All set for Ibadan Age Grade Swimming competition

The 2nd edition of the Ibadan Age Grade Swimming Championships has been scheduled to take place on Friday and Saturday, April 18 and 19, respectively.

A total of 150 young swimmers are expected to converge at the University of Ibadan Swimming Pool during the Easter weekend, with the event starting by 9 am each day.

The convener of the event, Oluwatimilehin Olaiya, told our correspondent that all was set for this year’s edition, which is expected to produce so many thrills and excitement for lovers of the sport.

Olaiya said she was optimistic that the Ibadan Age Grade Swimming Championships would ultimately produce future champions for Nigeria.

“We started last year with 100 swimmers but now so far we have surpassed that number and we expect not less than 150 swimmers. This is a talent discovery tournament and we expect the best in this year’s edition,” Olaiya said.

Four swimmers each are expected from the South West states while entries are also open to schools including tertiary institutions.

A total of 60 events will be competed for, from the 50m freestyle to the 400m long distance. All strokes, including back, breast and back strokes will be competed for at the event.

According to Miss Olaiya, the age categories ranged from six years to adult. She added that two university undergraduates took part in the 2024 edition.

Telecommunications giants, MTN and Rite Foods and GB Agboola have been supportive of the dream of young Olaiya to stage the Ibadan Swimming Championships this year.

The top technical people expected to handle the championships are Jesimiel Samuel, Dr Ibikunle Odebunmi, Jimi Banwo and Risikat Ebeloku-Mustapha.

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