With the release of the schedule for the FIBA pre-Olympic qualification competition, the battle to compete in the 2024 Olympic Games has begun.
The qualification competition will be held in Lagos, Nigeria from the 14th to the 20th of August 2023 at the Eko Hotel and Suites, with eight African countries, including Nigeria, competing for the tickets.
Senegal, Mali, Uganda, Congo Democratic Republic, Cameroon, Guinea, Tunisia, and Nigeria will compete for the chance to represent the continent at the future Olympic Games.
The teams have been divided into two groups of four, with the top two teams in each group progressing to the semi-finals and the tournament winner qualifying for the Olympics Qualifying event as African representatives.
In the opening game, Nigeria will face another heavyweight, Senegal, while Mali will face Uganda on the same day in Group A.
Senegal, Mali, Uganda, and Nigeria are in Group A, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Tunisia, and Guinea are in Group B.
The Nigerian men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, is currently ranked first in Africa and has a good chance of being Africa’s representative in Paris 2024.
Among the 40 teams in the pre-qualifying tournament stage, five teams – one each from Asia, Africa, the Americas, and two from Europe will qualify for the final Olympic qualifying tournament in 2024. The Olympic Games will be held in Paris, France from July 26 to August 11.
Meanwhile, 15 players led by Chimezie Metu of the Sacramento Kings have been invited by the NBBF to camp while Coach Ogor Odaudu will lead the Nigeria D’Tigers at the tournament.
