Grange School and St Saviour’s School have retained their dominance at the Season 7 Dolphin Swimming League Awards, again emerging as the country’s best-performing schools.
The awards ceremony was held on Sunday in Ikoyi, Lagos.
The event celebrated outstanding swimmers, with Meadow Hall School’s Naetochukwu Oguegbu and Grange School’s Aidan Dumuje-Abili and Oluwatofunmi Ibidapo winning Most Valuable Player awards.
Oguegbu was among the season’s standout performers, winning 15 gold medals.
His achievements earned him the Best Male Swimmer award alongside Dumuje-Abili, one of the league’s most consistent performers.
The performances of both swimmers have raised expectations for a promising new generation of Nigerian swimming talent.
For the second consecutive year, Ibidapo won the Best Female Swimmer award after securing 14 gold medals and one silver medal.
Ibidapo said retaining the title demanded greater commitment and determination.
“After winning last year, I knew I had to work harder to keep the title.
“With the support of my parents, I was able to achieve it. Next season, I hope to make it three in a row through more dedication and hard work,” she said.
Former President of the Nigeria Aquatics Federation, Babatunde Fatayi-Williams, described the Dolphin Swimming League as one of Nigeria’s leading grassroots competitions.
He said the league had consistently produced swimmers who now represent Nigeria at national, continental and international competitions.
Fatayi-Williams urged the federation to strengthen collaboration with organisers to expand the competition across the country.
“This is one of the best competitions to have emerged from Nigeria.
“We have seen swimmers from this platform move on to represent the country. It is important for stakeholders to support it and grow it nationwide,” he said.
The league’s Technical Director, Samuel Jesimiel, said the competition was helping to develop future national representatives.
Jesimiel praised parents and guardians for their unwavering support, describing their commitment as vital to the competition’s continued growth.
“Without the parents and guardians standing firmly behind these young athletes, it would be very difficult to achieve the level of progress we are seeing today.
“Their encouragement has not only motivated the children but has also pushed us, as organisers, to keep improving the competition year after year,” he said.
He added that organisers remained committed to providing a stronger platform for nurturing talent and encouraging healthy competition among schools.
Parents at the ceremony also commended the organisers and pledged continued support for the league’s development.
In the team category, St Saviour’s School, Ikoyi, won the Best Primary School award with 954.5 points.
Grange School topped the secondary school category with 1,074 points.
Boken Club emerged as the best club at both primary and secondary levels.
The Dolphin Swimming League is organised annually by Dynaspro Sports Promotion in collaboration with Advanta Interactive Ltd.
The competition receives technical support from the Lagos State Aquatic Association and is sanctioned by the Nigeria Aquatics Federation, the Nigeria Olympic Committee and the Nigeria School Sport Federation.
