Nigerian officials at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games have debunked the story that the nation’s women’s basketball team, “The DTigress” were not allowed to board the opening ceremony boat on Friday evening.
Naijasuperfans.com had earlier posted a story that the ladies were reportedly barred from boarding the boating alloted to the Nigerian contingent alongside contingents from Niger and Norway.
According to Associated Press (AP) who broke the story moments after the opening ceremony ended, a Nigerian official didn’t grant the ladies access to the boat due to overcrowding.
However, according to veteran Olympian and table tennis legend, Funke Osinaike who is also part of the Nigerian delegation to the games, Nigeria was given just 41 tickets for the opening ceremony boat parade.
She also highlighted that the basketball team were only given about 5 tickets,
“We were given only few ticket for Nigeria . I think about 41 tickets! So they had to ration the opening ceremony ticket for all athletes . I think BB were giving 5 tickets or so”
A Nigerian, Mr Orode Oyiki who witnessed the event gave a comprehensive analysis of what actually happened,
“The basketball team went without information about whether it was free for all or not to attend the opening ceremony, 17 players took the trip adorned in their adire.”
“They got to the zone where the team for the opening ceremony was being prepared, 7000 persons were the total for all nations.”
“Nigeria had 41 slots.Various sports were included. Basketball being 3 hours away were not included. Ditto the female soccer players.
Basketball got to the zone and insisted all 17 of them must take part in the opening ceremony.”
“The 41 selected persons were issued passes.
Seeing that the basketball players were adamant, they were given 5 slots and 5 persons already given passes lost out. One slot was added to make it 6 slots for basketball.”
Mr Oyiki added that despute given six slots for the opening ceremony, the nigeria women’s basketball team insisted all the players must be allowed to enter the boat.
“They insisted that all of them must be part of the ceremony and proceeded to gate crash it.
Security is understandably very tight in Paris now and throughout the games.”
He also added that the basketball team were also denied access to the opening ceremony because they didnt have the special pass for it.
“They were denied entrance as they do not have the special passes for the opening ceremony ( different from their accreditation cards).
It was at that point they cried that they have been denied participation at the opening ceremony.”
“This is the truth! The whole truth! And nothing but the truth!”
“AP published what they were told by one party: the allegedly aggrieved party! They published only a version. Disprove the above or take me to court!”
The basketball team are expected to return to their base in Lille where they will take on Australia, host France and Canada in the first round of the women’s basketball event.
