The Director-General, National Sports Commission (NSC), Bukola Olopade has said that Nigeria had made history by being the first country to introduce the 100m mixed relay.
Olopade made this known at the MTN Champs Season 3:0, describing it as the country being in the midst of history.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that for the first time in the history of African athletics, the mixed relays, a new Olympics-approved relay format was displayed at the MTN Champs Season 3.0 sports competition.
The historic moment happened on Day 3 of the MTN Champs Season 3 Continental Relays 2025.
Olopade said it would be written in the books that the very first mixed 100m relay was held in Nigeria and at the MTN Champs Competition.
He announced the new initiative called ‘The Relay Project’, saying that: “It’s a four-year project which we believe can push Nigeria to the very top of podium standing, either at the Commonwealth Games, All-Africa Games and even the 2028 Olympics.”
The new mixed relay format specifies baton exchanges across both male and female gender athletes.
The relay begins with a female runner handing over to another female, who then passes to a male athlete, and finally to another male who finishes the race.
The MTN Champs mixed relays included both 100m and 400m distances.
Olopade also spoke on the broader direction of sports in Nigeria, saying that President Tinubu had directed that a sports ecosystem that was economy-based and could create wealth for athletes be created.
“When we, the new NSC administration, took over, the first thing we did was to create the athlete grant.
“It requires work to be on the grant,” he said, but encouraged the record holders to register for the grant.
NAN reports that six teams participated in the event: Team Continental, Team Benin, OAU Spartans from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Zabranto Athletics, D’Victors A and D’Victors B.
In the 4 x 100m mixed relay, Team Continental took first place at 42.91s, followed by Zabranto Athletics at 44.69s in second and D’Victors A at 44.88s in third.
Record holders from the race include Favor “The Nigerian Nightmare” Ashe, who anchored the final leg and pulled ahead with an at least 30-meter lead to finish.
Other key runners included Iyanuoluwa Bada on the first leg, Janet Adesiyan on the second leg, and Chidera Ezeakor on the third leg.
Ashe reflected on the experience, saying: “I’m excited that this is the first time we will be doing this in Nigeria.
“On Nigeria’s potential in the upcoming mixed 4 x 100 relays, we have a team in the world relays happening next month.
“With what I saw today, with our best guys out there, I think we can expect Team Nigeria to bring home a medal.”
Ayham Moussa, Chief Operating Officer, MTN Nigeria, emphasised the company’s commitment to sports development.
“At MTN, we are heavily invested in football and athletics because we believe in the power of sports as a catalyst for development,” Moussa said.
The Director-General, Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu, had on Friday emphasised the significance of collaboration between the public and private sectors in driving development.
Fatodu said at the ongoing MTN Champs Season 3.0 in Lagos that there was a refrain that government had no business in business.
He said that, however, the business government had in business was to continue to build partnerships with people like MTN who truly knew how to run businesses.
According to Fatodu, MTN not only runs its business but is constantly looking at its operational environment where human capacity can be acknowledged and developed, and opportunities can be given to all citizens to have multiple options.
The Managing Director and CEO of the the project, Making of Champions and technical partner for MTN Champs Season 3:0 is Bamigbola Akanni.
MTN Champs is Nigeria’s largest athletics competition, designed to discover and develop local talents and build future Olympians for the country.
MTN Champs Season 3 will continue in Uyo from April 30 to May 3 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, where the grand finale will take place.
