Sanwo-Olu Says Eko 2026 Will Strengthen Lagos’ Leadership in Sports Development

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has cast Eko 2026 as more than a sporting competition. For Lagos, the inaugural National Intermediate Games are intended to become a testing ground for young athletes and a marker of the state’s ambitions in sports development.

Speaking at the inauguration of 44 chairmen of sports associations in Lagos, Sanwo-Olu said the multi-sport event would give emerging talents a chance to demonstrate their ability, gain the attention of national selectors and begin a route toward continental and global competition.

The governor pledged to personally inspect renovations at sports facilities ahead of the Games. He pointed to Lagos’s recent performances at national competitions as evidence that talent can produce results when it receives support from a functional system.

He urged the newly appointed association chairmen to identify promising athletes at grassroots level and create structures that can develop them into champions. That pathway, he said, should run from schools to training grounds, competitions and eventually national and international stages. He also called for transparent and accountable administration, active competition calendars and wider opportunities for women, girls, people with disabilities and other underrepresented groups.

Sanwo-Olu linked sports to discipline, education, employment, entrepreneurship and economic growth. He said Eko 2026 could generate business across hospitality, transportation, entertainment, media, technology, fitness and sports medicine. Stronger private-sector investment, he added, would provide a firmer foundation for athletes and sports development in Lagos.