Muhamad khalil
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.
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.