The Edo State Sports Commission has announced the staging of a massive grassroots Talent Hunt programme tagged “Discovering Tomorrow’s Stars” as an activity to celebrate the 2026 Children’s Day celebration in Edo State, Platinum News is reporting
The initiative, championed under the leadership of Chairman Desmond Amadin Enabulele, aims to identify and nurture young sporting talents across selected schools within the Benin City metropolis.
The programme will be coordinated by the Director of Sports Development, Mrs Sabina Chikere, alongside technical officials from the various sports associations of the commission.
According to the Commission, 20 selected schools will participate in the talent discovery event, with 10 athletes of mixed gender representing each school in different sporting events.
A total of 270 athletes are expected to feature in the competition across eight sports, including athletics, judo, karate, kung fu, wrestling, taekwondo, boxing, and kickboxing.
Athletics will produce the highest number of participants with 200 athletes, while the seven combat sports — judo, karate, kung fu, wrestling, taekwondo, boxing, and kickboxing — will each feature 10 athletes.
The Commission also disclosed to Platinum News that all participating athletes will be rewarded with certificates of participation as part of efforts to encourage youth involvement in sports and grassroots development.
To ensure smooth conduct of the programme, 45 technical officials have been drafted for the event, including 10 officials for athletics and five officials each for the seven combat sports.
The “Discovering Tomorrow’s Stars” initiative is one of the strategies being deployed by the Commission to unearth fresh talents capable of representing Edo State and Nigeria in future national and international competitions.