Oyeleke Celebrates Successful Zen Archery Tournament in Nigeria

The founder of Zen Archery Club, Emmanuel Oyeleke, has called the successful 2026 Zen Archery Lagos International Open Tournament proof that Nigeria can host top-level archery events. This four-day event wrapped up recently in Lagos.

The tournament took place at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan. It attracted athletes from Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Zimbabwe, and Chad. This edition is the largest since the tournament started.

Now in its third year, the Lagos International Open has grown from a small event into one of West Africa's key archery competitions. It is drawing top competitors and boosting the sport’s presence in Nigeria.

Oyeleke reflected on the event, saying it was a fulfilling experience.
“I think the question that you asked, am I fulfilled as the founder of Zen Archery, I think I am more than fulfilled,” he said.

He added, “We’ve demonstrated to the world that this is possible, this is possible especially in Nigeria, to organise a world-standard event in Lagos, Nigeria, with multiple participating teams from different countries, and for it to be a great and resounding success.”

Oyeleke mentioned that the atmosphere during the tournament was charged. “It’s been really good, the success has been resounding, all the athletes are really happy. Organisers are really happy, the judges are satisfied with the competition and everything has gone smoothly so far so it’s been a huge success and I’m more than fulfilled with the current state of things.”

The tournament was organised by Zen Archery Club in partnership with the Lagos State Sports Commission. The Director-General of the commission, Lekan Fatodu, described the event as proof that alternative sports can boost youth development and sports tourism in Lagos.

“The power of sports like archery in providing physical stability, mental growth, focus and discipline for young people is remarkable,” Fatodu noted.

He explained that events like the Zen Archery Lagos International Open create chances for local businesses and strengthen Lagos as a sporting destination.

Aderonke Aderinoye, Chairperson of the Local Organising Committee, also called the tournament a success.
“We had a very successful session over the last three to four days with all our athletes competing at the topmost level. And we are happy that we’ve come to a successful end. It was a good one and we hope to have a bigger one same time next year,” she said.

She added that the tournament aimed to expose local athletes to tougher competition. “So that’s the essence of this tournament, to bring competition from athletes across Africa,” she said.

In the competition, Côte d’Ivoire was the strongest foreign team, especially in the recurve events. Yao Kouassi Chadrac won the 50m Recurve Men title, while Agnes Lewi Jean Eben took gold in the 70m Recurve Men category.

Kossia Prisca dominated the women’s recurve events, winning both the 50m and 70m titles. The Ivorians also won gold medals in the 50m Recurve Men Team, 70m Recurve Men Team, and 70m Recurve Mixed Team events.

Nigerian archers also performed well. Zen Archery’s Adebayo Lateef Mubarak won gold in the 50m Compound Men event. Firefly Shooters’ Evans Hareke claimed the women’s title.

Arch Archery Club excelled in the 50m Barebow Men category, with Abdulbasit Sanni winning gold and Seun Ogunlana taking silver. Faith Adekogbe of Zen Archery secured gold in the 50m Barebow Women category.

Zen Archery also won several team medals, including gold in the 30m Barebow Men Team and the Compound Mixed Team event. The President of the Nigeria Archery Federation, Mohammed Abdullahi, praised the organisers for raising the standard of local competitions.

“Well, what I’d like to say is congratulations to them for this milestone effort to promote Archery in Nigeria,” he said. “The essence is not for all state chapters to depend on the Federation to organise championships of this nature.”

He said Zen Archery has set an example for other clubs and associations. “They have also set the pace for other clubs to emulate and that is what we want. It’s about competition, it’s about improving interpersonal relationships, bringing together our youths beyond the shores of Nigeria, like we have here today, five countries competing and then of course a very healthy competition for that matter.”

Several Nigerian athletes used the tournament as practice for the upcoming African Championships in Algeria. Compound champion Mubarak Adebayo said the event showed clear progress among Nigerian archers.
“If you compare our scores, you see that everyone has really, really improved,” he said.

Women’s compound winner Evans Hareke called the tournament an important test ahead of national assignments. “This was sort of like a prerequisite just to test if we’re sort of ready. I think we’re pretty much ready,” she said.

Oyeleke said the organisers aim to grow the tournament further. “Five countries this year, we’re hoping that this can be bigger and better next year,” he said. “We’ve had five countries. I think we see a growth, five-fold growth.”

He mentioned that the goal is to attract between 10 and 20 countries in future editions, positioning Lagos as a key hub for the sport. For many participants and officials, the 2026 edition showed that archery is finding a solid place in Nigeria, supported by growing clubs, international participation, and increasing support.