Olopade says Lagos is ready for EKO 2026 in Nigeria
Bukola Olopade, director general of Nigeria’s National Sports Commission, said he was confident that Lagos State is ready to host the inaugural EKO 2026 National Intermediate Games. The competition is scheduled for October 1–15 and is expected to bring together more than 14,000 young athletes from across Nigeria.
Preparations for the competition
During a joint technical meeting ahead of the tournament, Olopade noted Lagos’s preparations to host the games. As Premium Times Nigeria reports, he also praised Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Lagos authorities for their work in sports development and youth support.
As an example of support for sporting events, Olopade cited the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon. According to him, the competition was preserved and improved under the Sanwo-Olu administration.
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Searching for young talent
The director general of the National Sports Commission stressed the importance of identifying young talent through initiatives aimed at secondary school athletes. He mentioned performances he had seen at competitions in Asaba and Abeokuta.
In Olopade’s assessment, Lagos’s preparations demonstrate its ability to provide the systems and sports facilities needed to host the games. He called on the technical committee to give EKO 2026 proper attention so that the competition becomes one of the country’s major sporting events and develops as a national sports platform after its inaugural edition. The official also urged stakeholders to focus their efforts on these games while working in parallel on the problems of Nigerian football.
