NBBF steps up plans for FIBA women world cup

The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) has said that the women national basketball team would begin training before the end of this month for the 18th edition of the Federation of International Basketball Associations (FIBA) Women World Cup holding in Tenerife, Canary Island, Spain from September 22 to 30.

NBBF president, Musa Kida, stated that all formalities to ensure D’Tigress camp in the United States and play quality friendlies have been put in place.He noted that the Nigerian team who are the Africa champions would get all the required support to lift their spirit ahead of the World Cup.

Kida called on corporate bodies to support D’Tigress as they participate in the World Cup, saying that the team has quality players that are hungry to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians at the championship.

“All arrangements for D’Tigress to begin their World Cup preparation in two weeks time have been put in place. The camping procedures and other logistics have been provided. D’Tigress are Africa champions and NBBF is doing all it can to raise the spirit of the girls ahead of the World Cup,” he said.

Meanwhile, FIBA has announced a new date for its proposed training and certification of referees/technical commissioners’ course in Nigeria. Renowned FIBA referees instructor, Johnny Jacobs, from Belgium, who was in Lagos to monitor the referees on duty at the last FIBA World Cup qualifiers for men made this known at the weekend.The new date for the course is now fixed for September during the World Cup qualification window, which Nigeria is bidding to host.

Technical Representative on the board of the NBBF, Adamu Jalong, pleaded for understanding from all intending participants eager to come for the training earlier slated for Lagos from July 2nd to 4th and in Abuja from July 5th to 7th.

“We will like to appeal to our referees and technical commissioners to please understand the situation behind the postponement because the decision taken is 100 per cent in their interest. Since new sets of officiating rules will be released by FIBA before the next window, it is wise to postpone the training so that the old and the new officiating laws will be captured once and for all by September,” he declared. The FIFA instructor said that he would work hard to ensure that referees and other technical officials in Nigeria are at the same level with their contemporaries around the world.