By Tony Nezianya (Media Officer, Team Nigeria)
The 75-62 overwhelming victory of D’Tigress, the lowest-ranked team in the Paris 2024 Olympic women’s basketball tournament over their Australian counterparts has lifted the morale and spirit of other members of Team Nigeria.
To Nigerians, especially Team Nigeria at the Games, this is a great victory as their morale had started waning following misfortunes in their earlier outings.
“This is a great victory,’’ remarked Engineer Habu Gumel, President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) after the basketball game.
According to him the victory could not have come at a better time than at a moment of low morale in the face of strong bad news coming in quick succession.
The Table Tennis team through Aruna Quadri, Omotayo Olajide, Fatima Bello and Eden Offiong all lost in the round of 64 in the singles.
There were also losses in boxing. But by far the most dampening was the adverse doping violation by Cynthia Ogunsemilore, 60 kg.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has since ordered that Ogunsemilore be evicted from the Games Village.
The Falcons also posted two uninspiring results to add to the many woes building up to dampen the enthusiasm in the camp of the Nigerians.
“I felt relieved when the basketball victory came to ease off the tension that was beginning to build up,’’ Gumel said.
“I congratulate them and extend warm felicitations on account of their effort to demonstrate focus,’’ the NOC president said.
Emma Igbonosa, Technical Director, Nigeria Cycling Federation, said the basketball team offered a relief because not many saw the victory coming.
The defeat of Australians was not easy apparently because of their top ranking as the number three against the 16th ranking of the D’Tigress going into the Games.
Opeyori Anuoluwapo, Captain of Team Nigeria, said the victory of the basketball team came in at the nick of time to renergise other sport teams.
It is hoped that Team Nigeria would consolidate on this morale booster to show class in the other events where they are to feature.
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