World Aquatics, the global governing body for swimming, has awarded international training scholarships to two of Nigeria’s rising stars.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported on Monday that Clinton Opute of Delta and Collins Ebingha of Bayelsa are the beneficiaries of the scholarships.
According to World Aquatics, the award is part of its elite development programme designed to provide access to world-class training facilities in Europe.
It is also to prepare the athletes for major international competitions, including the Olympic Games.
According to the programme details, Ebingha’s scholarship will run from Sept. 1, 2025, to Aug. 31, 2026, while Opute’s training grant will extend from Sept 1, 2025, until June 30, 2028, in France and Hungary respectively.
The milestone underscores the steady progress Nigeria has recorded in swimming development, following a series of remarkable achievements in recent years.
It also reflects the strategic sports development agenda of the National Sports Commission (NSC), championed under the leadership of Mallam Shehu Dikko and Bukola Olopade.
The Nigeria Swimming Federation plays a pivotal role in advancing opportunities for homegrown talents.
Significantly, the World Aquatics scholarships are reserved for athletes above 18 years, who demonstrate exceptional promise and strong prospects of Olympic qualification.
Opute and Ebingha’s selection is, therefore, viewed as a recognition of their outstanding potential and Nigeria’s rising profile on the international swimming stage.
It will be recalled that the duo, alongside Abduljabar Adama of Ogun, emerged as standout performers at the 2024 National Sports Festival in Abeokuta, Ogun.
Their performances confirm Nigeria’s growing pool of elite swimming talents.
Their latest recognition by World Aquatics not only strengthens Nigeria’s Olympic preparations, but also validates the country’s renewed commitment to nurturing world-class athletes.
Spanish Club UD Almería have announced that they will donate all ticket sales revenue from their home match against CD Tenerife to support the family of Jesús de Miguel.
The initiative was established by club president Mohammed Al Khereiji as the Spanish club seeks to provide financial assistance to the bereaved family following their loss.
Announcing the decision, the club expressed its sympathy and acknowledged that no amount of financial assistance could make up for the loss of a loved one.
As reported by ESPN on Wednesday, the club was quoted as saying, “We are fully aware that nothing can ever compensate for the loss of a loved one, and that no form of support, whether financial or emotional, can ease the pain caused by a tragedy of this kind.”
Despite recognising the limitations of the gesture, UD Almería hope that donating the entire proceeds from the match will provide some support to Jesús de Miguel’s family during this difficult period.
The initiative comes under the leadership of Al Khereiji, who is the club’s president.
It also puts the spotlight on UD Almería’s ownership, with Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo having acquired a 25 per cent stake in the Spanish club earlier this year.
Borussia Dortmund’s 8-4 victory over Legia Warszawa remains the highest-scoring match in UEFA Champions League history, while Como’s 9-1 demolition of Lens has joined the competition’s list of most prolific encounters.
The Dortmund-Legia encounter produced 12 goals during the 2016/17 group stage, with the German side emerging victorious in a remarkable contest.
According to the UEFA website on Wednesday, the match featured five goals in the opening 32 minutes, including a spell in which three goals were scored within four minutes.
Aleksandar Prijović gave Legia a 10th-minute lead, but Shinji Kagawa scored twice in quick succession to put Dortmund ahead.
Marco Reus also registered a brace, while three goals were scored in the closing 10 minutes to complete the 8-4 result.
Como’s 9-1 victory away to Lens on November 4, 2026, also entered the record books, with the 10-goal encounter ranking among the highest-scoring matches in the competition.
Bayern Munich’s 9-2 victory over GNK Dinamo in September 2024 and Monaco’s 8-3 win against Deportivo La Coruña in November 2003 are other notable entries on the list.
Barcelona’s 8-2 defeat of Bayern Munich in the 2019/20 campaign also features among the highest-scoring Champions League matches.
Bayern thrash Barca 8-2
Full list of highest-scoring Champions League matches
• Borussia Dortmund 8-4 Legia Warszawa — November 22, 2016 (12 goals)
Como have joined Liverpool and Real Madrid in recording the biggest winning margin in UEFA Champions League history after thrashing Lens 9-1 in their Matchday 4 encounter on Tuesday night.
The Italian side’s nine-goal haul secured an eight-goal victory margin, equalling Liverpool’s 8-0 defeat of Beşiktaş in 2007 and Real Madrid’s 8-0 triumph over Malmö in 2015.
According to the UEFA website on Wednesday, Como also became only the second team after Bayern Munich to score nine goals in a Champions League match.
Tasos Douvikas scored a hat-trick in the encounter, while six other Como players also found the net as the competition debutants recorded the biggest away victory in the tournament’s history.
Liverpool were the first team to achieve an eight-goal winning margin when they defeated Beşiktaş 8-0 during the 2007/08 group stage.
Crouch scores two joining Yossi Benayoun who scored hatrick. Ryan Babel also netted a brace and captain Steven Gerrard scored the eight goal
Yossi Benayoun scored three goals, while Ryan Babel and Peter Crouch each contributed two. Steven Gerrard completed the scoring as Liverpool secured the record victory despite having collected just one point from their opening three group matches.
Real Madrid matched the feat on December 8, 2015, when they overwhelmed Malmö 8-0 at home.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored four goals, setting what was then an individual group-stage record of 11 goals, while Karim Benzema registered a hat-trick.
Ronaldo nets four in Malmö thrashing
Bayern Munich also feature prominently in the record books after defeating GNK Dinamo 9-2 on September 17, 2024, establishing a new record for the most goals scored by a team in a single Champions League match.
Harry Kane scored four goals in the encounter, while Michael Olise added two.
