academic pursuits with sporting quality.
She noted that school-based competitions such as MTN Champs play a crucial role in instilling discipline, team effort, and aspiration amongst young people.
In his remarks, the Director of the Plateau State Sports Council, Ezra Gunen, commended MTN for sustaining the programme throughout the years and advised getting involved professional athletes to prioritise their education along with sports.
He cautioned that while sports can offer substantial opportunities, long-lasting success requires a balance between sporting aspiration and academic development.
The MTN Champs has, over its four editions, evolved beyond a standard school competition into a structured community for skill discovery. Its organisers have regularly highlighted the significance of early exposure, data-driven efficiency tracking, and access to expert training as crucial aspects in producing first-rate athletes.
With the Jos leg now underway, attention will shift to the total standings, where schools will compete not just for medals however also for the substantial financial rewards connected to team performance.
The competition is anticipated to conclude on March 28, after which top-performing professional athletes and schools will advance to the final stage in Ibadan, where the champs of the 2026 MTN Champs season will be crowned.
As the occasion unfolds, stakeholders state its continued expansion signals a growing recognition of the role private-sector financial investment can play in revitalising grassroots sports and constructing a sustainable pipeline for Nigeria’s future sports success.