Stakeholders count losses ...as Nigeria loses FIBA Africa 2011 host
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- Category: Sports
- Written by David Ngobua
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Last Saturday, the international body announced Ivory Coast as the country that would host the male category of the Championship. However, before the announcement was finally made, Nigeria was coasting home with the hosting right by virtue of the erudite bid presentation by the Nigeria Basketball Federation. The other nation in the race for the hosting right of the male championship was Madagascar.
Even before Cote D’viore was announced as the winner of the hosting right, the hand writing on the wall was so clear that the Nigeria Basketball Federation did not need any Daniel to interpret it. With few hours to the D-Day, FIBA Africa stepped up the minimum financial guarantee for the marketing right to 1.5 Million Euros. Meanwhile, Nigeria, through the former Minister of Sports, Engineer Sani Ndanusa had submitted a letter guaranteeing the marketing right to the tune of 1.5m dollars.
Following the dissolution of the federal executive council with few days to the decision day, it was practically impossible for the basketball federation alone to respond quickly to the challenge. The body lacked the necessary ministerial weight to provide the needed marketing right in euro.
Consequently, even before the contest came to an end, the sport federation honourably withdrew from the race. It was therefore left for FIBA Africa to choose between Ivory Coast and Madagascar which were able to switch from dollars to euro.
The failure to pick the hosting right has come as a disappointment to many Nigerians, especially basketball stakeholders, but the president of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, Mallam Tijani Umar has said there is no need crying over spilled milk. He therefore disclosed to Hoops Center that with the hosting right lost and won, his federation will now concentrate fully on preparing the two nations teams for the Championships in Cote D’viore and Mali respectively.
He said “We want to refocus on development programmes and raise formidable teams for the male and female Basketball African Nations Championship slated for Abidjan, Ivory Coast and Bamako, Mali respectively to try and win both tournaments for the sake of the development of the sports in Nigeria.
“It is however painful to note that we would not be hosting the Championship despite the effort that was put into the bid for the hosting right. We had made lot of sacrifices including several visits to FIBA Africa Secretariat in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and Cairo, Egypt where we presented the bid to the African Basketball Congress, and were hopeful of clinching the bid”.
Just like many other stakeholders, the NBBF president believes the right the host the African Championship would have impacted positively on basketball in the country.
He noted that “We had wanted to use the hosting rights to put Nigeria on the front burner of African and World basketball, but it was not to be at least not for now. We are not happy to lose the hosting rights, but it has taken the burden associated with hosting competitions in Nigeria off our shoulders.”
Speaking to Hoops Center on the development, Head Coach of Basketball in the FCT, Coach Emmanuel Odah said the loss is monumental because it would have been an opportunity for the sport to attract more publicity and followership in the country.
“The loss is unquantifiable because it would have been a golden opportunity for us to upgrade our facilities and make the game more popular. There is no way the Championship would have come and gone without some positive noise”, he stated.
Former D’Tigress captain, Stella Agu said the failure to host the Championship is a major setback for the sport which needs such platform to spring forth.
“Most of us were optimistic that Nigeria would be granted the hosting right. Personally, I wanted us to host because it would have contributed enormously to the growth of the game in the country. It would have given us the opportunity to test our organizational ability”, she said.
Former international, Pastor Skambo Morrison said the failure to clinch the hosting right portends doom for the country as Nigeria will once again struggle to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.
He said it would have been easier for the country to qualify for the global event as host of the 2011 Africa Championship.
“My fear and worry is that Nigeria will again struggle to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics. Whether we like it or not, we cannot take away the factor of home advantage when one is hosting a Championship. Now the Ivorians who stopped us the other time will have more advantage”.
Skambo said the loss is enormous and cannot be explained in few words.
Articles
Stakeholders count losses ...as Nigeria loses FIBA Africa 2011 host
Category: Sports Written by David Ngobua Hits: 633
Basketball stakeholders in Nigeria are currently grieving over the loss of the country’s bid to host the 2011 Federation of International Basketball in Africa Championship which would double as qualifiers for the 2012 London Olympics.Last Saturday, the international body announced Ivory Coast as the country that would host the male category of the Championship. However, before the announcement was finally made, Nigeria was coasting home with the hosting right by virtue of the erudite bid presentation by the Nigeria Basketball Federation. The other nation in the race for the hosting right of the male championship was Madagascar.
Even before Cote D’viore was announced as the winner of the hosting right, the hand writing on the wall was so clear that the Nigeria Basketball Federation did not need any Daniel to interpret it. With few hours to the D-Day, FIBA Africa stepped up the minimum financial guarantee for the marketing right to 1.5 Million Euros. Meanwhile, Nigeria, through the former Minister of Sports, Engineer Sani Ndanusa had submitted a letter guaranteeing the marketing right to the tune of 1.5m dollars.
Following the dissolution of the federal executive council with few days to the decision day, it was practically impossible for the basketball federation alone to respond quickly to the challenge. The body lacked the necessary ministerial weight to provide the needed marketing right in euro.
Consequently, even before the contest came to an end, the sport federation honourably withdrew from the race. It was therefore left for FIBA Africa to choose between Ivory Coast and Madagascar which were able to switch from dollars to euro.
The failure to pick the hosting right has come as a disappointment to many Nigerians, especially basketball stakeholders, but the president of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, Mallam Tijani Umar has said there is no need crying over spilled milk. He therefore disclosed to Hoops Center that with the hosting right lost and won, his federation will now concentrate fully on preparing the two nations teams for the Championships in Cote D’viore and Mali respectively.
He said “We want to refocus on development programmes and raise formidable teams for the male and female Basketball African Nations Championship slated for Abidjan, Ivory Coast and Bamako, Mali respectively to try and win both tournaments for the sake of the development of the sports in Nigeria.
“It is however painful to note that we would not be hosting the Championship despite the effort that was put into the bid for the hosting right. We had made lot of sacrifices including several visits to FIBA Africa Secretariat in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and Cairo, Egypt where we presented the bid to the African Basketball Congress, and were hopeful of clinching the bid”.
Just like many other stakeholders, the NBBF president believes the right the host the African Championship would have impacted positively on basketball in the country.
He noted that “We had wanted to use the hosting rights to put Nigeria on the front burner of African and World basketball, but it was not to be at least not for now. We are not happy to lose the hosting rights, but it has taken the burden associated with hosting competitions in Nigeria off our shoulders.”
Speaking to Hoops Center on the development, Head Coach of Basketball in the FCT, Coach Emmanuel Odah said the loss is monumental because it would have been an opportunity for the sport to attract more publicity and followership in the country.
“The loss is unquantifiable because it would have been a golden opportunity for us to upgrade our facilities and make the game more popular. There is no way the Championship would have come and gone without some positive noise”, he stated.
Former D’Tigress captain, Stella Agu said the failure to host the Championship is a major setback for the sport which needs such platform to spring forth.
“Most of us were optimistic that Nigeria would be granted the hosting right. Personally, I wanted us to host because it would have contributed enormously to the growth of the game in the country. It would have given us the opportunity to test our organizational ability”, she said.
Former international, Pastor Skambo Morrison said the failure to clinch the hosting right portends doom for the country as Nigeria will once again struggle to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.
He said it would have been easier for the country to qualify for the global event as host of the 2011 Africa Championship.
“My fear and worry is that Nigeria will again struggle to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics. Whether we like it or not, we cannot take away the factor of home advantage when one is hosting a Championship. Now the Ivorians who stopped us the other time will have more advantage”.
Skambo said the loss is enormous and cannot be explained in few words.