Lagos State names 11 venues for first National Intermediate Games in October

Lagos State has designated 11 venues for the inaugural National Intermediate Games, which are scheduled to begin on October 1. The competition will bring together sports talents positioned between the junior and senior levels from across Nigeria.

The venue plan includes Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Onikan and Rowe Park in Yaba. Sports centres in Ifako, Ikeja, Ikorodu, Epe, Agege and Badagry are also part of the arrangements for the event.

Lagos Commissioner for Information and Strategy Gbenga Omotosho announced the plans and said preparations were in place for the first edition. The state is targeting a successful event that can provide a platform for athletes progressing from youth competition towards the senior ranks.

National Sports Commission director-general Bukola Olopade welcomed the work completed by Lagos ahead of the games. He said the preparation had advanced as planned and praised the state for its efforts to host the competition.

Olopade also linked the event to Lagos’s history with major national sporting occasions, noting that the city hosted the first National Sports Festival. He said the Intermediate Games would serve an important role in athlete development by connecting youth-level sport with elite competition.

The NSC director-general further pointed to Lagos’s recent record of hosting international events. In the past year, the state became the first African city to stage the E1 Powerboat World Championship and hosted the Davis Cup on consecutive occasions for the first time in almost 20 years.

The October festival will therefore extend Lagos’s role as a host city while introducing a national competition focused on athletes between established age categories. Its 11-venue structure will spread activities across several parts of the state.