35 Participants for the 1OC/NOC , Aquatics Solidarity Technical Coaching Course in Lagos.
A total of thirty-five participants drawn from across the Country are featuring at the International Olympic Committee ( IOC )/Nigeria Olympic Committee ( NOC ) level 1 and 2 Aquatics Sports Technical Course for Coaches, holding at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Complex, Rowe Park, Yaba, Lagos.
Made up 24 males and 14 females, the train the trainers programme which was initially scheduled to take place at the NOC secretariat, National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, was later moved to the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Complex, Yaba, Lagos due to logistics .
The capacity building initiative is aimed at developing Nigerian Aquatics coaches from the grass root.
Declaring the weeklong technical coaching course open on Wednesday
16 September, 2026, President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Engr. Habu Ahmed Gumel, who was ably represented by Mrs. Kemi Obidaunsi, highlighted the huge importance of the weeklong course and the need for the participants to pay proper attention to whatever the facilitator is teaching them as they will later fall back to it after the facilitator must have left.
The President charged them not to be lukewarm but proactive inorder to acquire all the needed knowledge which they will in turn, transfer to their athletes.
Engr. Gumel described the coaches as the heartbeat of the athletes since it is what they teach the athletes that the athletes will bring out in return.
The NOC President encouraged them to keep learning because, no knowledge is a waste; adding that
learning is continuous exercise that has no limitation.
He insisted that the day we stop learning means we are dead because, it is only the dead that does not learn any more.
But since we are living, we must continue to learn and learn and learn.
The President challenged them to drop their old way of doing things and embrace the new horizon often associated with success.
He added that it is only when we give our athletes good training that they will get to podium finish. And that the only way that we can give our athletes good training is through good programmes of training the trainers like this
Also speaking, course facilitator, Mr. Codric Finch from South Africa, who said his mission is to impact more swimming knowledge and experience into Nigeria swimming coaches, bridge the gap and also learn from them.
Mr. Finch praised the coaches for their, zeal, openness and enthusiasm to learn.
He said , he is not here to bring all the knowledge but will try as much as possible to make some section interactive so that every body will benefit.
In his speech, Secretary General of the Nigeria Aquatics Federation, Mr. Oris Oridota Taiwo, said the IOC/NOC solidarity coaching course aligns with the vision of the executive board of the Nigeria Aquatics Federation, led by Hon. Lekan Fatodun as President, and vision of the leadership of the National Sports Commission ( NSC ) led by Mallam Shehu Dikko and Hon. Bukola Olopade to train Nigeria swimming coaches to
ensure that capacity is built towards achieving podium finish at the Youth Olympic Games billed for October/ November 2026 and 2027 Africa Games.
Number of Participating coaches are 24 males and 14 females.
