Over 1,000 Athletes Kick Off Maiden MFM Youth Games at Mountain Top University

Photo Credit: File Photo – Officials and players during the MFM Youth Games / Punch Newspapers
Over 1,000 Athletes Kick Off Maiden MFM Youth Games at Mountain Top University
More than 1,000 athletes and officials drawn from 17 merged mega regions have converged on Mountain Top University for the maiden edition of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) Youth Games.

The multi-sport fiesta, which officially began on Monday, will see young athletes compete for honours in six sports — football, basketball, athletics, table tennis, scrabble and chess — over the next few days.

The Games opened with a colourful opening ceremony capped by an exhibition football match between Mountain Top University (MTU) and MFM Ministries. MTU won the match 1-0.

Declaring the competition open, the General Overseer of MFM Ministries, Dr. Daniel Olukoya, who was represented by the Senior Regional Overseer and Assembly Pastor, MFM International Headquarters, Pastor Kunle Adesanya, said the event is designed to help youths showcase God-given talents.

“This is refreshing for the participating athletes and this allows them to showcase the gifts that God has given them while making people happy and also making themselves happy,” he said. “When there are competitions like this, you will see them coming out with the best of their gifts and this is also a kind of evangelism.”

Director of Sports, MFM Ministries, Godwin Enakhena, said talent discovery remains the core objective of the initiative.

According to him, the church is looking to discover the next generation of stars, including another Wilfred Ndidi in football, future national stars in basketball like Ese Brume, Tobi Amusan and Divine Oduduru in athletics, and the next Atanda Musa from its 10-year-old table tennis academy.

Also speaking, the Director of Sports at Mountain Top University, Professor Olurotimi Olurin, expressed delight at the university’s participation, noting that MTU was initially meant to only assist with organization before deciding to field athletes even while on break.

He commended the General Overseer for providing the facilities and for his commitment to youth development.

For first-time competitors like table tennis player John Chibuike, the Games offer a major platform to be discovered.

Source: Punch Newspapers –