Telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria, has introduced cash rewards for outstanding schools in its flagship youth athletics competition, MTN Champs, as it returns to Calabar for the second time.

MTN Chief Marketing Officer, Onyinye Emeka, disclosed this on Wednesday in Calabar during a press conference to herald the MTN Champs Season Four.

Onyinye said Calabar’s rich sporting culture made it a natural host city for the championship, while noting that over 22,000 young athletes from more than 1,300 schools had participated in the past three seasons.

According to her, 30 Most Valuable Players are currently enrolled in the MTN Champs Academy, receiving world-class training and mentorship.

She said the academy athletes won 14 national medals within the last one year and represented Nigeria in the men’s 4x400m relay.

“The athletes also clinched medals at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Saudi Arabia, African School Games in Algeria and CAA events in Ghana.

“For the first time, MTN would reward the top four schools with cash prizes; first place would receive N2 million, second N1.5 million, third N1 million and fourth N500,000.

“We are also introducing attendance rewards for schools with strong fan support; the best-supported school would receive N5 million, second; N3 million, third school; N2 million, fourth N1.5 million and the fifth school will receive N1 million,” she said.

She asserted that Schools that placed sixth to tenth would get N500,000 each to boost sports development programmes.

On her part, Olabisi Joseph, President of the Nigeria School Sports Federation (NSSF), lauded MTN and partners for promoting discipline and curbing age cheating in school sports.

Represented by Emmanuel Ebong, the federation’s Second Vice President, Olabisi said most Nigerian medalists at the last African School Games in Algeria emerged from the MTN Champs Academy.

She used the opportunity to call on all stakeholders to invest in school sports development, adding that if the youths were not influenced positively, they would influence themselves negatively and become a problem to the society.

Similarly, Nigerian Olympian, Patience Okon-George, who is an ambassador of the MTN Champs project, urged young athletes to remain focused, determined and hardworking to achieve their olympic dreams.

Okon-George, who is a three-time Nigerian national 400m champion, called on the Federal Government to provide better funding and training facilities to enhance athletes’ performance.

She added that initiatives like MTN Champs were critical to discovering talents and preparing them for global competitions.

The fourth edition of the MTN champs initiative holds in three cities Calabar Ibadan and Jos.