The MTN Champs season 3 Lagos continental relays ended on April 12, with a series of fun and games and a grand closing ceremony at the Yabatech sports complex. This followed days of intense track and field competitions, birthing new records and making history as the new Olympics-approved mixed relays debuted for the first time ever in Nigeria on April 11, 2025 at MTN Champs Lagos.
Beyond the athletes’ battle for sweat and glory, the final day attracted a large crowd of spectators as families, friends, and the staff of MTN Nigeria congregated in the stands to enjoy the show. Guests were thrilled with music and games from puzzles to Ludo, X and O and volleyball among others. A key highlight of this fun was the MTN Staff relays which featured different departments in the MTN team battle for both bragging rights, medals and prizes.
Drawing inspiration from their job roles, the teams were named Bizmo Blazers, Sales Sprinters, Money Movers, Speed Signals, Powerhouse Striders, Customer Champions, Premium Enablers and Innovators and participated in a 4 x 100m relay in the male and female categories. The Innovators clinched gold in both gender categories.
MTN executives were also not left out from the fun as they as well took to the tracks, showing off their athletics prowess in 50m sprints in the male and female categories.
Chief Human Resources Officer, MTN, Esther Akinnukawe, spoke about the message behind this race. “I want this to be a reminder for us, on a day-to-day basis to move our bodies, to make sure that we sweat so we can actually thrive.” She also referenced the company’s ongoing Go M.A.D (Make A Difference) campaign, charging people to go make an impact in their different fields.
The MTN Champs Lagos continental relays drew over 2,500 entries from 155 schools across Nigeria and beyond, with participants competing across four age categories: Cadet (U-14), Youth (U-17), Junior (U-20), and Senior in track and field sporting events.
Season 3 of MTN Champs continues with the grand finale in Uyo at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium from April 30 to May 3.