Swimming: Afe Babalola eyes Olympic medals, hires foreign trainers, commissions pool

Founder of the Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, at the weekend, pledged to make swimming part of Nigeria’s medals at the Olympic sporting events, even as the university is set to commission an Olympic-size swimming pool in the next two months.

Speaking at the final of the 2024 edition of the Yeye Aare Modupe Babalola Athletics Festival at ABUAD Sports Pavilion, Ado Ekiti, Babalola described as a shame the inability of the country’s sportsmen and women to win any medals at the last Olympics despite spending huge resources on the event.

He said that because of the numerous medals available for swimming events, he would employ foreign trainers from abroad to train students of ABUAD on swimming so that Nigeria could be represented in the event in subsequent Olympics.

The legal luminary, who said that ABUAD would give priority to students who are talented in sports in its admission, added that such students would be given scholarships to study at the university without having to pay a dime during their studentship.

“It is a shame that Nigeria did not win any medals at the last Olympics. We have won medals before. What is wrong with us as a nation? I want to make ABUAD an important reformative institution. In the next two months, the Olympic-size swimming pool will be commissioned.

“When I Google it and look at the medals in the Olympics, the total number of medals in other sports is almost equal to the number of medals that are available in swimming alone. I want to ensure that swimming is part of our sport at the Olympics.

“I will employ trainers from abroad to train our students so that in the next two years, we can produce those who will win medals at the Olympics. As from next year, priorities will be given to sportsmen in admission; we want to encourage students from this place to lead Nigeria to the Olympics. If you are good at sports, we will give you scholarships,” he said.

Babalola, who gave sportsmen and women who excelled in certain sports N1 million each as rewards for their success, was singled out by the Director of Sports, Professor Gboyega Babalola, for his personal sacrifices to lift the sports program at ABUAD to an enviable height.

In her remarks, the wife of the founder, Yeye Aare Modupe Babalola, lauded the efforts of the sporting team of ABUAD led by Prof. Babalola. She said that their efforts have paid off, as a student of the institution is representing Nigeria in one of the sporting events, in addition to several other talents being discovered.