BASKETBALL – BAHRAINI basketball star Mohammed Kowayed is eager to make the most of his historic opportunity of being the first-ever player from the kingdom to compete in the Fiba 3x3 World Tour.
Kowayed is set to make his debut in the prestigious worldwide street basketball series tomorrow as part of Riffa team in the Vienna stop of this year’s calendar.
He will be joined on the half-court in Austria by Riffa’s veteran trio of Dennis Donkor, Jonas Foerts, and Vic Van Oosterwyck.
“This is a new challenge for me and three-on-three is way different from five-on-five, so I will try to learn as quickly as I can,” Kowayed told the GDN.
“I am so happy Riffa gave me this chance and I would also like to thank [Bahrain Olympic Committee vice-president] His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa. I will do my best to show great things with Riffa team.”
Riffa are set to compete in Pool B in the preliminary round in Vienna against Amsterdam of the Netherlands and Baskets Bonn of Germany.
Pool A is composed of Ub from Serbia, London of the US, and Hangzhou of China; Pool C comprises Toulouse of France, Raudondvaris of Lithuania, and a team from the qualifiers; and Pool D is composed of Miami of the US, home side Vienna, and another squad from the qualifying competition.
Kowayed secured his spot on the Riffa squad after being selected by their technical staff following his impressive showing in practice games held in Bahrain earlier this year.
His participation also reflects the Bahrain Basketball Association’s objective of supporting Bahraini talent on basketball’s international stage.
Kowayed, who played for Manama this past national season, will be going up against some of the top 3x3 basketball players from around the world. He is a dynamic player who can play both guard and forward positions, with supreme athleticism.
Vienna marks the fifth meeting on the 2025 campaign of the Fiba 3x3 World Tour, which is being held under the banner of the International Basketball Federation (Fiba).
The series has already made stops in Japan, China, the Netherlands, and France before the upcoming Austria event. It will then also be holding competitions in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Hong Kong; Edmonton, Canada; Lausanne, Switzerland; Debrecen, Hungary; Shanghai and Shenzhen in China; Macau; Abu Dhabi, the UAE; before heading to Bahrain for the Fiba 3x3 World Tour finale on November 21 and 22.
There are also 20 lower-tier Challenger tournaments to be held throughout the season.
This year marks the first time ever that the kingdom will be staging the Fiba 3x3 World Tour curtain-closer, in which this year’s champions will be crowned.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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