Basketball
Setback for Nigeria’s D’Tigress as CAS rejects basketball pair’s bid to represent Nigeria at Tokyo 2020
Two women’s basketball players have had a last-ditch bid to represent Nigeria at the Olympic Games here thrown out by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Nneka Ogwumike and Elizabeth Williams both participated in Olympic qualifying for the United States before not making the American team for the Games here.
Both have Nigerian passports but players are not usually allowed to switch international allegiances after they turn 17.
The pair requested an “exceptional change” to their national status under an International Basketball Federation (FIBA) rule which permits switches if it is in the interest of developing the sport.
Both were named in a provisional Nigerian squad for Tokyo 2020 before the results of their appeals.
Ogwumike and Williams both play in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) so would undoubtedly have improved Nigeria’s squad.
The 30-year-old power forward Ogwumike is on the books of Los Angeles Sparks, while 28-year-old centre Williams plays for Atlanta Dream.
Ogwumike, the WNBA champion and MVP in 2016, has won two World Cups and a Summer Universiade title with the US.
Williams has three gold medals with the US from youth World Championships.
Chiney Ogwumike, Nneka’s sister who is also a power forward for the Sparks, has been made eligible for the Nigerian team.
The 29-year-old was accepted as a “naturalised citizen” of Nigeria but this status was also challenged at CAS.
This is because only one naturalised citizen is allowed per squad, with the trio claiming they are all Nigerian citizens through birth because of their parents.
Third sister Erica Ogwumike, a WNBA 2020 draftee, is also eligible to play.
“FIBA acknowledges today’s decision of the Court Arbitration of Sport to reject the request for provisional measures filed by Nnemkadi Chinwe Ogwumike and Elizabeth Olatayo Williams,” a FIBA statement said.
“The players had requested that the CAS provisionally accepts the change of their national status from USA to Nigeria.
“Although both players had played for USA after the age of 17 and participated in the qualifying process to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (in February 2020 and September 2019, respectively), they recently requested an exceptional change of their national status, which FIBA declined under the applicable rules.
“In any event, the players would have to wait for a three-year period since their last game with the USA to be eligible to play at the Olympics, as per bye-law to Rule 41 of the Olympic Charter.
“The list of players for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games submitted by the Nigeria Basketball Federation to the Nigeria Olympic Committee and to FIBA does not include these two players.”
The Nigerian Basketball Federation had claimed that “players of African descent are approved to play for other countries constantly but the reverse is not the case”.
“We do tacitly believe that there are undercurrents and motivation for such a decision which is repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience ,” the world governing body said.
Coincidentally, Nigeria’s first match at Tokyo 2020 is due to be against the US on July 27.
Hosts Japan and France are the other teams in their group.
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Musa Kida, the president of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), has been appointed as a non-executive chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), the country’s apex oil company. His appointment is part of the sweeping overhaul that the Nigerian president, Bola Tinubu made in the first working day after the Sallah break.
The sacking of the board of the NNPC sees the appointment of Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the new Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), replacing Mele Kolo Kyari. Prior to his current appointment, Kida was the Deputy Managing Director, Deep Water Services, of Total Nigeria.
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Basketball
NSC DG Bukola Olopade Congratulates NBBF Boss Musa Kida for new appointment as NNPC Chairman
The Director General of the National Sports Commission NSC, Bukola Olopade, has congratulated the President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF, Musa Kida, for his appointment as the new Board Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Olopade said Musa Kida has been one of Nigeria’s most efficient and Productive Sports administrators who has sacrificed a lot for the growth of Nigerian Basketball.
The DG maintained that his latest appointment is a testament to his years of passion, hard work, dedication and a very successful track record in the oil sector for more than two decades.
” Musa Kida is an accomplished administrator whose achievements cut across both the oil sector and Nigerian basketball. I have no doubt that the NNPC Limited will attain better efficiency and attract more investment under his watch”.
” Under his leadership as the President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, we have seen the steady growth of the country’s basketball and how the National teams have continued to achieve new heights.
” At the last Olympic Games in France, the Nigeria Women’s Basketball team, D’Tigress was one of the shining stories for Team Nigeria, where they set a new record by making it to the knockout phase before losing to the United States”.
” I personally know the efforts behind the scenes that kida put in for Nigeria to achieve that feat with the girls in France and the Nigerian girls have been an unrivalled team on the continent for some time now”.
The DG added that he does not doubt that Musa Kida will use his new position to further earnest the development of Nigerian Sports especially basketball especially now that there is a new focus on growing a sustainable Sports Economy.
” Whilst the Oil sector will benefit immensely from the Expertise of Musa Kida as the new Board Chairman of the NNPC Limited, Mr President, has further helped to place Nigerian Sports in a better pedestal by putting one of us in a very strategic place like the NNPC”, he concluded.
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Basketball
FIBA names Nigeria’s Agada among those who starred the most on the last day of the 2025 AfroBasket Qualifiers
The 16 teams that will be competing at this year’s FIBA AfroBasket from 12-24 August have been confirmed, with some teams securing their places on the final day of qualifying.
A quintet of individuals put in stellar performances to send their teams to this year’s African championship in style.
Teams have 169 days to prepare for the 2025 edition of the AfroBasket set to be hosted by former champions Angola, who will be chasing a record-extending 12th title.
FIBA- Africa looked at the matches and the players and featured nine players who were the stars of the final day on Sunday.
Here is FIBA’s analysis: The return of the Tokyo Olympian has been a blessing for Abdulrahman Mohammed’s Nigeria.
For the second game in a row, Agada was a thorn in their side’s side, scoring 23 points in a convincing 77-62 win over 2021 AfroBasket semifinalists Cape Verde.
The 30-year-old played just over 30 minutes and finished two rebounds shy of a double-double while adding six assists and five steals for an efficiency rating of 29.
Nigeria entered the competition after an 0-3 start, but his disruptive presence on the floor helped them to a 3-0 run to qualify, averaging 19 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists.
The other players highlighted are: Ousmane Drame of Guinea, Karim Maneof Senegal, Childe Dundao of Angola, Siriman Kanoute of Mali, as well as Ntore Habimana (Rwanda) Aliou Fadiala Diarra (Mali) Allan Dokossi (Central African Republic)and Nisre Zouzoua (Cote d’Ivoire)
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