After three days of thrilling competition, the inaugural Africa School Games came to a close on Sunday at the British International School (BIS), Lagos, with young athletes delivering outstanding performances across swimming, athletics, and football events. The tournament, which aimed to foster grassroots sporting excellence, featured 11 schools competing for top honors in the U-11, U-13, and U-15 categories.
Throughout the event, participants demonstrated exceptional skill, teamwork, and determination, reinforcing the growing potential of youth sports across Africa. Points were accumulated based on medal tallies, with several Lagos schools dominating the leaderboard. The host, British International School, along with Grange School, RiverBank School, Supreme Education Foundation, and St. Saviour’s School, all earned podium finishes across multiple events.
In the U-11 category, St. Saviour’s School emerged champions with 1,042 points, while Grange School claimed victory in the U-13 category with 1,168 points. The U-15 division saw an exciting tie, as British International School and Grange School shared the top spot with 909 points each, highlighting the high level of competition among the participants.
Addressing attendees at the closing ceremony, Lekan Fatodu, Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, reiterated the state’s commitment to discovering and nurturing young talent through collaboration with schools and sporting initiatives.
“One of our key mandates is to identify and partner with institutions that can help us find and develop new talents,” Fatodu said. “Our technical teams are already on the ground, and the schools’ coaches have been very supportive in opening their doors to our scouts.”
Also present at the event, renowned sports content creator Dr. Kelechi Anyikude praised the organisers for their focus on grassroots development.
“The Africa School Games is a brilliant initiative. Grassroots sports are where our future champions will come from,” he noted. “Seeing this level of participation and excitement,especially in swimming and it gives me hope that we can compete globally in years to come.”
Aderoju Ope-Ajayi, co-founder of the Africa School Games, expressed pride in the success of the maiden edition and hinted at plans for expansion.
“The past three days have revealed the resilience and strength of our young athletes. We witnessed record-breaking performances in athletics and personal bests in swimming,” she said. “Next year, we’re looking to scale up the event and welcome more schools from across Africa.”
Ope-Ajayi added that several schools from Uganda, Kenya, and Ghana had expressed interest in participating this year but were unable to attend due to logistics.
“By next year, we plan to host the entire continent here in Lagos,” she affirmed.
The maiden Africa School Games not only celebrated youthful enthusiasm and sporting achievement but also laid the foundation for a continental platform dedicated to nurturing Africa’s next generation of sports stars.
