Champions of the Future Programme

The ActiveWestminster Champions of the Future programme gives Westminster’s gifted and talented athletes an opportunity to access financial support and mentoring to help with training and development.

The window for applications for the 2025 intake is now CLOSED. 

The process

Please note that if Everyone Active’s Sporting Champions programme does not provide a bursary with their award, the Champions of the Future programme might still be able to if athletes are successful with their application. (In order to do access this funding, athletes just need to confirm their consent at the bottom of the application page).

Once you have submitted your Sporting Champions application, those who qualify for the ActiveWestminster Champion of the Future programme will be contacted upon fulfilment of the qualification criteria as set out above.

Those who are successfully admitted on to the Champion of the Future programme can be awarded a sum of financial support regardless of the type of package selected when applying for Everyone Active’s Sporting Champions Sponsorship. 

In addition to receiving developmental and financial support, successful athletes are partnered with a local primary school to help inspire young people to be more active and lead healthier lives, as part of Westminster City Council’s strategy. This may involve 1-2 informal visits over the course of the year to meet with students and talk about your sporting endeavours.

 Benefits

The programme is open to athletes aged 12 and above. Athletes will be selected on sporting success and the level at which they are competing.

If you compete at district, regional or national level, you could get:

  • Funding to be used for travel, equipment and accommodation
  • Free access to Everyone Active leisure centres across the UK
  • Free access to development and support through our partnership with King’s College London, including workshops and 1-2-1 physiotherapy.
  • The opportunity to be recognised in ActiveWestminster Awards and other regional awards.
  • Help to gain coaching qualifications and the opportunity to apply for roles with Everyone Active

Qualifying criteria

Athletes admitted on to the scheme are selected based on their sporting success and the level at which they compete.

To be considered for the programme applicants must:

  • Live, study or work in Westminster
  • Be registered with a National Governing Body affiliated club and either:
    • be ranked in the top 20 at a regional competition in the current year (2024 – 2025), or
    • be a member of a regional squad (age band to senior) with regional squad results in the current championship year (2024 – 2025).

The window for applications for the 2026 intake will be published in early 2026.

Our Champions of the Future – 2025 Intake

Check below this year’s list of of Westminster Champions of the Future athletes.

Afrasyab Khalil_AW

Afrasyab Khalil

Basketball

BIO

Basketball player for BC London Elite

2023 NBL Division 2 team of the year

2023 NBL Division 2 British team of the year

2023 NBL Division 2 south champions

Ali Kachakech

Taekwondo

BIO

In February 2024 achieved gold in the BUTL national Titan's cup

Competed in the BUCS winter championships and finished top 5

Alice Bonsignori_AW

Alice Bonsignori

Dodgeball

BIO

Women's European Champion as well as Mixed European Vice Champio

 British Champion, English Champion and French Champion with national club

Co-captain of the mixed team for West European Championships

Amari Lazare_AW

Amari Lazare

Basketball

BIO

National League u14 player at aged 11

Training with the London Regional Programme of Basketball England

Ashley Mckenzie

Judo

BIO

60kg category

4 times Olympian

2 times Commonwealth Games gold medalist

5 times British Open Champion

2 times bronze medallist European Senior Championships

Gold & Silver European U23 Championships

Ben Andrews

Ben Andrews

Fencing

BIO

Current British Champion 2024 represented Team GB European Games 2023 Krakow, Poland

Main goal for the next few years is to qualify for the LA 2028 Olympic Games

bianca williams_AW

Bianca Williams

200m, 4x100m

BIO

Paris 2024 Olympic Silver medalist 4x100m relay

Paris 2024 Olympic 200m semi-finalist

2023 world relay bronze medalist

2022 commonwealth gold medalist

2018 commonwealth gold medalist

2014 commonwealth bronze mentalist

5th on the British all time list 200m

Billal Merrir_AW

Billal Merrir

Taekwondo

BIO

Silver Medal at the National Championships 2024

Winner of British National championships

UK Ranked 1st at 53kg and part of national Squad

Bryan Leong_AW

Bryan Leong

Butterfly Swimming

BIO

7 times Malaysian record holder in 50m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 50m breastroke,100m butterfly and 4x100m medley relay

