EKO 2026 To Strengthen School Sports, Build Talent Pathway – LOC

The maiden National Intermediate Games, tagged EKO 2026, will seek to strengthen school sports development and establish a sustainable pathway for identifying and nurturing Nigeria’s next generation of athletes, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) has said.

The Games are scheduled to take place in Lagos from October 1 to 15, 2026, with about 15,000 athletes from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) expected to participate.

The LOC, chaired by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s deputy chief of staff, Sam Egube, said the Games would go beyond competition by creating a structured system for talent identification, monitoring and development.

Egube, who is co-chairing the LOC alongside Lagos State Sports Commission Director-General Lekan Fatodu and Commissioner for Youth and Social Development Mobolaji Ogunlende, stressed that EKO 2026 was not designed as a one-off sporting event.

“This is a commitment to human development and to encouraging our sporting system,” Egube said.

“Immediately after the event, athletes will benefit from tangible incentives, opportunities for support, and training. As we build new schools, modern sporting facilities are integrated, ensuring that talents are nurtured within school programmes.”

He said the initiative would complement the Lagos State Government’s investment in sports infrastructure, particularly at the school and grassroots levels, by providing young athletes with better opportunities to discover and develop their abilities.

According to Egube, Governor Sanwo-Olu had identified EKO 2026 as an avenue for young athletes to showcase and refine their talents while creating a system to retain promising athletes within Nigeria’s sporting structure.

The LOC chairman also disclosed that Lagos had embarked on a broad upgrade of sporting facilities over the past three years, with projects spread across Surulere, Ifako, Bariga, Ikorodu, Epe, Agege and Badagry.

He said the investment formed part of a wider strategy to improve access to sporting facilities and strengthen grassroots sports development across the state.

Egube added that EKO 2026 would provide an important link between school sports, grassroots participation and elite competition, allowing promising athletes to be tracked and developed beyond the Games.

With thousands of young athletes expected in Lagos, the organisers see the Games as an opportunity to identify emerging talents who could eventually represent Nigeria at national and international competitions.

The success of the initiative, however, will depend on whether the talent identified during the Games receives sustained coaching, facilities, competition and institutional support after the closing ceremony.