KUWAIT CITY, Dec 13: The basketball team delegation is set to depart today for Cairo, embarking on a training camp scheduled to run until December 24. This preparatory session is in anticipation of their upcoming participation in the Arab Championship, slated to take place in the Egyptian capital from December 26 to January 3.

Leading the delegation is Federation President Dhari Burgess, accompanied by administrators Fahd Al-Bous and Muhammad Al-Hassawi. The coaching staff comprises German Peter Schumers as the head coach and Bashir Freih as the assistant coach. Additionally, the delegation includes 11 players: Muhammad Adnan, Abdul Rahman Al-Sahu, Turki Al-Shammari, Alexander Al-Ghais, Mustafa Al-Rifai, Youssef Al-Hamdan, Abdul Latif Al-Faraj, Nawaf Al-Enezi, Abdullah Tawfiq, Hassan Bormia, and Imran Johar.

Yousef Bourahma, Abdulaziz Al-Hamidi, and Ahmed Al-Balushi, players from Kazma, are expected to join the delegation immediately following the team's match against Al-Shamal of Qatar on December 18, marking the third round of the second group of the West Asian Championship for the Gulf region.

President Burgess revealed that the team is gearing up for four friendly matches as part of their tournament preparation. The Arab Championship will feature participation from 10 teams, including Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Algeria, the Emirates, Mauritania, Somalia, Tunisia, Jordan, and the "Blue Basket."

Despite the limited time for preparation due to club commitments in Asian foreign tournaments, Burgess expressed confidence in the team's readiness, citing numerous standout talents within Al-Azraq. He emphasized the team's ambition to secure a positive outcome in the face of formidable opponents like Jordan, the silver medalist in the last Asian Games, and powerhouses Tunisia and Egypt, reigning champions of the African continent.

Burgess extended gratitude to the General Sports Authority for their support of national teams and commended the Kuwait Club management for lending the services of German coach Peter Schumers to Al-Ittihad, enabling him to lead the team in the upcoming tournament.