As the sun sets on April 11, 2025, the Health Sciences Students Forum bids farewell to what has been an intriguing three weeks of sporting competition in the Medic Olympics.

The inaugural Medic Olympics, organized by the Health Sciences Students Forum (HSSF), culminates today in a vibrant finale that has transformed the medical school’s rigorous atmosphere into a festival of sport, camaraderie, and departmental pride.

Students from eight departments – Medical Laboratory, Nursing, Anatomy, Human Physiology, Radiography, Physiotherapy, Medicine, and Public Health – have in the past weeks, swapped stethoscopes for sneakers, competing in a spirited showcase of athleticism and sportsmanship.

The Medic Olympics, born from a nostalgic spark in the mind of Founder/Chairman Favour Peters, a 500-level medical student, has rekindled the joy of inter-house sports competitions reminiscent of secondary school days. “I guess it was inspired by my longing for an inter-house sports competition just as we did in secondary school,” Peters shared, reflecting on the event’s origins. The name “Medic Olympics,” coined spontaneously, captures its ambition to elevate beyond a typical football tournament into an all-around sports event in a semblance of the Olympics.

The journey began with a marathon on March 22, where over 200 students raced through RSU’s streets, led by winners Atuwo Atamgbo (Medicine and Surgery) and Telenyem Mgaogute (Medical Laboratory Sciences). Alberta Tetteh, a second-year Nursing student and HSSF Chief of Staff, noted then that the marathon’s success sparked “tremendous excitement” for what followed. That momentum has carried through to today, as students competed across eight sports: Football (Male and Female), Volleyball (Male and Female), Races (100m, 400m, 4×100 Mixed), Table Tennis, and Board Games like Chess, Scrabble, Ludo, Ayo, and Checkers.

Track events, board games and Football will be part of the events taking place on the final day, with Anatomy defying all odds to reach the men’s football final after a nail-biting penalty shootout against Physiology. Despite few students predicting their victory, Anatomy’s grit has them on the cusp of history, facing a fierce opponent. In the women’s final, equally intense two departments(Physiology and Public Health) in the men’s division lost out in the semi-finals, battling for supremacy, their fans roaring from the stands. All events will be held at Sharks Stadium in Port Harcourt.