Olympics Preparations: Nigeria’s D’Tigress To Confront Two European Nations, One North American Country

D’Tigress, the senior national women’s basketball team, will be in action this weekend in three friendlies as part of their preparations for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Afolabi Oni, the Media Officer of Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), in a statement on Thursday said the team have already arrived in Belgium for the matches.

The team had earlier resumed the second phase of their pre-Olympic camping in Las Vegas on May 8.

They are now scheduled to take on Belgium, Puerto Rico and Serbia at the Lange Munte arena in Kortrijk.

Ezinne Kalu, Adaora Elonu, Promise Amukamara, Sarah Ogoke, Sarah Imovbioh and Aisha Balarabe are among the players in camp.

Others are Oderah Chidom, Amy Okonkwo, Atonye Nyingifa, Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah and Nicole Enabosi, who are all jostling for a slot on the team to Tokyo.

Ify Ibekwe and Victoria Macaulay, who could not join up with the team during the February camp in Atlanta due to COVID-19 protocols in Europe, complete the list of players in camp.

The team which have 13 players currently in camp will face world number 23 Puerto Rico on Friday, before taking on Serbia who are ranked eighth in the latest FIBA ranking.

The team will conclude their series of friendlies with another tough game against world number six Belgium on Sunday.

D’Tigress are drawn in Group B at the Tokyo Olympics, with hosts Japan, France and world champions U.S. as opponents at the games starting on July 23.