BASKETBALL – THE highly anticipated Gulf Basketball Association (GBA) Championship for National Teams 2024 tips off this evening with two exciting games at Khalifa Sports City Arena in Isa Town.
Hosts Bahrain face off with Qatar at 8pm in the day’s main attraction while Saudi Arabia and Kuwait battle at 5pm in the tournament-opening fixture.
All are welcome to attend and enjoy the high level of basketball action. Entrance on all days of the competition is completely free of charge.
The tournament is taking place under the patronage of Supreme Council for Youth and Sport first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority chairman, and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
Bahrain’s senior men’s national team have made the final cut to their 12-player roster that will be hitting the hardwood all this week. Forward Sadeq Shukrallah has been left off Jad El Hajj’s list, which features Ahmed Salman, Maitham Jameel, Ali Aqeel, Ali Jaber, Ali Hussain, Ali Shukrallah, Mohammed Buallay, Mohammed Ameer, Mustafa Hussain, Subah Hussain, Muzamil Ameer, and newly naturalised big man Clifton Alexander, who is making his debut in Bahrain’s red and white.
Ahead of today’s start of play, a Press conference was held yesterday at the tournament venue. In attendance were GBA secretary general, Qatar Basketball Federation secretary general, and FIBA 3x3 commission member Saadoun Sabah Al Kuwari, along with tournament director and Basketball Association (BBA) national teams committee member Mohammed Haji and House Me chairman Ammar Al Bosta.
Al Kuwari said that he is looking forward to plenty of exciting basketball in the coming days.
“We are very happy to see that the four national teams are taking this competition seriously,” Al Kuwari told the GDN. “All of them went for training camps of two or three weeks to prepare for this tournament, which means they want to win it. This makes us happy because it means we will see very good competition.
“Everybody wants to take this championship because it is a very special one to us in the Gulf sub-zone. We have had this event for a long time but stopped in 2015 – the last time we held it was in Sharjah that year. Since then, there has been a new system followed by FIBA and it changed many things for us.
“We are happy that we are back now to play this competition again. It is the first time after nine years, and I hope it will be a great one.”
The GBA competition is taking place for the 17th time overall, according to organisers. Bahrain have never won the title, while this year’s three other participating squads have all triumphed multiple times. Qatar won six times, Saudi Arabia four, and Kuwait took the titles thrice, sharing the same number of championships with the UAE.
The Emiratis and Oman are not participating this year due to commitments with other competitions, Al Kuwari said.
Saudi and Bahrain are currently highest amongst the four national teams on the FIBA World Rankings. Saudi are 66th globally and 10th in Asia, while Bahrain are 67th and 11th. Qatar are 101st globally and 21st in Asia, and Kuwait are 109th and 24th.
The tournament’s preliminary round continues until Wednesday to determine the seedings and match-ups for the semi-finals. Following a rest day on Thursday, the last four will be held on Friday, and then the gold and bronze medal games on Saturday.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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