Nigeria women's basketball team denied entry to opening ceremony boat by federation, AP source says

Nigeria women’s basketball team denied entry to opening ceremony boat by federation, AP source says

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The boat carrying team Nigeria makes its way down the Seine in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024.(AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

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The boat carrying team Nigeria makes its way down the Seine in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024.(AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

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Germany’s Alina Hartmann, right, tries to get the ball against, from right, Blessing Ejiofor, Lauren Ebo and Elizabeth Balogun from Nigeria during the Women International Basketball match between Germany and Nigeria at the Uber Arena in Berlin, Friday July 19, 2024. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)

By DOUG FEINBERG

PARIS (AP) — The Nigeria women’s basketball team wasn’t allowed to board the delegation’s boat for the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, said a person familiar with the situation.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on Friday condition of anonymity because the Nigeria delegation has not publicly commented.

Once the team made it to the area where it was supposed to board the boat for the ceremony, the group was denied entry by a Nigerian official who told the players and coaches there were too many people on board. The team then made its way to the athletes village after being turned away. The rest of the Nigerian delegation shared a boat with Niger and Norway.

Messages were left seeking comment from a Nigeria press officer.

The team had been sent logistics for the event before the group made the 2-hour, 28-minute, 138-mile (222 km) trip as part of a bus caravan of several teams from Lille, where the preliminary basketball rounds are being played. The buses had a police escort.

They were not able to make it to the location where the buses were departing after the opening ceremonies so they spent the night in Paris. The team didn’t make it back to Lille in time for its scheduled morning practice session.

Nigeria, which is playing in its third Olympics, opens play on Monday against Australia. Nigeria has the only win in Olympic history for an African nation when the team beat Korea in the 2004 Athens Games in the 11th-place contest.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

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