Riverbank School won the Under-15 boys’ football title at the second Pan-African School Games, defeating James Hope College 2-0 in Sunday’s final in Lagos.
The victory brought the three-day competition to a close at James Hope College, Lekki, with more than 400 student-athletes participating across various sporting events.
The competition began on Friday, featuring students in the Under-11, Under-13 and Under-15 categories.
Riverbank School also won the Under-15 girls’ title, beating Grange School 2-0 in the final.
In other results, Lagos Preparatory School (LPSS) defeated St. Saviour’s School 4-3 on penalties to win the Under-11 boys’ category.
Riverbank School beat Kidscourt School 2-0 to claim the Under-13 boys’ title.
The school also defeated Grange School 2-1 to win the Under-13 girls’ category.
The games featured football, athletics and swimming, promoting sporting excellence, education, career development and cultural exchange among young people.
Speaking during an interview, Director of Sports, Lagos State Sports Commission, Nunayon Travih, said the state government had deployed talent scouts to identify promising athletes.
Mr Travih, who represented the Director-General of the commission, Lekan Fatodu, described the competition as an exciting sporting event for children.
“So far, so good. This tournament has been awesome, and it has been a fantastic tournament,” he said.
Mr Travih said the commission had begun collaborating with the organisers to sustain the competition and support the development of discovered talents.
He said scouting began at the start of the Games and would continue afterwards to ensure promising athletes received the necessary attention.
According to him, identified athletes may be invited to participate in the National Youth Games or the National Intermediate Games.
He added that the government would continue monitoring their progress to establish pathways for their development within the sports sector.
“This is so that we can create a pathway for their growth and engagement in the sports ecosystem,” he said.
Chairman of the Lagos State Aquatics Association and co-founder of the Games, Aderoju Ope-Ajayi, said the initiative aimed to develop young athletes and maximise their potential in sports and education.
Ms Ope-Ajayi said the founders, who were sports parents, established the competition after recognising their children’s abilities and the educational opportunities sports could provide.
“We have seen how they can improve in their sports and how it affects their education. They can even get scholarship opportunities,” she said.
She said the organisers hoped the games would help children discover their talents and access opportunities that could shape their futures.
“We want children to look back and say this is where I was discovered. This is where I got a scholarship opportunity, and this is where I had my opportunities,” she said.
Ms Ope-Ajayi described the final day as amazing, expressing satisfaction with the turnout and growing public interest in the competition.
She said 11 schools and nearly 400 children participated, showcasing their abilities across the different sporting events.
Coach Olugbenga Payne of LPSS called for greater support for school sports to identify and develop young talents.
Mr Payne said the games enabled young athletes to showcase their abilities, gain experience and learn from other competitors.
“The competition is a good initiative because it gives children the opportunity to develop their talents, build confidence and learn the values of teamwork and discipline,” he said.
He urged schools to encourage sporting participation while helping students balance academic work with athletic activities.
Mr Payne stated, “I hope the competition will continue to grow and attract more schools because investing in young athletes today will help us produce future champions.”
Some participants commended the organisers for providing a platform to showcase their talents and improve their sporting skills.
They said the competition offered opportunities to learn, build confidence and interact with athletes from other schools.
The participants added that the games promoted teamwork, discipline, friendship and healthy competition, expressing hope that the event would expand and create more opportunities for young athletes.
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