Grange School, Ikeja, and St Saviour’s School, Ikoyi, emerged as the standout schools at the second Pan African School Games, after dominating the three day competition held at James Hope College, Lekki.
Grange School finished top of the overall standings in both the Under 13 and Under 15 categories, while St Saviour’s School claimed the overall title in the Under 11 category.
Grange’s impressive performance earned the school a new bus sponsored by Mikano Changan Motors after it accumulated the highest number of points across the Under 13 and Under 15 events.
More than 400 students from 11 schools took part in the competition, which was organised by Seun Akinbohun, Busola Tejumola and Aderoju Ope Ajayi. The Games were designed to give young athletes the opportunity to compete, improve their sporting skills and form friendships beyond their individual schools.
In the Under 11 category, St Saviour’s School won the swimming and athletics events, while the school shared the football title with Lagos Preparatory & Secondary School. Its strong performances across the events secured the overall crown.
Grange School also dominated the swimming and athletics events in both the Under 13 and Under 15 categories. Riverbank School, however, took the football titles in both age groups. Grange’s consistent results across the different events eventually saw the school finish first overall in both categories.
The competition attracted support from several corporate organisations, including Prime Atlantic, Zenith Bank, Plumtre Advisory, Mikano Changan Motors, UAC Foods, Nigerian Exchange Group, Team 33 Productions, Flytime, What Media, Kantar, Logic City and Flutterwave.
The Lagos State Government and the Lagos State Sports Commission also partnered with the organisers as part of efforts to support the development of school sports and young talents.
Speaking during the event, the Director of Sports at the Lagos State Sports Commission, Travih Nunayon, praised the organisers for creating a platform where young athletes could showcase their abilities.
Nunayon, who represented the commission’s Director General, Lekan Fatodu, disclosed that talent scouts had been deployed to the Games to identify promising athletes. He said the commission had also started discussions with the organisers on how the initiative could be sustained and expanded.
He added that athletes discovered during the competition could be considered for major youth competitions, including the National Youth Games and the National Intermediate Games, with the commission expected to continue monitoring their development.
Co founder of the Games, Aderoju Ope Ajayi, said the initiative was created to help children develop their sporting abilities while maintaining their focus on education.
Ajayi, who is also Chairman of the Lagos State Aquatics Association, said the organisers understood the opportunities that sports could create for young people, including access to scholarships and other pathways for development.
“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.
She also expressed appreciation to the participating schools, parents, coaches and corporate partners for supporting the second edition of the competition.
Participants and coaches similarly praised the organisers, while expressing hope that subsequent editions would attract more schools and give an even greater number of children the opportunity to compete, develop their talents and enjoy the benefits of school sports.
