2026 Akwa Ibom Sports Festival to Begin September 22

The 2026 Akwa Ibom State Sports Festival will officially begin on September 22, with the closing ceremony scheduled for September 27.

Governor Pastor Umo Eno is also expected to light the Festival Torch on Thursday, September 10, as the state begins the final countdown to the sporting event.

The festival will bring together athletes from the 31 local government areas of Akwa Ibom State, with participants expected to compete in different sporting events.

The 2026 edition follows the successful 2025 Sports Festival, which ran from September 8 to September 13 and ended with a colourful closing ceremony at the Uyo Township Stadium.

The 2025 festival produced 627 medals, made up of 196 gold, 189 silver and 242 bronze medals. Every local government area won at least one medal.

Itu Local Government Area emerged as the overall winner after recording an impressive 70 gold, 17 silver and 19 bronze medals, giving it 106 medals in total.

Uyo finished second with 22 gold, 11 silver and 14 bronze medals, while Nsit Atai took third place with 19 gold, 13 silver and seven bronze medals.

Other strong performers included Etinan, Ikot Ekpene, Onna, Oruk Anam and Uruan, which also recorded impressive medal hauls.

The festival provided an opportunity for young athletes across the state to showcase their talents while promoting unity and sports development.

At the closing ceremony last year, Governor Umo Eno described the event as a celebration in which “Everyone is a winner.”

With the 2026 edition set to begin on September 22, attention will now turn to the athletes and local government teams as they battle for honours and look to produce new champions.