Former Nigerian Olympian and sports administrator Yusuf Alli says the maiden National Intermediate Games will highlight states genuinely investing in grassroots athlete development.

Gbenga Omotoso, chairman of the media publicity sub-committee of EKO 2026, made this known in a statement on Monday in Lagos.

Mr Alli said the Games, tagged EKO 2026, would also reveal states relying on recruiting established athletes to boost their medal counts at national competitions.

He said this while speaking on the significance of the Games, scheduled to be held in Lagos from October 1 to October 15.

The EKO 2026 will feature athletes aged 15 to 18 competing in 28 sports.

More than 14,000 athletes from Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are expected to participate in the inaugural edition.

Mr Alli, who is part of the organising structure of the games, said the competition was designed to strengthen the pathway between youth and senior sports.

“This will expose states that just go and buy athletes for festivals. This will determine the ones that have really been training,” he said.

Speaking further, Mr Alli noted that the games would shift attention from short-term medal success to identifying states with sustainable systems for producing athletes.

“I know for sure that states like Edo and Lagos train athletes very well. It will come to play for us to see the states that have been training athletes,” he said.

According to him, the contrast underscores the importance of the EKO 2026, which can reveal states with strong pipelines for developing athletes through the youth ranks.

He said the age structure of the games was particularly important because it targeted athletes at a stage between introductory youth competitions and senior sports.

Mr Alli said the age category would provide an opportunity to identify athletes with the potential to progress to the senior level.

“We look at the extra-talented athletes that may not have what it takes now but may have what it takes in the future.

“Those are the ones we are really looking to concentrate on,” he said.

According to him, talent identification teams will closely monitor athletes’ performances throughout the Games.

He said the true value of the EKO 2026 would not be measured only by the medal table but by the number of young athletes identified, developed and retained by their states.

Mr Alli said the Games were expected to become a benchmark for Nigeria’s grassroots sports system by testing whether states were building sustainable talent pipelines or simply assembling teams for short-term success.

Athlete recruitment has remained a major issue in Nigeria’s multi-sport competitions, with some states often relying on established athletes to strengthen their teams.

The National Sports Festival, Nigeria’s flagship multi-sport event, has also been dominated by a handful of states.

Delta, for instance, retained its title at the 2025 National Sports Festival in Ogun, winning 323 medals, including 122 gold.

At the youth level, however, Lagos demonstrated the strength of its development programme by topping the medal table at the 2025 National Youth Games in Asaba, with 52 gold medals.

(NAN)