Sports
Heritage Bank Starts Annual Sporting Event For Schools
By Dipo Olowookere
One of Nigeria’s most innovative banking service providers, Heritage Bank Plc, has unveiled plans to organise an annual sporting event for secondary schools in Nigeria with the aim of discovering and rewarding talents.
The project known as Skoolympics, is aimed at building a heritage of champions using Lagos State for the pilot scheme.
Managing Director and Chief Executive of the bank, Mr Ifie Sekibo, officially flagged off the project in Lagos, at a crowded corporate forum/ presentation.
Addressing representatives of prospective brand partners at the first official press briefing, the Heritage Bank’s boss who was represented by Executive Director, Service Bank, Mr Niyi Adeseun, said Skoolympics is the lender’s signature sporting event designed to provide a platform for schools and youths to develop talents in sporting activities at an early stage.
Mr Sekibo said that the idea behind Skoolympics was the holistic development of young people, fostering their physical, social and emotional health.
“The benefits of Skoolympics reach beyond the impact on physical well-being and the value of the educational benefits of Skoolympics should not be underestimated,” he said.
In his contribution, a consultant to the project, Mr Moses Nwanze, Managing Director of Lexicon Communications, said the maiden edition in Lagos would be held in the six educational districts of Agege, Ikeja, Badagry, Epe and Ikorodu among others.
He added that in order to give vent to the project, former African Queen of the tracks and two-time Olympic medalist, Mary Onyali-Omagbemi, has been chosen as the brand ambassador of the Skoolympics project because of her contribution to the development of sport in the country.
Also speaking on the technical details of the project, Chief Executive of Topaz Sports Limited, Mr Edwin Udogu, said there would be post-event management of the winning athletes through mentoring process that could lead to award of scholarship by either international or local organisations in order for them to fulfil their career in sports.
The major objectives of the project are to increase participation in sports in order to discover talents and future Olympians, to groom young athletes yearly from the grassroots who will be developed, trained and nurture them to compete and achieve their dreams as well as to create a platform through sports where youths will become great in the various communities.
The bank intends to collaborate with the Lagos State Government to build a culture of sports hand-in-hand with the formal education in a bid to secure the future of the teaming population.
Towards this end, the lender will bring together more than 80 public and private schools with about 6,000 students competing across all local government areas of Lagos State in the maiden edition.
The finals of the competition will take place this October at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere from October 19 to 21, 2016 and there will be various sporting activities such basketball, athletics, handball, table tennis and swimming among others.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
On Saturday, July 18, 2026, Team Drogba Global Africa claimed its first E1 victory in Monaco, moving to sixth on the table with 59 points.
It defeated Team Brady, which came second over the week, though it leads the championship with 119 points, nine points more than the second on the log, Westbrook Racing by Visit Angola.
Kiwi Micah Wilkinson and his Spanish teammate Tara Pacheco combined to put together a memorable performance and secure a long-awaited first visit to the top step.
Drogba’s best result of the season so far had been seventh in Lake Como, but something clicked in the Principality, and the victory has moved them up to sixth overall.
Home heroes Team Monaco had set the fastest time in qualifying and were leading the way, but they made a wrong turn on the course, which consigned them to join Westbrook in the Place Race. Will Smith’s team took a damage-limiting victory, leaving them in seventh at the end of the day.
But the Finals were both dominated by Drogba. In Final 1, with Tara Pacheco at the wheel, they finished just ahead of Emma Kimiläinen’s Brady E1 RaceBird. The battle resumed in Final 2 and, on this occasion, Micah held off Sam Coleman. Timmy Hansen came through to finish third for Miami to secure their first podium in 13 races.
Micah Wilkinson was also rewarded with PIF Pilot of the Day for his performance in Final 2.
Hosted at the world-renowned Yacht Club de Monaco, the Championship’s third visit to the Principality once again transformed Port Hercule into one of the world’s most spectacular sporting venues.
E1 now heads to its first foray in Southern Africa for the E1 Luanda GP 2026, Angola, on September 12 to 13.
