In a long time, Nigeria has not done well in swimming at the continental and world levels considering her massive endowments. But the current Board of the Nigeria Swimming Federation says though the country is plagued with dearth of facilities, absence of sustained developmental programmes, among others, it remains poised in its determination to bring back the good old days in the sport, writes ENO-ABASI SUNDAY.LEGENDARY Olympian, Larisa Semyonovna Latynina, a Russian-Ukrainian and former Soviet gymnast holds the record for the most Olympic medals ever won by an individual. Besides holding a total of 18 medals, more Olympic medals than any other competitor in any sport, she is also the only female athlete to win nine Olympic gold medals. All these records she set in three outings, that is, 1956, 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympic Games.It is also on record that Latynina held the distinction of having more Olympic gold medals (either individually or with a team) than anybody ever, from 1964 to 2008, until American swimming sensation, Michael Phelps, erased her record.Born June 30, 1985 in Baltimore, Phelps has won 16 Olympic medals- six gold and two bronze at Athens in 2004, and eight gold medals at Beijing in 2008. He currently holds the record for the most gold medals won in a single Olympics and his medal total is second only to gymnast Latynina.History has shown that Nigeria is not famed for producing great gymnasts, but considering her human potentials, resources and abundant aquatic endowments, it is not impossible for a disciplined and well prepared Nigerian athlete to attain or even surpass the feat achieved by Latynina and Phelps.It must, however, be stated that even in the midst of mounting debate that swimming gives too many 'unmerited' medals, attaining this is no mean feat. Of the over 300 medals awarded at the Olympic Games, swimming gives out 96, almost a third of the entire sum, making it the sport with the highest medal prospects.Writing under the headline 'Swimming gives too many medals', Cyd Zeigler (Jnr), a commentator and author in the field of sexuality and sports argued, 'For the last couple of Olympics, it has started to bug me that so many medals are handed out in swimming. People are falling over themselves to declare Michael Phelps the greatest Olympian ever, greatest athlete in the world, etc I just don't buy it. Swimming medals are the most watered-down handed out at the Games, and his eight, in my mind, don't equal the four that Jesse Owens won in 1936 or that Carl Lewis won in 1984.'Imagine if in track and field they handed out a medal in the 100m for running, running backward, hopping and skipping. That's essentially what happens in swimming. Instead of giving out a medal for simply the fastest person to go the 100m, they give one for each of four different strokes; and at the 200m distance, they give out five medals (one for individual medley). That's bullshit. Of Phelps' eight gold medals, only three are from freestyle, and two are from the medley.'As the argument continues, countries like the United States, Australia and Great Britain are exploring the sport and using it to widen their Olympics medal base.However, a peep into history shows that around the 1970's to early 2000, Nigeria made efforts to be counted among the top swimming nations on the continent. This was at a time when there were regular competitions and adequate funds devoted for funding of training programmes. This was also before the proliferation of states, which many argue, has led to the paralysation of sports at that level because they do not have enough money to dedicate to their sport councils, who in turn do not have enough money to spend on all the sports.According to history, some of those swimmers, who rode the crest in those years, when Nigeria used to be a formidable nation in swimming include Ngozi Enuwizor, who got two gold medals representing Nigeria at the 1978 All Africa Games (AAG) in Algiers, Algeria, John Ebito, who won one gold medal at the 1973 AAG and Steven Onyeacholam, who competed in the relay team with Ebito.In the early 1990's, there was also Musa Bakare, who got a silver medal in the 100m butterfly event at the 5th AAG in Cairo, Egypt. Baraghawei Digha got a silver medal in 100m breaststroke at the AAG and Joshua Ikhaghomi another AAG silver medallist.In the early 2000's, the most outstanding three swimmers were Ngozi Monu, a silver medallist in the 50m freestyle event at the 2003 AAG in Abuja. Obia Inyengiyikabo got a bronze medal in the same AAG and a silver medal in the Afro-Asian Games in India, same year. Yellow Yeiyah, who got a silver medal at the 2007 AAG, completed the trio. The 2011 AAG bronze medallist, Rachael Tonjor, Samson Opuakpo and Faith Edorodion are among the last set of national swimmers to don the country's colours.However, their performance in Maputo, Mozambique, where the country's swimmers, despite breaking about eight national records (some of whom were more than 10 years old) clearly showed that most of the swimmers were doing their swan song.Since coming on board, the current board of the Nigerian Swimming Federation (NSF) has not hidden its determination to rev up the development of the sport from the grassroots.Sadly, the federation, one of those concessioned by the Federal Government in June 2009, after a critical appraisal of the situation, strongly believes that with talents abound in the country, the dearth of state-of-the-art facilities and absence of sustained developmental programmes remain the major factors that have caused the country's failure to rise to the occasion, when the roll call of world swimming nations are reeled out.This notwithstanding, the federation, now under the management of a group consisting of three partners, the Nigerian Navy, O'jez Entertainment and Authentic Friends of Swimming has, since it came on board showed that it has the capacity to raise from the dead, the ailing water sport.Between June 2009 when the current Board was