Impressed by the quality of organisation and the impact of Nigeria’s foremost private inter-school swimming competition, the Dolphin Swimming League, the Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC) has agreed to partner with the organisers to stage its first long course events on February 21 at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Centre, Rowe Park, Lagos.
It will be recalled that Lagos dominated the 2025 National Youth Games, with swimming contributing the majority of the state’s gold medals. Most of the medallists were products of the Dolphin Swimming League—a fact acknowledged by the Director General of LSSC, Lekan Fatodu, who pledged continued support for the initiative.
Speaking at the weekend during the third leg of Season 7 of the Dolphin Swimming League, Fatodu commended the organisers: “I want to say a big thank you to the organisers of the Dolphin Swimming League for this remarkable initiative and for their consistency in ensuring the event runs smoothly. The kind of improvement we see here is absolutely remarkable. There’s no doubt that many talents are constantly discovered through this event. The Lagos State Government is committed to providing the necessary support to ensure young people have the opportunity to showcase their talents and launch into greatness.”
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He further noted: “When you talk about swimming, the best place to see Nigeria’s finest swimmers is the Dolphin Swimming League, and we are proud of our partnership with them. This aligns with the commitment of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to empower young people and provide opportunities for talents to be identified in schools and nurtured to international glory. As government, we are looking into areas where there are gaps and collaborating with the organisers to scale up training opportunities and facilities. This initiative has already contributed to Lagos’ success at the National Youth Games, and it is one of the results of the partnership we are building.”
Meanwhile, plans have been concluded for the league’s first long course events, scheduled for next month. The coordinator Oluseyi Oyebode confirmed that the competition will take place at the newly built Olympic-size swimming pool at Rowe Park, Yaba.
“The event has been awesome, and this is the first time we are receiving the Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission. Discussions about partnership have been ongoing, and now LSSC will be hosting the long course on February 21. For me, that’s a wonderful achievement. We will also have three of our children returning from the African Youth Games in Angola. Clearly, the Dolphin Swimming League is growing beyond our expectations,” Oyebode said.
