Nigeria’s women’s basketball team will travel to the Olympic Games this month without team captain Sarah Ogoke, for personal reasons, but she says she has not retired from D’Tigress.
Ogoke’s absence from the 16-strong roster came as a shock when it was announced, with the Nigeria Basketball Federation issuing a statement stating that “personal reasons” were responsible for her absence.
“Regrettably, due to personal reasons, Sarah Ogoke will not be part of the team at the 2024 Paris Olympics,” the statement read.
“Sarah has been a dedicated leader and inspiration to D’Tigress over the years. While this is a disappointment, we trust in our resilience and commitment to make Nigeria proud.”
The skipper will be a big miss for Nigeria, both for her experience, mentality and leadership, and she was quick to add that she has not called time on her career: “I haven’t retired, this is not the last you will hear of me playing basketball.”