“Huge congratulations to everyone at Team Drogba on securing a remarkably assured maiden victory here in Monaco. We leave with a new Championship leader in Team Brady, with Will Smith’s team in close contention.
“The Principality once again delivered an extraordinary weekend of thrilling on-water action to reinforce our belief that E1 is creating a new chapter in global motorsport. We now head to Angola, Africa, for the next round as the Championship battle intensifies,” the chief executive of E1, Mr Jamie Copas, said.
By Dipo Olowookere
Spain put one past Argentina to clinch their second FIFA World Cup trophy in New Jersey, USA, on Sunday night.
Ferran Torres put the only goal of the match in the back of the South American’s net in the 106th minute after both teams could not settle scores in normal time.
The Argentines, led by Lionel Scaloni, were reduced to 10 men in added time of the second half after Enzo Fernández got his second yellow card for a tackle on Spain’s Pau Cubarsí.
Lionel Messi could not inspire his team to victory in the final watched by the President of the United States, Mr Donald Trump, as the Europeans dominated the match, with Argentina not having a shot on or off target before the extra time.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup champions only managed to show signs of pressing after the winners of the 2010 edition in South Africa scored a minute after the resumption of the second half of the extra 30 minutes.
The win by Luis de la Fuente’s men left Lionel Messi teary after the match. This could be his last World Cup as he turned 39 this year.
The next FIFA World Cup in 2030 goes to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. This year’s edition was hosted by the trio of the USA, Canada, and Mexico. The Mundial kicked off on June 20, 2026, and ended on July 19, 2026, with 48 teams participating, more than the usual 32 teams of the previous editions.
On July 23, Nigeria’s main grassroots tournament kicks off: players from the top 100 teams across five divisions of Lagos will compete for the championship title, a generous prize pool, the prestige of their home communities, and their dream of signing their first contract with a professional club.
1xCup has helped many talented players make a name for themselves. Thanks to their standout performances at the tournament, more than 30 footballers have earned spots on professional teams in Nigeria, Bulgaria, Norway, Albania, North Macedonia, and many other countries.
1xCup top success stories
From their debuts in the NPFL and second-tier European leagues to call-ups to the Nigeria national team, the stories of 1xCup graduate players could easily serve as the script for a new Hollywood sports drama. Defensive midfielder Adeoye Aderemi Jacob was named one of the top breakout stars of the 1xCup 2025. His dedication and energy helped the Naths Boys reach the tournament’s final four and caught the attention of Ikorodu City scouts. Adeoye Aderemi Jacob quickly adapted to the professional level and even earned a call-up to the Nigeria national team for friendly matches against Zimbabwe and Jamaica as part of their preparations for the.
Several 1xCup graduates have built successful careers in Europe. Martins Idowu plays in Serbia, Peter Ahisu in Bulgaria, and Okere Ebube in North Macedonia. Lawani Clinton, Bada Moses, and Raheem Ibrahim Ogede have continued their football careers with professional clubs in Nigeria. Meanwhile, Nwana Okechukwu and Kayode Akinyemi are representing their homeland in the Egyptian and Beninese leagues.
The 1xCup 2026 will continue this mission. Starting with the knockout stage, scouts from professional clubs will be in attendance at the tournament’s matches. This means that every participant will have a chance to prove themselves, get noticed by experts, and perhaps write a new chapter in their football history.
1xCup 2026 is open to everyone
Nigeria’s most prestigious grassroots tournament has helped football talent shine and demonstrated that our country is capable of organizing large-scale sports events. The list of participants in the qualification was made publicly available, and every fan can follow the match results and the standings on the official 1xCup Instagram page.
The tournament’s matches are drawing huge interest from viewers, so the organizers have expanded their media coverage. The 1xCup Podcast is set to launch very soon, featuring well-known figures from Nigeria’s football community who will discuss the main storylines and standout players of the fourth season, as well as share exclusive insights with fans.
Watch from the front row as the next generation of football stars is born, and follow the action from the grassroots tournament on the official 1xcup.ng website or on the project’s Instagram page.
