Ogwumike seeks role with Nigeria
Nneka Ogwumike and Elizabeth Williams filed appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a last-ditch effort to play basketball for Nigeria in the upcoming Olympics, the Associated Press reported.
The pair were notified this week by FIBA that their petition to play for the African nation was denied because they played for the U.S. team for too long. The people spoke to the Associated Press on Friday on condition of anonymity because no official announcement had been made.
The two WNBA players would need to have FIBA’s decision overturned by Sunday’s registration deadline for the Olympics or have the Court of Arbitration for Sport grant them a provisional allowance and add them to the roster until a hearing can occur.
Ogwumike and her two sisters have dual citizenship with the U.S. and Nigeria. Erica Ogwumike is on Nigeria’s provisional roster as a Nigerian citizen, and Chiney was given permission to play for the country as a naturalized player. Because each country is allowed only one naturalized player, if her status remains the same and Nneka is granted permission to play but only as a naturalized player, only one of the two would be able to play.
Nneka Ogwumike competed for the U.S. in the 2018 World Cup, where the Americans beat Nigeria in the quarterfinals. The Sparks star hoped to make the U.S. roster for Tokyo but was left off the team while dealing with a knee injury.
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