Bahrainis beat Saudi in basketball friendly

TDT | Manama  

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s senior men’s national basketball team defeated their counterparts from Saudi Arabia 84-80 in an international friendly match played in Turkey.

The game took place as part of the Bahrainis’ ongoing training camp in Istanbul. It was the first of three tune-up contests scheduled to be held during their time there.

They will also be playing against Cameroon and Lebanon. The nationals are currently gearing up for the Asian pre-qualifiers for the men’s basketball tournament at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

The nationals have a long road to go in order to secure a berth in the Olympiad, and it begins with continental pre-qualification, scheduled to take place in Damascus, Syria, from August 12 to 20.

The Bahrainis are training under newly signed head coach Ricard Casas. Among the players participating in the camp are Muzamil Ameer, Mustafa Hussain, Ali Hussain, Maitham Jameel, Mohammed Buallay, Ali Jaber, Alwethaq Ali, Ali Shukrallah, Sayed Mohammed Hameed, and Wayne Chism, to name a few. The Bahrain Basketball Association has yet to announce the final team line-up.

The other teams in Asian pre-qualifying are Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, India, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, and Syria. They will be vying for just one spot in the FIBA Men’s Olympic qualifying tournaments.

The Bahrainis have been drawn in Group A alongside India, South Korea, and Chinese Taipei for the pre-qualifiers’ preliminary round, while Group B features the Saudis, Kazakhs, Indonesians, and Syrians.

After a single round-robin, the top two from each pool will advance to the semi-finals, and then the final will decide the side that will punch their ticket to the qualifying tournaments. This Asian event is one of five pre-qualifiers from all FIBA confederations.