The Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Tony Nezianya, has said there was no cause for alarm over the reported exclusion of the D’Tigress delegation from boarding the Team Nigeria boat for the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony.
The Associated Press reported on Friday that the women’s national basketball team, who had traveled on a two-hour, 28-minute journey from Lille to Paris, were barred from the team’s boat for the opening ceremony by an unnamed Nigerian official.
Reacting to the report while appearing on Smailz FM on Saturday, which was monitored by our correspondent, Nezianya said the team was only following instructions given by the event organisers.
He explained that each team were allocated a specific number of athletes for the opening ceremony, and Nigeria presented only that number.
“Every country gave a certain number of athletes who would be marching through, and we kept to our number. There is no problem,” he said.
Nezianya added that the spirit in Team Nigeria’s camp is high and that the country’s participation in the Paris 2024 Olympics has dispelled rumors about a ban by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) over Nigeria’s non-compliance with the anti-doping code.
“The main thing is that the naysayers who said Nigeria’s flag was not going to be flown have been put to shame. Nigeria’s participation has shown that Nigeria has no problem with WADA,” the NOC image maker added.
Nezianya also noted that Team Nigeria’s display at the opening ceremony earned accolades from other nations.
“People are elated by the show put on by Nigeria at the opening ceremony,” he added.
