The Lagos State Government has declared readiness in hosting the first ever Intermediate Games, scheduled to hold between Oct. 1, and Oct. 15.
Gbenga Omotoso, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, disclosed this at a news conference organised by the state’s Local Organising Committee (LOC) on Tuesday in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the games, tagged EKO 2026, is an initiative designed to bridge the long-standing gap between youth sports and elite national competition.
NAN further reports that the games is open to eligible athletes across all 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The maiden competition, which is in collaboration with the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Lagos government is for athletes between the ages of 15 and 18.
The state’s LOC backed by Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had been working alongside the NSC on venue readiness and logistics ahead of the opening ceremony.
According to the commissioner, the state will leave no stone unturn in ensuring that the needs of the over 13,000 young athletes participating at the games are fully taken care of.
“We are leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that we have an excellent and remarkable outing. That is why the governor came out on a weekend to inspect all the facilities himself.
“That is why various committees have been put in place. There are committees about security, there are committees about the welfare of athletes, there are also committees about transportation and so many other things that we need to take care of.
“Apart from reassuring you about our readiness, we want to reiterate that our legal system will hold sustainably and that is why we seek your advise, your cooperation and your partnership, because we believe in it.
“That is why you can see that the deputy chief of staff of the governor is the one heading this committee. That is why you can see members of the state executive council, my colleague, commissioner for youth and social development and I, are also members of this committee.
“That is why you can see that the LOC, the co-chair, is the director general, of the state’s sports commission.
“We have a governor, who loves the sports and has promised that we are not just going to host the first ever Intermediate Games, but we will host excellently. After all, this is the state of excellence. That is what we are called,” he said.
The commissioner then appealed with the journalists to partner with the state by amplifying and ensuring an accurate dissemination of the games and its outcome.
“We cannot do it without you. That is why we have come today, to seek your partnership, that though we are doing our best to make this event memorable, if u need clarifications on anything, do not hesitate to reach out to us,” he stated.
On his part, the Director-General, Lagos Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu described the event as a game changer, as it was the first in the history of sports in the country.
He noted that some new names would emerge in the country’s sporting history and sporting ecosystem.
According to him, the state will not just be welcoming athletes, but welcoming future champions that will be representing Nigeria at the national, continental and international levels.
The director general, also the co-chairman of the LOC, emphasised the need for a rebirth of all sports in the country.
“We want the era of age cheats to be completely eliminated in our sporting history and that is one of the significance of this event.
“We open up the appropriate transition from the youth level, which by the way, Lagos is actually the first to showcase under-15 sports category in Nigeria.
“When we had our competition, we were the one that actually presented the highest number of petitions, because of the fact that we were the only one presenting the number of young people within the age category of 15.
“So we were challenging people who were presenting 19 and 20-year-old for a competition of 15-year-old.
“So we now have this argument that if we really want to present the under-18 to this kind of competition, let us create this bridge between the youth,” he stated.
He added that it was not by accident that Lagos was hosting the maiden intermediate games, as it sought to create a pipeline for young athletes to advance steadily.
According to him, it is also to eliminate the possibility of multiple identities for competition, which will potentially affect their future, in terms of representation for the country.
“This is important to the conversation and the message that we are sending out there. Today marks exactly 37 days to the commencement of the games. The event is huge.
“It is massive. We have actually recorded a lot of successes in terms of what the state is capable of doing. This is another opportunity to say that we are ready, we are prepared.
“Apart from the fact that the governor has gone to check all our facilities, the Main Organising Committee (MOC) came again three days ago, when we extended the scope of what we want to do.
“We have 10 facilities for context that we are using. But within that 10 facilities, we are going to be having 31 different sporting events across 28 sporting disciplines. So we have partners who will be engaging us in all of this,” he said.
According to him, the state has reach out to the University of Lagos, for the purpose of accommodating all the participating athletes.
He noted that the story would be starting from the experience of Lagos, noting that such experience was going to be that of excellence and empowering dreams.
According to him, it will also be an experience of
inspiring greatness, as well as inspiring champions.
“But that experience cannot be better, shared or told, than having competent media personalities from across media channels to be present today.
“This is so that we can really tell the story and appropriately amplified it by your efforts, your expertise
“This is because without you, we would not be able to further accentuate the fact that Lagos is truly the powerhouse and epicenter of sports in Nigeria.
“Without you, we would not be able to amplify the significance of this event and will equally not be able to shine the light on the talents that will be showcased at this event,” he stated.
He said sports was no longer just entertainment, but rather, a tool for diplomacy, adding that it was also a tool to promote unity across tribes and tongues.
Fatodu said it was the reason behind having the entire 36 states, including the FCT, in Lagos.
“We want to use this platform to tell so many stories about unity, excellence and diplomacy.
“This is because a lot of people within the diplomatic environment have actually started showing interest in what we are cooking in our inaugural Intermediate Games.
“And the story is going to be better told by yourselves, your expertise and your support. So we will be counting on you,” he stated.
Sam Egube, Chairman of the LOC in his remarks, expressed delight at the progress made by the state in the past seven years, especially in the area of youth development.
He said it was important to project the strength of the youth, as it made up a greater per cent of the country’s population.
“Without amplifying our youth, we will not have a great Lagos. Our national and even continental development rest on our youths,” he said.
According to him, considering the demographic structure of the country, it is important to project the power of the youths, noting that it is a powerhouse that needs to be presented to the world.
“We must strive to develop these youths and channel their energy into great ventures because, if we fail to develop them, then there may be no Lagos or even Nigeria.
“Lagos is a unique place. We see that Lagos is the economic powerhouse of this country.
“EKO 2026 will also generate economic activities as well, as people with small businesses would be encouraged.
“Small businesses would participate in the things they sell and in the things they stand for.
“The success in all of these like I always say, is not just in the talent we discover; it is also in creating pathways for grassroots sports development.
“It is to create the next feeder into our national sports festival categories and our continental and global competition. This is where it is made and this is what Lagos represents,” he stated.
According to Egube who is also the deputy chief of staff to the governor, Lagos is also a place that thrives on partnership.
“In other words, for Lagos to continue to develop, we must all join hands together to push agendas for national development.
“National and even the continental development, rests on our youth population,” he said.
