Oman to take on Saudi Arabia in Gulf Basketball opening

Muscat: The Oman Under-18 National Youth Basketball Team kicks off its participation in the Gulf U18 Youth Championship today, with a match against the Saudi Arabia team. The tournament hosted by Kuwait from July 29 to August 3 at Kuwait Basketball Federation Hall in Sheikh Saad Abdullah Sports Complex.

The tournament will be played in a round-robin format, with the top two teams qualifying for the Asian Cup scheduled for September in Jordan.

Oman team held the final training session on Sunday at the tournament venue under the guidance of coach Zahir al Ayashi and his assistant Saif al Tobi, with the full participation of the national youth team members.

The preparation plan included a closed camp at the Nizwa Sports Complex, which was held from June 22 to July 20 with the attendance of all called players. The camp included friendly matches during which the coaching staff was able to assess the players' performance and correct mistakes. Subsequently, an external camp was held in Kuwait to finalize preparations for the tournament.

The national team's delegation headed by Dr Ali bin Salam al Yaari, Vice President of the Oman Basketball Federation, includes Muhammad bin Nasser al Hasani, Vice President of the Gulf Coordination Committee and Chairman of the tournament's technical committee.

Oman national team consists of 12 players: Qasi al Amri, Qaisar al Balushi, Mishaal Qafqaf, Mahab al Hambasi, Akram al Rashidi,

Mazin al Awaisi, Mohammad al Raisi, Al Walid al Maawali, Azad al Bahlawi, Azzan al Ajmi, Abdulrahman al Maamri, and Ahmed al Balushi.

Eng Khalfan bin Saleh al Naabi, Chairman of the Oman Basketball Association (OBA). said, “The Kuwait camp comes as part of the plan adopted by the technical staff to complete the team’s readiness for the Gulf Youth Under-18 Championship. The association is keen to ensure the team’s participation in the championship, and the Kuwait camp is an incentive for the players and the staff to bring the team to the level that enables it to compete in the championship. We strive to achieve better results than previous participation”.