About 1000 Athletes are set to light up the tracks of the U.J Esuene Stadium in Calabar from March 5 to 7 for the first leg of MTN CHAMPS Season 4, with the competition making a return to the Cross River State capital, which hosted the Season 2 Grand Final in 2024.
With nearly 100 track and field events (94) offered across four age groups, MTN CHAMPS remains the largest athletics competition in Nigeria’s history — catering to athletes from secondary school to elite senior level.
2,399 event entries were received across the four age categories: Cadet (U14), Youth (U17), Junior (U20), and Senior (no age limit). The Youth and Cadet categories accounted for nearly 500 athletes from 56 schools at MTN CHAMPS Athletics Classics in Calabar.
All Registered Schools/Athletes must pick up their competition bibs to confirm their participation no later than Wednesday, March 4, at the U.J Esuene Stadium to remain on their event startlists.
Joining the Classic are athletes from Ethiopia who are in Calabar to compete in the continental Relays, chasing qualifications for the World Relays in Gaborone, Botswana.
They will be competing in the Mixed 400m, men and women’s 4x400m, and the flat 400m.
Ethiopian athlete, Merdekiyos Wolde Wachiso, competed in the individual 400m, running a time of 47.20s to win heat 3.