The Federal Government on Thursday rescinded its decision to suspend Nigeria’s basketball teams from all international competitions.
After the Nigerian Basketball Federation appealed to the government, the self-imposed ban has been rescinded.
Ismaila Abubakar, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, made this known during a conference in Abuja on Thursday.
The Nigerian government removed its teams from international competitions for a two-year term, invoking a leadership conflict and other organizational issues within the Federation.
Several Nigerian basketball peers and players denounced the decision and brought awareness to the situation.
That move led to the women’s team losing its place at the World Cup in Australia in September.
The government’s decision last month to pull the teams from international competitions was fiercely criticized by players on the Nigeria teams but also drew reaction from figures in the NBA.
It’s unclear if Nigeria’s women will be able to get their place at the World Cup back after international governing body FIBA replaced them with Mali.
The men’s World Cup also serves as the qualifying tournament for the 2024 Paris Olympics and the national team is in danger of missing both if it misses those qualifiers in Rwanda.
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