Eko 2026: Fatodu, Ubani Back Games To Uncover Nigeria’s Next Generation Of Champions

The inaugural National Intermediate Games, Eko 2026, will provide a crucial pathway for discovering and nurturing the next generation of Nigerian sporting champions, Director-General of the Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Lekan Fatodu, and President of the Guild of Sports Editors, Tony Ubani, have said.

Fatodu and Ubani said the Games, which will bring together more than 15,000 athletes aged between 15 and 18 from across the country, would go beyond the winning of medals by creating a structured transition from grassroots sport to elite competition.

The Games are scheduled to hold in Lagos from October 1 to 15, with teenagers competing in 31 events across 28 sporting disciplines.

Fatodu said Lagos was not merely preparing to host a sporting competition but was providing a platform from which future national, continental and international champions could emerge.

“Lagos is not just going to be welcoming athletes; we are going to be welcoming the future champions who will represent Nigeria at the national, continental and international levels,” Fatodu said.

“From this event, new names will emerge in our sporting history and ecosystem. Later on, reference will be made that this athlete was discovered at the first Intermediate Games.”

He identified the elimination of age cheating as another major objective of the Games, stressing that proper age categorisation was essential to the development and long-term careers of young athletes.

“We want the era of age cheats to be completely eliminated from our sporting history,” Fatodu said.

“We want to create a pipeline for young athletes to advance steadily and to eliminate the possibility of multiple identities in competition, which could affect their future representation for the country.”

According to him, the Games will help establish a culture in which athletes compete within their appropriate age categories before progressing through the sporting pathway.

He said the initiative would also help promote unity, excellence and national integration, noting that sports had moved beyond entertainment to become a powerful tool for bringing Nigerians together.

Ubani described the intermediate category as a vital link in Nigeria’s sporting development, particularly in preparing younger athletes to eventually replace established stars.

“The intermediate sport is very, very important. It is a stopgap; it is a situation where you see that we have younger athletes that are going to replace some of these very notable ones,” he said.

Ubani added that eliminating age cheats would give genuine young athletes a fair opportunity to develop, while those who excel at the Games could be monitored and provided with international exposure.

The Games will feature athletes from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with competitions taking place at Teslim Balogun Stadium, National Stadium, Surulere, Rowe Park Sports Centre, Agege Township Stadium, Mobolaji Johnson Arena and Elegbata Sports Complex.

The Lagos Tennis Club, TBS Cricket Oval, Yaba College of Technology and the University of Lagos will also provide facilities for selected events.