inaugurated, it has organisedabout six competitions, which include the National Age Group Swimming Competition held at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, (September 10 to12 2009), first 2010 Swimming Classic for invited elite swimmers, at the University of Ibadan Swimming (March 24 to 25, 2010), 2nd Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Open Swimming Championship at the Murtala Mohammed Sq. Swimming Complex, Kaduna, (April 15 to17 2010), Second 2010 Swimming Classics for elite swimmers at the TeslimBalogun Stadium, Lagos and the 3rd CNS Open Swimming Championship was held at Ilorin Stadium, Kwara State (June 8 to 11 2011).The federation has also sent teams to the 13th FINA World Championships in Rome, Italy, the 10th FINA World Short Course (25 Metres)Swimming Championship in Dubai, the 8th African Junior Swimming Championship in Mauritius (Nigeria's last attendance was at the2nd edition held in 1992 in Casablanca, Morocco) and to the African Senior Swimming Championship that took place in Casablanca, Morocco in September 2010.After staging an officiating clinic for S/West Zone in Akure, Ondo State in February 16 to 18 2010, officials in the South South Zone had their turn this year in Port Harcourt.In May this year, it participated in the 4th CANA (African Swimming Confederation) Zone Two Swimming Championship held in Dakar, Senegal, where Nigeriafinished overall second, behind Senegal. The federation in July this year also attended the 14th FINA World Swimming Championships, Shanghai, China among others.A recent age-group championship at the behest of the federation in collaboration with Westwood Springs International Limited and sponsored by the Niger Delta Development Company (NDDC) further confirmed that when it comes to talents, the country was not lacking. It also showed glaringly that the reason why Nigerian kid swimmers fail to transit gracefully to elite ones and vie for honours neck-to-neck with their peers from other parts of the world, especially Europe, was the dearth of facilities, lack of techniques and absence of sustained training/developmental programmes.President of the federation, Babatunde Fatayi-William, amplified this by admitting that Nigeria has enough talents to compete with the best swimming nations on the globe, but a number of factors derail the transition from the age 10 and under category into the teenage years, where the building of elite swimmers gets very serious.'For several years, the swimming federation used to send Nigerian kids abroad to compete in age group competitions. In the 1990's and in the early 2000, they were going under the Ikoyi Club banner for some age group championships, which involves up to 600 to 700 kids mostly from European countries.'In these outings, we found out that in the 10 years and under category, our kids hold on very well and this is so because at that stage, our training programme is at par with their training programme there. At this stage, the kids usually train once daily and between three to four days in a week. But once we get into the 11 to 12 age category, that is, the beginning of the teenage years, we start dropping backwards whereas over there, they start training twice a day and five days a week. It is at this point that the gap begins to widen because while European kids gain speed and improve on their technicalities, ours do not.'This gap is worsened as a result of lack of follow-up facilities and inadequate manpower because over there, their schools have qualified swimming coaches and in many cases have their swimming pools within the school compounds. Even when they don't, there are community pools that the kids train on their way to school and after school. Clearly, this is the stage that we usually lose out of the equation.'The Ajodejis are a ready example of what Fatayi-William is talking about. As young as six, Morikeoluwa Ayodeji had shown that she has a lot to offer the country in swimming.Representing Ikoyi Club 1938 in November 2007 at a swimming competition at Tesano Swimming Club, Accra, Ghana, Morikeoluwa won three gold medals in the age 6 years and under category.At the American International School Fall Invitational Swim Meet in November 2008, she won a gold medal in 25m breastroke event for 6 years and under.In February 2009, at the Ikoyi Club Deso Swimming Tournament, Morikeoluwa, competing in the age 7 to 8 girls' category, won four gold medals in 33m breaststroke, 33m backstroke, 33m freestyle and 33m butterfly event. At the Dr. J.K Randle Swimming Competition in May of same year, she won two silver medals in 50m breaststroke and 50m butterfly for ages nine and under. In 2008, she also won silver and bronze medals in the same competition.Her older brother, Didunoluwa Ayodeji, who is about 12 years old now has also been engaged in competitive swimming from the age of six and has participated in various local and international competitions.For instance, in 2007 at his first major international competition, the 36th Neheim-Husten Swimming Festival in Hensberg, Germany, (May 25-27, 2007), where he represented Ikoyi Club 1938 in the junior world wide meet, he won seven gold and two silver medals in the age nine category. The following year at the 37th edition of the same festival, he won five gold, three silver and a bronze medals in the age 10 category. He got a trophy for being the 2nd best swimmer overall in his age category.To ensure that the endowments of gifted kids like the Ayodeji's do not gradually blight away, Fatayi-William says, 'The surest way of preserving their gifts remains an adoption of what Brig. Gen Samuel Ogbemudia did in defunct Mid West State, where he created schools for children, who were into sports and the school curriculum was adjusted a little bit to give enough time for the kids to train in the morning before classes commence and train again in the evening.'On the other hand, the setting up of a sports academy with schools attached to them will also serve a good purpose. But swimming