2024 World Aquatics Championships - Top 21 in the world

2023 World Aquatics Championships

2023 Asian Games finalist

2023 World University Games semi-finalist

2022 Commonwealth Games semi-finalist

Chanel Michaels

Basketball

BIO

Captain of the first ever National league team at the University of East London

Charlotte Thomas-Rowe_AW

Charlotte Thomas-Rowe

Basketball

BIO

Finished 3rd Ball Out National Ball tournament

Semi finals for NBA 2k 2 on 2

Finalists national 3x3 tournament

Connor McHale_AW

Connor McHale

Ultimate Frisbee

BIO

Ultiworld Runner Up European Player of 2024

National Champion 6 times

European Champion 4 times

Team GB medallist (World Bronze, European Gold, European Bronze)

Silver medal in the US national finals (2023)

4th with GB at the European Grass Championships

3rd at the World Beach Championships

2nd at UK Nationals

1st at European Championships

Darmani Velinor

Basketball

BIO

Ranked #1 UK 3x3 Basketball player during the 2023/24 season

2x Ball Out National 3x3 Champion (2022 & 2023), with a narrow loss in the 2024 final

Competed on the FIBA 3x3 World Tour in Debrecen, the world’s top 3x3 event

NBA 3X Tournament Winner and top finisher in the Athens 3x3 Quest Run

Widely regarded as the #1 1v1 basketball player in the UK, undefeated, and winner of events like Hoopsfix King of the Court

Daniel Offiah

100m, 4x100m

BIO

Representing England in the Relay in 2023

5th at the England National Championships in the 100m in 2023

2nd in the South of England Championships for 60m in 2023

Denis Mesic_AW

Denis Mesic

Basketball

BIO

National League Player

1st place Richmond Knights Division 3 Champions

1st place winner at the 2v2 NBA

Represented Great Britain in the finals in Egypt for Red Bull 3X3 Half Court Basketball

1st place winner at the Fiba GG3X3 Tournament

Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye_AW

Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye

Basketball

BIO

Great Britain Internation 3x3

EuroCup Quarter Finals 2024

Represented GB Senior Men’s team and winning national championship in Austria in 2023

Eartha Pond_AW

Eartha Pond

Football

BIO

International football team for St Lucia

Edward Marcal Whittles_AW

Edward Marcal Whittles

Swimming

BIO

Multiple Finalist and Semi-finalist European Jr Championships 2024

National Champion (400 IM), Bronze medalist (200 IM) at British Summer Championships

Two time bronze medalist (200 IM and 400 IM) at BUCS

Ranked 4th in Britain in the 400 IM.

Emma Meneghetti

Alpine Skiing

Eric Lesesne

Swimming, Waterpolo

BIO

Awarded Junior Swimmer of the Year and named a Swim Scholar in 2024

Earned Aquatics Tie and Water Polo Tie for outstanding commitment and performance

Member of the Performance Squad at Chelsea & Westminster Swimming Club

Competed at British and English Summer Nationals 2024 and Winter Nationals 2024 at Ponds Forge

Holds a school relay record; team won the Tonbridge Trophy and John Nelson Medley Trophy

Specialises in Backstroke (50m, 100m, 200m) and competes in Freestyle and Butterfly across county, regional, and national levels

Felix Thomis_AW

Felix Thomis

Table Tennis

BIO

British Universities Championships Doubles Champion


National Junior Championships Doubles Champion


Junior National Cup Bronze medallist

Runner up National Mens Seniors Championships in the Under 21s

Gabriele Grimaldi_AW

Gabriele Grimaldi

Triathlon

BIO

2nd overall in IM Serbia

Qualified for 2026 WC

Pro License from National Federation

1st overall in Cholmondeley

Triathlion.Challenge London Triathlon 2023 2nd place

Georgina Steele_AW

Georgina Steele

Artistic Swimming

BIO

Part of GB Youth Team in Croatia and won a bronze medal

Won Gold in Figures and Silver in the Solo for age group and at the Scottish Nationals

Gold in duet, solo 5th at National Age Group Championships

Georgina Lee

Judo

BIO

Two gold medals at the high Wycombe Senior competition and bronze medal at the southern Area competition

Grace Martin_AW

Grace Martin

Dodgeball

BIO

Represented Scotland Dodgeball, achieving 3rd place in mixed at the Northern European Championships and 4th place in women’s.

On the world stage (the highest level of dodgeball to compete), Co-captain of National mixed team.

