The 2025 edition of the Governor’s Para-Swimming Classic event is set to host nothing less than 45 athletes across Nigeria. The competition is scheduled to be held between 17 and 22 March, 2024, at the swimming pool section of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos state.
This year’s edition has promised to welcome five days of intensive scientific training and analysis, leading to a one-day contest. As unveiled by the organizers of the event, these features will distinguish the upcoming edition from the previous ones.
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During an interview session in Lagos, Bose Kafo, the convener and Vice President of the Para-Swimming Federation, reiterated the plan to focus the upcoming edition on data-driven instead of an ordinary coming together of swimmers.
“We are honoring the spirit of sports with this remarkable program. Our findings show that para-swimmers lag in resistance, endurance, and other physiological aspects of performance. This event will expose them to the necessary training to bridge these gaps.”
Speaking further, the organizers announced short stature, leg length difference and intellectual impairment as the only three categories that will be available for the March contest.
Short stature will host athletes with reduced bone length in the upper limbs, lower limbs, or trunk. Leg length difference on the other hand targeted to onboard athletes with a measurable difference in leg length. While intellectual impairment will gather athletes facing challenges with pattern recognition, sequencing, memory, or reaction in time, which can impact overall sports performance.
Speaking on the significance of the new development, the organizers noted that the scientific training sessions aimed to unveil beneficial information about the abilities of each athlete, enabling crucial data collections while helping swimmers to refine their speed, endurance, and overall performance.
In addition, integration of at least one of the aforementioned para-swimming events into the upcoming National Sports Festival scheduled to be held in Ogun later this year, has been highlighted as the major goal of the March competition. This will in turn develop and prepare elite athletes for the upcoming Para Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Among the dignitaries attending the press conference were Vice President of Africa Aquatic, Babatunde Fatayi-Williams and the President of the Nigeria Paralympics Federation, Sunday Odebode.
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