Young athletes smile home with N20 million as MTN CHAMPS ends in Plateau

L-R: Janet Adesiyan; Favor Ashe; Iyanuoluwa Bada and Chidera Ezeakor of Team Continental at the MTN Champs season 3 Continental Relays held at the Yabatech Sports Complex.

Jos, Plateau state capital played host to the grand finale of the MTN CHAMPS where athletes across Nigeria competed fiercely for a share of N20 million in prize money.

The three-day event drew about 20,000 athletes and over 1,500 schools nationwide, showcasing the scale and impact of MTN’s commitment to youth sports.

Ngonwa Nwoye, Chief Customer Experience and Relations Officer of MTN Nigeria while speaking at the clossing ceremony on Saturday in described the event as an inspiring display of talent, resilience, and professionalism.

“As the event comes to an end, I must say I will truly miss it. It has gone exceptionally well over the past three days.
Competitors pushed themselves to the limit, achieving personal bests despite challenging weather conditions. Officials, trainers, and coaches ensured smooth operations, while government representatives provided consistent support”; She said.

“While some participants were understandably disappointed, many achieved personal bests. It has been inspiring to watch these young athletes push themselves to the limit,” Nwoye added.

Looking ahead, Nwoye expressed excitement about the finals scheduled in Ibadan and encouraged even greater participation from athletes across the country.

“I always want more. I would love to see even greater participation from athletes across different parts of the region,” she emphasized, highlighting MTN’s long-term investment in youth development.

“This year’s edition introduced enhanced rewards, with individual winners receiving up to N2 million for first position, Second place: N1.5 million, Third place N1million and Fourth place: N500,000 while school category went home with N5,000,000 for first position, Second Place N3m, third place N2m fourth place N1.5M, fifth N1m and 6th to 10th position N500,000 for each of the schools”; she said.

Some of the participants including Benjamin Magaji and Mercy Ugonna who spoke separately praised MTN, for allowing them to balance education and sports while pursuing there dreams.

Nathaniel Gbaoron

Nathaniel E. Gbaoron is the Plateau State correspondent for BusinessDay and a seasoned journalist with a decade of experience covering sub-national affairs across Taraba, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau, and other states. He holds both National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in Mass Communication from Fidel Polytechnic, Gboko. Over the years, he has participated in numerous media trainings and workshops spanning various areas of reporting, strengthening his expertise in economic and political reporting, community-level governance, development stories, and conflict-sensitive journalism. He is a member of Correspondent Chapel in Plateau state, a member of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), he is also a Rotarian and a member of Plateau Club 1921.