BY UBON EKANEM, CALABAR – Mobile telecommunication giant, MTN is poised to further uplift sports development at the grassroots with the second phase of its talent hunt and discovery programme flagging off in Calabar, the Cross River State capital
Already, about 8,000 athletes drawn from the country’s six geo-political zones, have been lined up to feature in the tournament scheduled for April 30 to May 3, 2024, in Calabar
Announcing the event tagged “MTN Champs Season 2” at a press conference in Calabar, MTN’s Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Mrs Adia Sowho, said the company is collaborating with strategic sporting development organisations in the country on unravel measures that would ensure raw talents wasting at the grassroots are discovered and groomed for national and international recognition.
Mrs Sowho praised the founder of the MTN Champs sports development initiative, Mr Bambo Akani for investing his resources to understudy the Jamaican model that has made their athletes outstanding in every international sporting competition with the hope of replicating the same back home.
She said the result of their persuasive approach towards grassroots sporting development has so far given them hope that the future of athletics in the country is quite bright, adding that athletes who emerged at the maiden edition of the MTN Champs season 1 event are currently performing creditably in various athletics competitions and the company, with all sense of modesty, can beat its chest over the part it played in their discovery.
Describing Calabar as being historic in the annals of sports development in the country, Mrs Sowho noted that it would have been a serious oversight if Cross River State was selected to host the grand finale of the event given its enviable history of successfully hosting past international athletics competitions like the famous annual Obudu Ranch Resort 12 kilometers mountain race that attracted renown athletes globally.
On the number of athletes participating in the four-day event, Mrs Sowho said of the over 8000 expected, about 2,300 would come from Cross River alone, stressing that the State holds a special place in the nation’s sporting history, adding that all the athletes are fully prepared to showcase the culmination of their months of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice.
She also explained that about 70 athletes selected from the previous four locations would participate in the Calabar Grand Finale as Team MVP, sponsored by MTN, even as she hinted that the occasion is also an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the athletes, coaches, and organisers.
The CMO, who noted the countless hours of training, moments of triumph, and bonds forged through a shared love of athletics would also be celebrated, further said the tournament would open the way for the future, nurturing talents and providing the support needed for them to reach their full potential.
She thanked the State government for accepting to partner with MTN in the talent hunt venture, assuring that athletes who emerge successful at the event would be fully integrated into their well-designed academic development projects with the award of scholarships up to the university level in any part of the world.
In her remarks, the State Commissioner for Sports, Mrs Agnes Atsu, appreciated the MTN’s gesture of choosing Cross River to host the sporting programme and pledged the State government’s commitment to ensure a hitch-free competition.
“We have one of the best facilities in this country for Track and field… I want to promise you that the Cross River State Government is giving you all the support. We promise you a very serene environment, we promise you a hitch-free competition, and we hope to do much more than this with you”, Mrs Atsu assured the organisers.
The four-day event, taking place at the UJ Esuene stadium, would feature participants from selected secondary schools across the state with six events taking place at the same time.
