Other Sports
NIGERIAN SWIM SCHOOL START-UP WINS AFRICAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARD GRANT
A Nigerian swim school start-up, the Dolphin Aquatic Centre and Dolphin Swim School, have won a grant from the Moroccan-funded African Entrepreneurship Award for 2018.
The African Entrepreneurship Award aims to help Africans build sustainable for-profit businesses supported by technology via mentoring and funding. 30 finalists out of over 4,000 applicants were flown to Morocco for a week of boot camp and mentoring before 13 winners were selected to share total prize money of $1million. The entire process was a 10-month long journey that started in March and ended in December.
Founder AderojuOpe-Ajayi, 38, a FINA-certified swimming instructor and coach, was one of three award recipients in the sports category funded by the BMCE Bank of Africa that is headquartered in Casablanca.
Aderoju has been running the Dolphin Aquatic Centre & Swim School since 2017 where she trains families and mostly women and children in swimming skills while also helping young athletes achieve their professional goals.
The grant would help build her business across several locations in Nigeria, provide more jobs and encourage female participation in the area of swimming education.
“I want to expand the business across several locations. We will also launch an onlinewater safety instructors training portal and sport advancement programmes intargeted locations,” Aderoju Ope-Ajayi said.
“This experience has shown that sports businesses in Nigeria can be viable and have the potential to make impact not just in Nigeria but in Africa and around the world. Swimming is not only a life saving skill, it is a tool to build healthy communities, ensure sports advancement and job creation in Nigeria,” she said.
Aderoju’s natural flair and talent for swimming was discovered at a very tender age by her father, the late Coach Y.A Amodu, who was a national swimming coach. Trained to a level of excellence by her father, she was introduced to the world of competitive swimming and participated in many age grade competitions. Her efforts culminated in gold medals at the Nigerian University Games and the West African University Games where she represented the University of Lagos.
She was also one of the Accredited FINA Swimming Officials during the All African Games hosted in Abuja, Nigeria.
In the last decade, Aderoju made the decision to focus primarily on swimming as her professional career and has invested in her swimming development. She was recently nominated to the Board of the Lagos State Swimming Association and is committed to raising the standard for the sport across the country. She continues to deliver the best swimming education to students of her swimming academy in Lagos as well as in Abuja.
The stage is set for the 3rd National Para Games, Nigeria’s largest and most prestigious para sports event, scheduled to hold from March 26 to April 3, 2026, in Abuja.
For nine days, the nation’s capital will host more than 3,000 athletes representing all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, competing across 15 different sports in what promises to be a vibrant celebration of resilience, excellence and inclusion. Organisers say champions will emerge, records will tumble, and new chapters will be written in Nigeria’s para sports history.
The Games are being organised by the National Sports Commission, which describes the event as a critical platform for talent discovery, national unity and the advancement of para sports development across the country.
Since its inception, the National Para Games has evolved into a cornerstone of Nigeria’s sporting calendar, spotlighting the remarkable abilities of athletes living with disabilities while reinforcing the country’s commitment to inclusive participation in sports.
Officials say the 2026 edition will surpass previous outings in scale, organisation and competitive intensity. With participation confirmed from every state of the federation and the FCT, the Games are expected to reveal the depth of talent spread nationwide and provide a pathway for standout performers to progress to continental and global competitions.
In a significant boost to preparations, the National Youth Service Corps has partnered with the Commission by releasing its Orientation Camp in Kubwa, Abuja, to serve as the official Games Village. The facility will accommodate athletes and officials throughout the competition, offering a secure and community-focused environment designed to foster camaraderie and peak performance.
The collaboration reflects a broader inter-agency commitment to empowering young Nigerians and promoting social integration through sport. It also underscores growing national recognition of para athletes as integral contributors to Nigeria’s sporting success.
With anticipation building and logistics nearing completion, Abuja is poised to welcome thousands of competitors and supporters for what promises to be a defining celebration of courage, competition and collective pride.
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By Keresifon Essien
Akwa Ibom State will parade a strong contingent of about 280 athletes and 44 officials at the 2026 Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF), scheduled to hold in Benin City, Edo State, from February 20 to 28.
The State Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with the Curator of Keresy Sports Museum (KSM), Keresifon Essien, noting that Team Akwa Ibom will compete in 16 sporting events at the regional multi-sports fiesta.
According to Bassey, the sports in which the state will feature include football, basketball, volleyball, handball, table tennis, badminton, lawn tennis, boxing, wrestling, judo, karate, taekwondo, weightlifting, swimming and chess.
To ensure optimal preparation, the state government has constituted a five-man State Liaison Committee to oversee arrangements for the festival. The committee is chaired by the Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey.
Other members of the committee are Coach Catherine Ewa Ekuta, Head of Technical; Guinness World Record holder George Essien; Edidiong Stephen, a member; and Mfon Bassey, who serves as Secretary.
Bassey explained that the committee has been mandated to fine-tune all preparations for the festival, beginning with the state trials scheduled for this weekend, and to ensure that the contingent arrives in Benin City fully prepared and ready to project Akwa Ibom State positively at the Niger Delta Sports Festival.
He expressed confidence that with proper planning and early preparations, Team Akwa Ibom will make a strong impression when the festival proper begins.
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Team Nigeria on Monday afternoon departed the country for Cairo, Egypt, where they will compete in the 2025 World Karate Championship scheduled for November 27–30.
The nation will be represented by five outstanding athletes who have demonstrated exceptional discipline, consistency, and competitive grit in their buildup to the global event. The team is made up of:
- Loveth Ngozi Okoro – Kumite -50kg
- Godfirst Orie Ukoha-Sampson – Kumite -55kg
- Constance Tamunodiepreye Abode – Kumite -61kg
- Ujunwa Caroline Nwankwo – Kumite +68kg
- Oluwaseun Olorunbe – Male Kata
The athletes, who have undergone intense preparations, will be led by coach Efezino Akpotu, while Olusegun Abode serves as the leader of delegation.
Four members of the squad—Ngozi, Godfirst, Constance, and Ujunwa—are already well-known names on the domestic circuit. They are regular contenders at the Zainab Saleh International Female Open Karate Championship, an annual tournament founded by Hajiya Zainab Saleh, a Board Member of the Karate Federation of Nigeria (KFN). The championship has been widely recognised for empowering and developing female karatekas across the country.
Ahead of the team’s participation, the Board of the KFN expressed confidence in the athletes’ ability to deliver strong performances on the world stage.
However, it also appealed to the National Sports Commission (NSC) for urgent financial support to offset debts incurred in ensuring Nigeria’s participation in the championship.
According to the federation, the World Karate Championship falls under the mandate of the NSC, and timely intervention is necessary to stabilise the federation’s operations after securing the team’s trip to Cairo.
Team Nigeria will now focus on making a strong impact as they join the world’s best karatekas in Egypt later this week.
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