The national women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, is to play Serbia in an Olympics warm-up game at the Belgrade Arena, starting at 17:00 GMT (5 pm Nigerian time).
This is the team’s second match ahead of the Women’s Basketball Tournament of the 2024 Olympic Games starting July 26 in Paris, France, following a 77-63 defeat to Germany at the UBER Arena in Berlin on Friday.
Enjoying the support of Nigerian residents in Berlin and other German cities, Randy Waldrum’s charges put up a virtuoso performance, with a narrow loss to the Europeans notwithstanding.
The African champions are now poised to replicate that heartwarming performance against Serbia, another European basketball superpower, banking on the support of sports-loving compatriots in that country.
Their first pre-tournament opponents, Germany, are 19th in the FIBA World Rankings, while Serbia is ranked 10th.
Like Nigeria, the White Eagles are also making their second appearance at the Olympics, winning bronze on their debut at the 2016 edition. Also, making two appearances at the World Cup and boasting two golds and a bronze in 13 appearances at the EuroBasket make them more formidable than their German counterparts.
Asian markets fell Monday as Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the US presidential race fuelled fresh uncertainty. At the same time, traders appeared unmoved by China’s decision to cut interest rates to boost its stuttering economy.
After last weekend’s assassination attempt on Donald Trump — and the following Republican convention — boosted bets he would win November’s election, investors were trying to work out the ramifications of the latest news out of the White House.
Ranked 12th in the world, D’Tigress continues to punch below their weight in preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympics, where they will face titanic battles against higher-ranked Australia, France, and Canada in Group B.
