Qatar U-18 basketball team arrives in India for Asian Championship

AHMEDABAD: Qatar’s under-18 basketball team has arrived in Ahmedabad for the FIBA U-18 Asian Championship, which will run from Aug. 13-23 and feature leading youth teams from across the continent.

Qatar qualified for the tournament after finishing second in the Gulf U-18 championship qualifiers in Doha, securing a place in the Asian finals.

The team has been drawn in Group C alongside China, Iran and Sri Lanka. Qatar will open its campaign against Iran on Aug. 14 before facing China on Aug. 16 and Sri Lanka on Aug. 18.

The delegation is headed by Qatar Basketball Federation Secretary-General and national teams director Saadoun Sabah Al-Kuwari.

Qatar completed its final preparations in Doha with an intensive training programme at the federation’s hall at Al-Gharafa, where the coaching staff worked on the players’ technical and physical conditioning and finalised tactical plans for the tournament.

Algerian coach Mounir Ben Ghalla leads the team, assisted by Hashim Zaidan. Kenan is responsible for physical conditioning, while Saif Al-Hamandi oversees medical and rehabilitation duties.

The 12-player squad comprises Abdullah Yassin, Tamim Ashraf Abu Issa, Ziad Al-Bitar, Muath Omar Mousa, Azzam Mohammed Yaken, Ziad Tamer Al-Johari, Mohammed Saeed Badri, Mahmoud Tamer Ibrahim, Amer Ibrahim Mousa, Owen Ikina, Youssef Waleed Abdelqader and Shahi Mohammed.

The tournament is particularly important as it also serves as a qualification pathway for the FIBA U-19 Basketball World Cup in the Czech Republic in 2027.

The top four teams at the Asian Championship will earn berths at the world tournament, giving Qatar an added incentive to progress beyond the group stage.