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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 is now closed and will open again in February 2025.

 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
The ActiveWestminster champions of the Future programme is brought to you in collaboration with:

Our Champions of the Future - 2024 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

Alex Al-ameen_AW

Alex Al-Ameen

400m Hurdles

BIO

 International for Nigeria

In 2022 attained a top-five ranking in Africa

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

Arsena Natsvlishvili_AW

Arsena Natsvlishvili

Judo

BIO

In 2024 became English senior Open champion (100kg)

Ashley Mckenzie

Judo

BIO

-60kg category

4 times Olympian

2 times Commonwealth Games gold medalist

5times British Open Champion

2 times bronze medallist European Senior Championships

Gold & Silver European U23 Championships

Aya Kassem_AW

Aya Kassem

Basketball

BIO

Point guard laying for Thames Valley Cavaliers

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

Winner of British National championships

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

Boutaina Raidi_AW

Boutaina Mbarki

Taekwondo

BIO

3rd place European University Games

Bryan Leong_AW

Bryan Leong

Butterfly Swimming

BIO

Malaysian record holder in 50m freestyle

50m butterfly

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

Channel 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

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

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

1st place winner at the 2v2 NBA

2K x SNEAKERNES Event

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

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

Dylan Traves_AW

Dylan Traves

Karate

BIO

1st Place Senior Male Kata British Championships 2023
2nd Place Senior Male Kata British International Open 2023
EUSA European University Combat Games 2023 2nd Place
EUSA European University Games 2022 3rd Place
2x BUCS Individual Male Kata Champion
2x BUCS Individual Male Kata 2nd Place
4x BUCS Team Kata Champion
1x BUCS Team Kumite Champion
1x BUCS Team Kumite Champion 3rd Place
WKF Senior World Ranking 91st (January 2024)

Eartha Pond_AW

Eartha Pond

Football

BIO

International football team for St Lucia

Edward Marcal Whittles_AW

Edward Marcal Whittles

Swimming

BIO

Semi-finalist European Jr Championships

3 times finalist at Commonwealth Youth Games

National Champion (17Y)

British Summer Championship

Edward Robinson

Swimming

BIO

National finalist and top eight for 50, 100 and 200 breaststroke (U16)at the British Championships

Felix Thomis_AW

Felix Thomis

Table Tennis

BIO

 Quarterfinalist Swedish Safir International (U20’s)

Semifinalist Finlandia Senior Open

Active Westminster Sports Personality of the Year award winner

Band 1 Men’s Preston Grand Prix winner

Band 1 Men’s Crawley Grand Prix winner

U19 England Schools National Champion

Senior Men’s National Qualifiers 3rd place

Gabriele Grimaldi_AW

Gabriele Grimaldi

Triathlon

BIO

Challenge London Triathlon 2023 2nd place

Georgina Steele_AW

Georgina Steele

Artistic Swimming

BIO

Selected for the GB Youth Squad. National Age Group Champion 10-12 Age

National Age Group Champion 13-15

London Region Games - Gold

Grace Martin_AW

Grace Martin

Dodgeball

BIO

Represents Scotland International Dodgeball team in both the women's and mixed divisions

European Championships in Croatia

National dodgeball league with London Storm

Hayley Rigby_AW

Hayley Rigby

Triathlon

BIO

English National Sprint Champion 2023

London Triathlon winner 2023

Dorney Lake Regional triathlon winner 2023

Henry Gray_AW

Henry Gray

Swimming

BIO

4x British Summer Nationals medalist

Represented Team England

Part of the Swim England Youth Squad

Qualified for British Olympic Trials 2024

8th place finish in Open final at Swim England Winter Nationals

Issue Wormall_AW

Issie Wormall

Kayaking

BIO

3 time women’s British Junior Champion

4th at the 2023 World Championships

7th at the 2022 World Championships

jasmine russell_edited

Jasmine Russell

Underwater Hockey

BIO

Representing Team GB at European Championship in the U20s

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

Jonabel Taguibao

Table Tennis

BIO

Represented England U15 World Schools 4th place teams

U19 Chandlers 4* Tournament Champion

Middlesex County Open U15 Champion

Jordan Gray_AW

Jordan Gray

Basketball

BIO

Professional player

Keano Elliott Paris-Samuel

100m & 200m

BIO

Representing Team GB at European Championship in the U20s

Kimani Wilmot

Muay Thai & Boxing

BIO

WMO Muay Thai world champion and UBF boxing world champion

lorent talla_edited

Lorent Talla

Football

BIO

Professional footballer for Queen's Park Rangers

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

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

Won silver at Butterfly Schools Nationals

Jack Petchey Individual finals won bronze U16s

Plays Middlesex County Junior Division 2C

National ranking 10 in U16s, 16 in U17, 21 in U18s, 26 in U19s, 38 in U21s and 67 in Seniors

Maya Bouchier

Cricket

BIO

International for England

Playing abroad in the Women's Big Bash and made One Day International (ODI) debut scoring 95

Part of the Southern Brave team that won The Hundred Trophy

4th highest run scorer overall in the 2023 competition

melita emanuelcarr_AW

Melita Emanuel-Carr

Basketball

naqi rizvi_edited

Naqi Rizvi

Tennis & Athletics

BIO

Number 1 ranked player in blind tennis

UK number 1 for 3 years in a row

niloufar rezaei_edited

Niloufar Rezai

Triathlon

BIO

Finished 5th Half Marathon (Thames Meander)

Nour Alamin

Table Tennis

BIO

Qualified for national championships

U13s national schools 2nd place

Oskar Puczek

Table Tennis

BIO

National Junior League 1st place in division 1e

richardo dossantos_AW

Ricardo Dos Santos

400m

BIO

International for Portugal

4x400 mixed relay Nation Record June 2023

14th ranked team on mixed relay at World Athletics Championships 2023

Samuel Chapman

Basketball

Seyfu Jamaal_AW

Seyfu Jamaal

Running Marathon

BIO

Marathon Time of 2:19:39

Berlin Marathon 2023

Big Half 2023, Half Marathon with 63:34

Taiwo Badmus

Basketball

BIO

National Playoff Championship winners

North Division League champions of NBL

City of Birmingham Rockets Basketball Club

Tara Minto_AW

Tara Minto

American Football

BIO

London Warriors

NWFL 2023 women's championship winners

IFAF Womens World Championship Silver medalist - representing Great Britain

Teagan Kazhal

Table Tennis

BIO

Part of England squad

Previously won u10 and u11 nationals

Tino Bellot_AW

Tino Bellot

Boxing

BIO

National championships winner 2023

tin-tin ho_AW

Tin-Tin Ho

Table Tennis

BIO

Olympian (Tokyo 2020) first British female to qualify since 1996

2x Commonwealth Games silver medallist

1x Bronze medallist

Won over 50th National title (across all age groups)

valeria filatova_edited

Valeria Filatova

Artistic Swimming

BIO

Winner of 1 gold & 2 bronze medals at London region Championships

Victor Nukator_AW

Victor Nukator

800m

BIO

Top 3 rankled National Level Masters

William White_AW

William White

Basketball

BIO

2nd place national GG3X3 tournament

7th in DKB3X3 tournament at international level in Italy

British National League player

Zahra Butt_AW

Zahra Butt

Taekwondo

BIO

BUTF British Championship 2023

4 Gold Medals in Patterns, Sparring, Breaking and Special Techniques

BUTL Titans Cup 2024

Gold in Patterns (national champion title)

Part of BUTL National Squad

BUCS 2023 Winter: Silver in Patterns, Bronze in Sparring

BUCS 2023 Spring: Bronze in Patterns