demands a bit more than the ordinary because the kids are training inside water and so they are using swimming-specific muscles, which are completely different from those that their sports are land-based, who can also exercise the muscles they need even when they are walking or running around.Dwelling further on specific steps that should be taken to revive swimming in the country, he said, 'There has to be concerted efforts at investing in training programmes. It is good to have competitions because they are a basic necessity, but they must go along with well-financed training programmes at the junior level. At the elite level, they must be kept in schools where seasoned coaches and swimming facilities are available. This is the only way they can keep pace with their peers from other parts of the world and also with unfolding changes and developments in the sport.'Also, at the upper end, once elite athletes are identified, a training programme must be put in place for them. That is where perhaps the corporate sector should come in. In other countries, you find a number of companies adopt some athletes and finance their training programmes throughout the year as well as sponsor them to championships, that is the 'Adopt 'A-Talent' type of thing that the Lagos State government is trying to do. On the other hand, while some firms prefer to pick athletes and sponsor them, others prefer to sponsor competitions. But either way, there must be corporate sponsorship for the sport of swimming, like other sports, if it is to grow effectively.'Beyond this, I think as a nation, we have come to the point of having a Sports Trust Fund just like the Education Trust Fund in place. With the pool of fund that would be made available by the sports fund, sport federations can tap into that for training purposes and for sponsorship of talented athletes. If we continue the way we are going about it, that is waiting for budget for the National Sports Commission, we will never get to where we desire', he submitted.Let me also point out that right now, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is the only sport federation set up as a parastatal by law (Degree 101) in the country, while the rest of us are lumped together by the sports commission. That system needs to change so that the different federations in the country have their own budget separate from that of the NSC to take care of their needs. Right now, one budget goes in from the NSC and that is supposed to take care of the Commissions' needs and that of the over 30 federations. It is never enough.Fatayi-Williams stressed that even though a lot of sport federation including swimming had been concessioned, 'Getting sponsorship for training programme is far more arduous than getting same for competitions. European countries as well as countries like the United States, Australia among others, invest heavily in training programmes and this is largely with the government subsidy that comes in.'Across the African continent, most of the top swimmers are based abroad, so getting scholarship and support for our swimmers to school abroad, where they will be exposed to state-of-the-art facilities, will do the sport a lot of good. While we make serious efforts to develop our facilities, we should also pay great attention to addressing the technical weaknesses plaguing our coaches and officials because no matter how talented and good an athlete is, the coaches needs to do a lot to make him better.However, even with the huge promise displayed by young swimmers at the NDDC Secondary Schools Swimming Competitions, which took place at the at the ultra-modern Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium Swimming Pool Complex, in the Greater Port Harcourt are of River State, Fatayi-William is bothered by the technical deficiency a greater majority of them displayed. According to him, 'The most notable technical deficiencies that the average teenage Nigerian swimmer has is diving properly from the starting block and also turning properly, and this has to do with fact that most of them do not train in standard swimming pools, but in water stretches or small swimming pools where there are no starting blocks.After a stunning display of brilliance and resilience over a period of three days, Delta State carted home the diadem at the maiden NDDC event and in the process, put to shame, the other Niger Delta states, which are wallowing in self pity over the absence of standard swimming pools in their domain.To date, there is no functional state-owned swimming pool in Delta State, but her swimmers are trained on water stretches in different parts of the state, especially the one at River Ethiope. But in a number of the 56 events that were competed in the three different age categories of 12 years and under, 13/14 years and 15/16 years, swimmers from the state were present in the first three positions.Head coach of swimming in the Delta State Sports Commission, Akpotohwa Robinson, said that the sweeps medal tables at national and age-group competitions is no mystery, but a result of hard work by all concerned.'Ukwani and Ijaw areas of the state are serving as swimming nurseries for the state even as sports development has been made a way of life by different administrations once they come on board', Robinson stated.He said with the sustained swimming programmes put in place by the sports commission, it would be very difficult for any state in the country to upstage Delta in swimming.For former Director, (Technical) in the Delta State Sports Commission, Steven Onyeacholam, when it comes to swimming, the state believes a lot in miracle, 'so that is the reason we are miraculously winning medals at swimming events across the country. It may remain so for a long time if other states do not put in place sustained programmes for swimming development. We do not have in place all the facilities needed, but we have programmes that will continue keeping us ahead of the pack.
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