FIBA U19W - Nigeria absence brings field down to 15
PUERTO MONTT (2011 FIBA U19 World Championship for Women) - The field of teams competing at the FIBA U19 World Championship for Women will consist of 15 countries instead of 16 after Nigeria did not turn up in Puerto Montt, Chile, on Wednesday. Nigeria had been drawn in Group C of the Preliminary Round and their opponents included Australia, hosts Chile ...
PUERTO MONTT (2011 FIBA U19 World Championship for Women) - The field of teams competing at the FIBA U19 World Championship for Women will consist of 15 countries instead of 16 after Nigeria did not turn up in Puerto Montt, Chile, on Wednesday.
Nigeria had been drawn in Group C of the Preliminary Round and their opponents included Australia, hosts Chile and France.
All three teams will now get byes following the Nigerians' forfeit.
Nigeria had secured the second of two tickets to represent Africa in Chile by virtue of finishing second behind hosts Egypt at last year's FIBA Africa U18 Championship for Women in Cairo.
The 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship for Women gets underway on Thursday.
Nigeria's absence means that all Preliminary Round games scheduled to tip off at 9am local time will instead take place during the slot vacated.
Therefore, Italy will face Egypt at 8.15pm in Puerto Varas on Thursday.
On Friday, the Egyptians square off against Canada at 6pm in Puerto Varas.
Japan and Russia will go head to head at 6.45pm in Puerto Montt on Saturday.
FIBA