July 15, (THEWILL) – ju’The chances of the trio of Ogwumike sisters representing Nigeria in the female basketball team, D’Tigress, at the upcoming Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, suffered a setback based on a Federation Internationale de Basketball Amateur (FIBA) decision.
THEWILL reported on Thursday, July 8 that although one sister, Erica, was already in the Nigerian squad, the other two, who had already played for Team USA could join her. All three sisters have dual citizenship, American and Nigerian, but strict FIBA rules that govern the eligibility of players to play for one country or the other had to be adhered to.
On Wednesday, the Federation notified one of the sisters, Nneka Ogwumike, that her petition to play for Nigeria in the upcoming Olympics had been denied. FIBA based their denial on the grounds that Ogwumike had played for too long for America and this made her ineligible to represent Nigeria.
Apart from Ogwumike, FIBA’s denial also affected another female player with Nigerian origins desiring to play for Nigeria after years of representing the US, Elizabeth Williams. She was denied for the exact same grounds as Ogwumike.
In a reaction to the notification, the Nigeria Basketball Federation filed an appeal to FIBA contesting the denials. There are indications that the two players may also consider approaching the Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS) to adjudicate on the FIBA denials.
The initial understanding of the players was that crossing the FIBA hurdle will be routine as both of them were granted the consent of USA Basketball to play for Nigeria. However, the standard practice has been that players who compete for the USA in major FIBA events after they turn 17 are not allowed to start playing for another country.
Yet, there is a caveat as FIBA’s regulations allow the Federation’s Secretary General to authorise a player to compete for their country of origin if it will help grow basketball in the country as a result. This was the exception these players were hoping will apply.
The Ogwumike sisters had competed on opposite sides previously. In the 2018 World Cup, Nneka was with Team USA as the Americans beat Nigeria, featuring Erica, in the quarterfinals. But, she was hoping to play in the Olympics on the same side with her sisters Chiney and Erica, in D’Tigress’ squad this time.
It was her sister, Chiney, that succeeded in making the switch because despite having played for the U.S. when she was younger, Chiney was granted permission to play for D’Tigress as a naturalised player. FIBA rules allow each country one naturalised player and Chiney was the fortunate one.
Team Nigeria is looking to improve on their Olympic records in both the male and female events of the Basketball games. They have a chance to go better and harder this time with several inclusion into both teams from professional players at the elite level abroad. No African nation has won a game in the Olympics since Nigeria got a single win at the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
