The President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, Engineer Musa Kida is excited at the possibility of Nigeria participating in the FIBA certified 3×3 event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Kida made this known following the gold and silver medal winning feat of the senior national men and women’s teams at the just concluded FIBA 3X3 Africa Cup.
In a statement released on Monday following the arrival of the teams from Lome, where the men won gold and women narrowly lost to Mali in the final, Kida said the country has potentials to compete favourably with other teams at the Tokyo Games if the right things are put in place.
“Participation at the 2020 Olympics will be based on points garnered from now till 2020. Going forward, we will ensure that we participate in every 3×3 competitions at the international scene to have enough points before the games.”
Kida described the players as gallant and patriotic Nigerians who have shown the world that Nigerian athletes can indeed rule the world if adequate support is given to the teams. “These players have once again brought smiles to our faces and we are grateful to them. They have shown that Nigeria as a country can be the best in basketball if the right things are done to train and motivate them.”
Kida said the secret to the new found status of Nigerian basketball on the continent can be traced to invitation of players purely on merit and the improved welfare package already put in place.
