NIGERIA’S SWIMMING FUTURE BRIGHTENS WITH GLOBAL SCHOLARSHIPS

By: Gyang Dakwo

There is fresh hope for Nigeria in the sport of swimming as two young athletes, Clinton Opute and Colins Ebingha, have been awarded training scholarships by World Aquatics. For years, Nigeria has struggled to make its mark in international swimming, but this recognition signals a brighter future.

Opute, who hails from Delta State, has already made his name on the international stage. He competed at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships, where he finished 65th in the 50-metre freestyle with a time of 23.79 seconds and 72nd in the 100-metre butterfly with 59.29 seconds. He also holds several Nigerian national records, including the long-course 200m butterfly and 200m individual medley, as well as three short-course events.

His scholarship is one of 100 offered by World Aquatics, and it will run from September 1, 2025, until June 30, 2028. The programme will sponsor his training at the CN d’Antibes Training Centre in the south of France. It will also provide full board accommodation, meal allowance, insurance, competition participation, and even a monthly pocket allowance of 100 dollars.

Ebingha, who comes from Bayelsa State, will have his scholarship cover training in Hungary from September 2025 to August 2026. He may not yet hold an individual national record, but he has been part of Nigeria’s men’s 4×100 freestyle relay and mixed 4×100 medley relay teams that set national records. At the World Championships in Singapore, he finished 61st in the 100-metre freestyle and 49th in the 50-metre butterfly.

Both swimmers now join a growing list of Sub-Saharan athletes gaining recognition. Namibia’s Ronan Wantenaar, who also trains at the Antibes centre, reached the semifinals of the 50-metre breaststroke at the 2024 Short Course World Championships in Budapest and the 2025 World Championships in Singapore, where he placed 10th overall.

While their placing in international competitions might seem unimpressive, they open a path for Nigerian swimmers to improve, compete at higher levels, and one day challenge for medals. And with Opute and Ebingha leading the way, Nigeria may soon find itself rising in a sport where it has long struggled.