Bahrain Welcomes Gulf Delegations to Participate in the Gulf Basketball Junior Championship

Delegations of participating teams in the Gulf Junior Basketball Championship are starting to arrive in the Kingdom of Bahrain next Saturday and Sunday, in preparation for participating in the championship hosted by the Kingdom from July 7 to 12, 2025, at Zain Hall, with the participation of five teams.

On this occasion, Nader Al Awadhi, Vice President of the Bahrain Basketball Federation and Chairman of the Championship's Executive Committee, welcomed the brothers from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries to his country Bahrain, wishing them a pleasant stay and successful participation in this championship.

He stated that the ultimate goal of organizing such Gulf championships remains to bring together the brothers in the GCC countries, expressing his wishes that this championship reflects the unified Gulf spirit and fair sports competition.

He also said, "The organizing committees are ready in all technical, organizational, and logistical aspects, and we look forward to organizing a successful and distinguished edition that befits the reputation of the Kingdom and Bahraini expertise in hosting Gulf championships."

A coordination meeting for the championship is scheduled for Saturday, with the participation of representatives of the participating teams, to discuss technical and regulatory matters.

Al Awadhi confirmed that the Omani team arrived in the Kingdom last week for a training camp in Bahrain before entering the championship.

Regarding the championship system, Al Awadhi noted that the championship has switched to a single-round league system, following the last-minute withdrawal of the Qatari team from participation.

The championship competitions will kick off on Sunday with two matches at Zain Hall, where the first match will bring together the UAE and Kuwait teams, followed by an anticipated match between the Bahraini team and the Omani team.

Al Awadhi explained that this edition of the championship is of special importance, as it is not only limited to Gulf competition but also serves as a crucial stage on the road to qualifying for the AFC U-16 Asian Cup finals, to be held in Mongolia in September next year.

He pointed out that the championship winner and runner-up will receive two direct slots to participate in the 2025 AFC U-16 Asian Cup, adding a high level of competitiveness and increasing its regional importance.