Nneka Ogwumike: Olympic Dream with Nigeria Fades
The prominent basketball player, Nneka Ogwumike, has seen her desire to represent Nigeria in the Olympic Games frustrated. The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) rejected her request to compete for the African nation in both next year’s World Cup and the Los Angeles 2028 Games. This is the third time that FIBA has denied Ogwumike’s request to play for Nigeria. Ogwumike, who has been trying to play for her parents’ country of origin since the Tokyo 2021 Games, expressed her resignation to the situation. “After the second attempt, I made peace with it. The third time, I said, let me say I gave it my all. I’ve already moved on,” Ogwumike commented.FIBA, in a statement, confirmed the denial of Ogwumike’s request. Her first request was rejected because, according to the federation, she tried to change her affiliation from the United States to Nigeria too close to the start of the Tokyo Olympics. In addition, her appeal to play in last year’s Paris Games arrived late. FIBA seeks to prevent athletes from playing for more than one senior national team in their careers. Ogwumike, who has been a key figure in American basketball, laments the situation. “My participation with the United States is for them, their strongest point, but it doesn’t necessarily make sense for the individual who is being penalized for it,” she added.It’s unfortunate, but there are certain things you can’t control.
Nneka Ogwumike
Even though USA Basketball approved Ogwumike to play for Nigeria, FIBA’s decision didn’t change. Ogwumike was not included in the US team for the Tokyo Games, despite being one of the best WNBA players at the time.
Elizabeth Williams also tried to play for Nigeria, but her request was denied. On the other hand, Ogwumike’s younger sister, Chiney, had her request approved with certain reservations. Nneka Ogwumike revealed that, when she was younger, USA Basketball advised her not to obtain a passport from another country. “They scared us from getting passports from other countries where our families were from,” she said. Nigeria has become a promising team internationally in recent years. The addition of Ogwumike could have further strengthened the team, something that the 35-year-old former MVP believes hurt her case. Ogwumike hopes her fight will shed light on the process and “how people decide to choose their nationalities when they want to represent their country”.