Champions mixed south league 5th place the women’s super league

Hayley Rigby_AW

Hayley Rigby

Triathlon

BIO

English National Sprint Champion 2023

London Triathlon winner 2023

Dorney Lake Regional triathlon winner 2023

Issue Wormall_AW

Issie Wormall

Kayaking

BIO

Junior Women's Freestyle Kayaking British Champion

3 time women’s British Junior Champion

4th at the 2023 World Championships

7th at the 2022 World Championships

Jadeine Augustin

Table Tennis & Football

BIO

3rd in Nationals Doubles

Won senior school nationals Singles

Second in team event

3rd in age group U17 rankings

Second in School qualifiers Teams U18

1st in division in Women’s British League

jermaine wilson_edited

Jermaine Wilson-Tra

Basketball

BIO

Plays in Budapest for the elite youth basketball league playing against other teams from different counties at the highest level

Johnny Bray

Triathlon

BIO

Ironman 70.3 Bolton - 1st in AG, (M40-44 AG Champion)

21st Overall.

Jonabel Taguibao

Table Tennis

BIO

Play league football weekly with school and Bloomsbury Football

Winner of London Youth Games for table tennis (2022 & 2023)

Winner of Table Tennis England Nationals (Teams) in 2022.

Winner of Women’s British League Teams Division 5 (Feb 2024)

Currently ranked 58 nationally in Table Tennis England (Juniors)

Recently returned to competition after a break for GCSEs

Jordan Gray_AW

Jordan Gray

Basketball

BIO

Signed first professional basketball contract in Division 1 of the NBL

Keano Elliott Paris-Samuel

100m & 200m

BIO

Set a personal best of 10.60s in the 100m at the Stratford Speed GP4

Newham & Essex Beagles Summer Open Meeting, claiming 1st place

2nd in the 200m at the Middlesex County Championships

Kimani_Wilmot_AW

Kimani Wilmot

Muay Thai & Boxing

BIO

WMO Muay Thai Pro-Am World Champion 2025 and 2024 and UBF Boxing World Champion

Two time world champion

Two-time British champion and the European champion of Muay Thai

Leanne Emmerson

Para Ice Hockey

BIO

Gold medal at Pool C World Championships in Thailand

lorent talla_edited

Lorent Talla

Football

BIO

Signed a 3 year professional contract at Queens Park Rangers FC

U23 Captain at youth level for QPR

Louis Norton-Cuffy

Basketball

BIO

3-time Hoopsfix Allstar Starter

4th Place Finish in FIBA European Championship Div B

EABL Southern First Team 2019-20

EABL Defensive Player of the Year 2019-20

Represented England and Great Britain in youth basketball

Louis Guennou

Fencing (Foil)

BIO

2022 British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) National Champion

Current Team GB Member (34 Selections for England/Great Britain)

Top 8 at Zagreb U23 World Cup 2024

Top 32 out of 278 at 2025 Paris Challenge International

Team GB Member at 2022 & 2024 U23 European Championships

2023 Five Nations Champion (Team, England)

2022 Sportsman of the Year at University College London (UCL)

Lucas Roehrig_AW

Lucas Roehrig

Boxing

BIO

Great Britain champion tri nations

Elite national champion u22

Represented England and selected for the GB team academy Olympic team

luna archard_edited

Luna Archard

Table Tennis

BIO

Ranked U17 n5, U18 n9, U19 n11, U20 n17, U21 n20

Senior level ranked n40

Middlesex County ranking is n2 in U17, n3 in Juniors, n5 in U21

Qualified for U17 Nationals

Qualified to play in the Junior Nationals and U21 Nationals

Maia Bouchier

Cricket

BIO

International for England

Selected to be the opening batter for England in T20's and ODI's

June 24 scored maiden ODI hundred against New Zealand, scoring 482 runs and averaging 37.07 in 15 ODI innings

Selected for first World Cup competition in October, scoring a match winning 62 not out to get England to the semi finals.

December 24 made Test debut, scoring 126 and helped beat SA in an away series

Jan 2025 got selected to open the batting for England in Women's Ashes for all formats

Maya Orfanidis

Swimming

BIO

2022 British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) National Champion

Current Team GB Member (34 Selections for England/Great Britain)

Top 8 at Zagreb U23 World Cup 2024

Top 32 out of 278 at 2025 Paris Challenge International

Team GB Member at 2022 & 2024 U23 European Championships

2023 Five Nations Champion (Team, England)

2022 Sportsman of the Year at University College London (UCL)

melita emanuelcarr_AW

Melita Emanuel-Carr

Basketball

BIO

Winning all FIBA registered tournaments for 3x3

Member of Team GB 3x3 squad and 5v5 squad

Qualified for European Championship 2025

naqi rizvi_edited

Naqi Rizvi

Tennis & Athletics

BIO

Number 1 ranked player in blind tennis

 4-times UK national champion

Metro blind sports athletics Championships 100m and 400m winner

niloufar rezaei_edited

Niloufar Rezai

Triathlon

BIO

Completed Berlin Marathon, representing Adidas Runners London

Athens Marathon placed 22nd in my age category and 49th overall

Personal bests in the half marathon and 5K distances

Won the Willesden Aquathlon.

