By Paul Akhagbemhe
It’s a new dawn for athletics in Nigeria as a new sponsor was named for the 3rd annual MoC Grand Prix.
Organisers of the competition – Making of Champions (MoC) – announced digital entertainment and sports technology company BetKing as the lead sponsor of the event that held on March 30th and 31st at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Nigeria.
The 3rd MoC Grand Prix has become one of the most important fixtures on the Athletics calendar in Nigeria – the largest Annual Competition in Nigeria aside from the National Trials and has awarded millions of Naira in Prize Money to hundreds of Athletes in individual & relay events since the inaugural edition in 2018.
Athletes across the globe and in Nigeria have faced difficult times as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. BetKing’s sponsorship of the 3rd MoC Grand Prix is critical in ensuring that Nigeria’s & Africa’s best athletes have a great chance to qualify for the Olympics Games as well as the African Championships and World U20 Championships this year.
Over 900 Athletes registered for the 3rd MoC Grand Prix, more than the first 2 editions combined, and it featured over 30 Track & Field events across the Sprints, Middle Distances, Jumps, Throws, and Relays. For the first time, the meet took a continental dimension, with athletes from 9 African countries including Kenya, Benin, Togo, Mali, and Senegal storming Lagos in a bid to secure Olympic qualification!
Speaking on the sponsorship, MoC Corporate Partnership Manager, Evans Emmanuel said: “We are excited to announce BetKing as lead sponsor for the 3rd MoC Grand Prix. BetKing is easily one of Nigeria’s most loved sports technology companies, and they have chosen to support the Kings & Queens of African Athletics as they seek qualification for the Tokyo Olympics.” He further added that it has always been the goal of the company to help brands like BetKing create tangible connections and build brand affinity within their target audience, using sports as an enabler.
Also commenting on the sponsorship, BetKing Head of Products and Marketing, Ruby Chuka said, The partnership is a great move towards acting on our commitment to strengthen our communities – we recognize this event as an opportunity to support the development of sports in Nigeria and encourage our youth to engage in activities that have the potential to build our nation further. Supporting an event such as this enables us to help Nigerian athletes who have struggled to find international standard competitions where they can hone their skills. We look forward to seeing athletes from the MoC Grand Prix event participate at the Olympics Games in Tokyo and eventually stand on the podium proudly flying the Nigerian flag.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) also partnered with MoC on the event. As with the previous editions, all the results are ratified by the AFN and recognized globally by World Athletics for Athletes to qualify for major global championships such as the Olympics.
