TheCable

The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) has finally received D’Tigers kits for Tokyo Olympics after a few weeks of delay at a Lagos seaport.

The merchandise, shipped in by Peak, Nigerian basketball teams’ kits sponsor, was delayed at the seaport due to “a lack of documentation and miscommunication between the ministry of finance and the ministry of sports”.

But on Tuesday, it was announced that the two ministries had established communication and an “import waiver” has been granted for the kits.

The NBBF said it had begun the process to take deliveries of the wears finally.

In a statement shared with TheCable on Friday, the federation acknowledged the eventual reception of the delayed kits.

Musa Kida, president of NBBF, also expressed his gladness to finally rid the team of the snag, saying “it’s time to fully focus on the events that will happen in Tokyo.”

“We have finally put the issues of kits behind us, and we can now fully concentrate on adequately preparing the team for the Olympics,” he was quoted as saying.

The D’Tigers, who have been punching above their weight with recent victories over the US and Argentina, are in group B alongside Australia, Italy, and Germany.

D’Tigress are also in group B, where they are billed to play the US, Japan, and France.

The women team will be kitted by AFA Sports Wear for the Olympics, having entered a partnership with the federation since 2017.

The Olympics will take place from July 23 to August 8, while the basketball event will begin on the third day.