2025 Sports Fiesta: Lagos Using Sports To Advocate Gender Balance, Grassroots Talent Development

The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Sports, in collaboration with the Office of the Sustainable Development Goals, has organised the 2025 Sports Fiesta, an initiative aimed at propagating sports development at the grassroots level, gender balance and providing an avenue for the burgeoning talents to compete among themselves.

The event held recently at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Centre, Rowe Park, Yaba, Lagos, brought together young people and community participants to engage in both physical and intellectual sports, reinforcing the importance of holistic development through teamwork, discipline, strategic thinking, and healthy competition.

While basketball provided an avenue for physical fitness and teamwork, chess challenged participants mentally, promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

In basketball, Ravens Academy, with their energetic movement and total control of the game from the outset, emerged as champions after defeating First Deepwater 33-27 in an encounter that thrilled spectators and guests.

Beatrice Mark of Ravens Academy went home with a coveted prize of Most Valuable Player for her outstanding performance in the 2025 Sports Fiesta – an event that not only spotlighted her skills but also provided a platform for other girls to demonstrate their ability in the dunking game.

Patrick Floresaint and Ogunfowoke Veronica were the joint winners in the mind game after they successfully won all their matches without dropping any game, a testament to continuous practice, commitment and a conducive environment created for budding players to grow and showcase their innate talent. Floresaint and Veronica went home with cash prizes.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Sports, Damilare Orimoloye described Lagos as a functional city that embraces all, noting that the Sports Fiesta is a deliberate attempt to reduce inequality, promote community cohesion and ensure gender balance.

“We named it Sports Fiesta as we intend to make it bigger across IBILE come 2026. This is just a direction of where we are going, and we want to continue to create that gospel of gender equality and ensure that no one is left behind”, he said.

Orimoloye expressed his appreciation to Governor Sanwo-Olu for his unwavering commitment to youth and sports development while also thanking the Lagos State Sports Commission and SDGs for their support in making the event a reality.

Head of Outreach and Advocacy, Sustainable Development Goals SDGs, Mrs. Ariyo Idowu noted that the initiative aligned with the agency’s goals and also serves as a veritable platform in promoting gender equality, youth empowerment, teamwork, and community spirit.

With the dunking game and chess unveiled as the sports for the pilot edition, the organisers reiterated that the event would attract more Games in the next edition as the initiative was conceived to bridge the gap of inequality, bringing youth together for healthy competition, discovering more talents and giving a platform to up-and-coming athletes to sharpen their skills in their chosen career.