Lagos State athletes are smiling to the bank, following the payment of N36.3m by the Lagos State Government, as cash rewards to athletes who won medals for the state at the last National Sports Festival, held in Abeokuta, Ogun State in May 2025.
Some of the athletes confirmed receipt of the payments to our correspondent, following an announcement last week by the Lagos State Sports Commission that the state government had approved the rewards for medals won at the festival.
Team Lagos finished sixth at the Gateway Games 2024, which took place in May 2025, winning 38 gold, 43 silver and 88 bronze medals.
Of the 169 medallists, 32 individual gold medallists received N300,000 each, the same amount awarded to five gold medallists in doubles events. One gold medal won in a team event attracted N700,000, shared among the athletes involved.
Individual and doubles silver medallists earned N200,000 each, while silver-winning teams shared N500,000.
Bronze medallists in individual and doubles events received N150,000 each, while bronze-winning teams were awarded N350,000.
“We started receiving the payments last Friday after we were informed that the funds had been approved,” one of the athletes said on condition of anonymity when asked about the update on their demands.
Few weeks after the Gateway Games, Lagos State junior athletes achieved an unprecedented feat at the 2025 National Youth Games in Asaba, dethroning hosts Delta State for the first time in the history of the competition. Team Lagos won a total of 110 medals, comprising 52 gold, 32 silver and 26 bronze medals.
That triumph prompted Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to reward the junior athletes before extending the gesture to the senior athletes.
Director-General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu, reaffirmed that the state’s commitment to athletes welfare is not a mere policy position.