Basketball

2020 Olympics Qualifiers: D’Tigress land in pot 3

Published

5 years ago

November 22, 2019

The senior women’s National Basketball team has been seeded in pot three alongside Japan, Brazil and Great Britain ahead of the draw ceremony for the 2020 Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament.

The team picked one of the two available slots from Africa after beating Mali in the semifinal of the FIBA Africa organized pre-qualifiers held in Maputo, Mozambique last week.

The number one rated team in Africa which got to the quarter-finals of the last World Cup in Spain will hope to join their male counterparts who had already qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Mozambique who picked the second slot from Africa have landed in pot four alongside Korea, Sweden and Puerto Rico.

World Champions, USA were seeded alongside Australia, Spain and Canada while Pot two has France, Serbia, China and Belgium.

The draws will be conducted on Wednesday, 27th of November in Switzerland with Belgium, China, France and Serbia slated to host the four OQT groups ‪between the 6th and 9th of February, 2020‬.

The last time D’Tigress qualified for the Olympics was in 2004 which was hosted in Athens, Greece

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Basketball

WESIE League Set to Transform Basketball and Ignite Investor Interest in Sports, Says Founder Funke Adeniji

Published

2 months ago

November 8, 2024

The Gleamer

Funke A. Adeniji, the visionary founder of the Women’s Elite Sports Empowerment Initiative (WESIE), announced that the WESIE Basketball League, a groundbreaking endeavor designed to reimagine basketball in Nigeria and attract increased business investment in sports.

Speaking on the sidelines of the league’s kickoff, Adeniji emphasized that the initiative is more than just a competition—it’s a platform aimed at elevating the visibility and commercial appeal of sports, particularly for women athletes.

“This is the first basketball league of its kind in Nigeria, featuring women’s teams across 15 states,” Adeniji explained. “Every weekend for the next six weeks, fans will see teams battle it out in a home-and-away format, bringing an international-standard experience to audiences nationwide.”

The league, exclusively for players over 18, is rooted in addressing gender disparities in sports. By providing elite female athletes with equal opportunities, WESIE hopes to drive greater recognition, paving the way for enhanced visibility on national and global stages.

“This isn’t just about competition; it’s about transforming the sports landscape to inspire businesses to support and invest in women’s sports, amplifying their market reach and social impact,” Adeniji stated.

The inaugural weekend saw thrilling matchups across seven games, delivering powerful performances and a taste of the excitement to come. Victoria Queens defeated Hope Dreams 52-37, while Life League secured a victory over Book and Ball with a score of 58-47.

In subsequent clashes, Life League narrowly fell to Hoop Dreams 29-30, while Victoria Queens clinched a second triumph, overcoming Book and Ball with a 62-36 win. AGF had a hard-fought battle but narrowly lost to V. Buzzers 57-59. IMBA delivered a solid 50-36 victory over Hope, and Divine Speed capped the weekend with an impressive 23-13 win over Hope, setting the tone for a fiercely competitive season.

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