Nigeria Names 15 Junior Swimmers For Zone 2 Championships In Senegal

The Nigeria Aquatics Federation (NAqF) has named a 15-member junior team for the 2026 Africa Aquatics Zone 2 Junior Swimming Championship in Dakar, Senegal, from August 28 to 30.

The Nigerian team, comprising 11 female and four male swimmers, will compete against young athletes from 32 countries at the continental championship.

The competition is also expected to serve as an important test for Nigeria’s junior swimmers ahead of the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, scheduled for October 30 to November 12.

The federation, in a statement released on Wednesday’s night, said the Dakar event forms part of its competition programme aimed at exposing the swimmers to high-level opposition while assessing their readiness for the Youth Olympic Games.

The selected swimmers are India Brown, Omolola Akinsanmi, Atinuke Alfred-Olajide, Boluwatife Alfred-Olajide, Oluwatofunmi Ibidapo, Aviva Hibbert, Kristabel Chisa Oldeide, Ivanna Itoandon, Toluwalase Agarau, Tireniolu Olutodimu Nedd, Olutise Temilolu Nedd, Aidan Dumuje-Abili, Demilade Ayemowa, Oluwatimilehin Olaiya and Udoh Daniel Emediong.

Christopher Ezemegwalu will serve as the team’s coach.

The swimmers will continue their preparations after the Dakar competition with the “Swim to the Future” event in September, before competing at the National Intermediate Games in October.

The sequence of competitions will give the athletes regular opportunities to compete, improve their race experience and assess their progress before the Youth Olympic Games.

The federation said the competition schedule would see the swimmers compete almost every month between August and October, providing consistent exposure and helping them maintain their physical and competitive readiness.

The Dakar championship is therefore expected to provide an early indication of the team’s level against international opposition, while the subsequent domestic competitions will allow the swimmers to continue refining their performances.

Nigeria will be seeking to use the programme to strengthen its junior swimming pool and prepare a new generation of athletes capable of competing successfully at continental and global level.

The federation said sustained competition and exposure to quality opposition remained central to its approach to junior development ahead of the Youth Olympic Games.