Nour Alamin

Table Tennis

BIO

2nd in the London Jack Petchey Schools Finals

Qualified for the Under-17 Table Tennis Nationals

oliver lam watson fencing

Oliver Lam-Watson

Fencing

BIO

Ambassador Role

Double Paralympic Medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (held in 2021):

Silver medal in the Men’s Team Foil

Bronze medal in the Men’s Team Épée

Represented Great Britain as part of the GB Wheelchair Fencing Team

Multiple medals at World Cup and European Championship level in team events

 

richardo dossantos_AW

Ricardo Dos Santos

400m

BIO

International for Portugal

World indoor championships finalist with national records in the 4x400

European Championships finalist with national record in the 4x400

Samuel Chapman

Basketball

BIO

Worked with NBA for the Team USA Men’s and women’s basketball team in 2024 Olympics

Competed in pro/elite category 3x3 tournaments

Playing National Basketball League

Seyfu Jamaal_AW

Seyfu Jamaal

Running Marathon

BIO

Fastest U23 half marathoner in the UK

Marathon Time of 2:19:39

Berlin Marathon 2023

Big Half 2023, Half Marathon with 63:34

Shiloh Wright-Taipow

Athletics

BIO

Second at the U23 England Athletics Championships, ranking 7th in the UK

Taiwo Badmus

Basketball

BIO

Competing in the UK’s National Basketball League with Westminster Warriors Basketball Club

National Playoff Championship winners

North Division League champions of NBL

City of Birmingham Rockets Basketball Club

Tara Minto_AW

Tara Minto

American Football

BIO

National Womens Football League 2024 - Silver Medal with London Warriors

IFAF European Championship 2024 - Silver Medal

IFAF World Championship 2022 - Silver Medal

Teagan Kazhal

Table Tennis

BIO

Under 13s double National Champion last year

Finalist at Schools National Championships

Tino Bellot_AW

Tino Bellot

Boxing

BIO

Representing Team GB

3rd in the UK Ranking

tin-tin ho_AW

Tin-Tin Ho

Table Tennis

BIO

English National Champion 2024 in Women's singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles

European Championship singles round 32, beating WR 58

Team captain in European Team Championship qualifiers

Semifinalist at European Olympic Singles qualification, beating WR 40 and WR 92 along the way

valeria filatova_edited

Valeria Filatova

Artistic Swimming

BIO

Golden Medal at London Figures Competition (February 2025)

Bronze and Silvel Medals at Scottish Nationals (October 2024)

Victor Nukator_AW

Victor Nukator

800m

BIO

National Finalist at the Masters Indoor & Outdoor Championships for 800m

William White_AW

William White

Basketball

BIO

GB 3X3 U23 team squad member.

Part of the Plymouth Patriots professional pathway, making professional debut whilst winning the BUCS university division 1 league.

2nd place national GG3X3 tournament

7th in DKB3X3 tournament at international level in Italy

British National League player

Yaqub Wagdi

Fencing

BIO

4th in Britain U17 Foil

U16 Briitsh Youth Champion 2023, selected for European Championships in Antalya, Turkey

Gothenberg team silver 2024

European Championships 4th in team

3rd at Cadet Foil Nationals 2024

English Youth Championships double silver medalist, qualified referee in 2 weapons

Zahra Butt_AW

Zahra Butt

Taekwondo

BIO

Titans Cup (Gold) in Patterns

University World Championships (Bronze)

Invited to and attended the Barada Camp (specialist camp for national athletes in Slovenia)

BUTL national award

Gold in Sparring and Silver in Patterns (Impact Open national competition)

Silver in Sparring (Welsh Open Nationals)

Selected to be in the competition group at Desilva TKD

Graded up to 3rd Degree Black belt

Selected to go to the World Cup 2026

Zaid Aldilimi

Table Tennis

BIO

Winner of British Schools National Title

Winner of an international event in Jersey

Doubles National Champion

Two-time 3rd place in National Singles

Zeina Negm

Table Tennis

BIO

Ranked 19th nationally after four years of dedicated training.

Competed in multiple national competitions with strong performances.

Focused on improving mental strength and technique under pressure.

Gained valuable experience against top-tier players through consistent competition.