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Seattle Storm forward, Nneka Ogwumike, has come to terms with the reality that she will never play for Nigeria at the Olympics.
Nneka Ogwumike’s latest attempt to switch allegiance from the United States to her parents’ homeland, Nigeria, has been turned down once again by FIBA, marking the third and final rejection.
The 35-year-old WNBA star, whose parents are both Nigerian, had been pushing to represent the country since the Tokyo 2021 Games, but her dream has now been officially shut down.
Ogwumike told the Associated Press in a phone interview, “After the second time trying to appeal, I made my peace with it. The third time, I was like, let me say I gave it my all. I’m kind of at the point where I’m very much over it.
“It’s unfortunate, but there are just certain things you can’t control.”
FIBA confirmed to AP that Ogwumike’s application was denied. The governing body said her initial request was filed too close to the start of the Tokyo Olympics, while her second came after the eligibility deadline. It also cited her major role in Team USA’s World Cup victories in 2014 and 2018, stating that it discourages players from representing more than one senior national team during their careers.
“My involvement with the USA is for them, their strongest point, but it doesn’t necessarily make sense that it does to the individual who’s being penalised for it,” she said. “You guys are going to continue using this excuse over and over again. I’m not about to beat a dead horse. I gave it an honest try, so I feel fine about it.”
Ogwumike, who averaged 18.3 points and 7 rebounds this season for Seattle, received approval from USA Basketball to pursue the switch which has now officially failed.
She wasn’t alone in the quest to represent Nigeria. Elizabeth Williams also had her request denied, while Ogwumike’s younger sister, Chiney, was cleared to play with certain conditions since she never appeared in a World Cup.
“They also told me that if I had gotten my passport a little earlier, then my chances would have been better,” Ogwumike revealed.
The forward recalled that when she was younger, USA Basketball warned her against obtaining a second passport. “It would hurt our chances of playing for the USA. I wasn’t even trying to get it for basketball. I was just trying to get it because my parents are Nigerian. And I’m the first generation born here, so they kind of scared us into not getting passports from other countries from which our families were from,” she said.
Nigeria’s women’s basketball team has been one of the fastest-rising sides in the international game. The D’Tigress made history by becoming the first African team to reach the Olympic quarterfinals at the Paris Games, before falling to the United States.
Many believed that with Ogwumike in the squad, Nigeria could have gone even further, a notion she feels may have quietly influenced FIBA’s decision.
“That’s kind of the undercurrent of what they weren’t necessarily saying directly to us, but we assumed was happening,” she said.
Despite her disappointment, Ogwumike hopes her experience sparks conversations about nationality rules and the fairness of international eligibility policies. “I hope my situation helps people understand the process and how people decide to pick their nationalities when they want to represent their country,” she added.
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