July 19, (THEWILL) – In a last-minute bid to be named in the official contingent of Team Nigeria before the deadline for submitting all Olympic rosters, Nigerian sisters Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike have gone to seek an overturning of a FIBA decision that denied them the opportunity to switch nationalities and represent Nigeria.
The Ogwumike sisters, who were standouts in the WNBA, were joined in the appeal of the FIBA decision by another Nigerian and another WNBA talent, Elizabeth Williams, also pursuing the same goal. For all their talents, they were not included in the Team USA Olympic contingent for uncertain reasons.
The most controversial exclusion was that of Nneka Ogwumike. Earlier selected for potential inclusion, the absence of her name from the roster meant she was snubbed for no obvious reason. It is a major call back to the time her name was also missing for the 2016 Olympics in the same year that she was named the MVP of the WNBA.
As all three ladies were born to Nigerian-born parents and are considered Nigerian citizens by descent, the opportunity opened for them to fulfill their Olympic dreams in Tokyo but under Nigeria’s flag and playing alongside the country’s female basketball side, D’Tigress.
Their petitions to FIBA requesting to be allowed to represent Nigeria were turned down except for Chiney’s, who was approved to compete on the grounds of being a naturalised citizen. As THEWILL reported, her sister Nneka and Williams were denied because of their “significant involvement” with USA Basketball for more than a decade.
As THEWILL noted, the ladies were going to seek redress at the Court of Arbitration for Sports, in the final push to secure their inclusion in Team Nigeria. Their argument is that by joining D’Tigers, they will improve the team’s performance and increase the prominence of the sport, which is part of FIBA’s own global objectives especially towards women players.
Part of the appeal is against the naturalised citizen status granted Chiney. They argue that all three of them have been Nigerian citizens from birth by virtue of being a descendant of a citizen. The significance of this step can be explained based on the understanding of FIBA regulations that allow only one naturalised player per country.
With FIBA claiming one naturalized assent in approving Chiney’s petition, they therefore seal up any chance of any more approvals for the country involved, especially if those seeking approvals are considered as naturalised as well.
Sunday is the deadline for submissions of the list of athletes for all teams heading to Tokyo. The three appellants are hopeful that CAS will issue them a provisional allowance to compete for Nigeria ahead of a ruling on the case so that they can link up in Japan with D’Tigers.
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.
