KUWAIT CITY, June 13: The Kuwait youth basketball team has been placed in Group A alongside Qatar and the UAE for the Gulf Youth Championship under 18 years, which serves as the Asian Cup Qualifiers. Group B comprises Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman. The tournament, hosted by the Kuwait Basketball Association, will take place from July 29 to August 3. According to the tournament format, two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals.

Thamer Al-Shanfa, Secretary of the Kuwait Basketball Federation, announced that the Kuwaiti youth national team is rigorously preparing for the Gulf Cup tournament, which will be hosted in Kuwait from July 29 to August 3, with all Gulf Cooperation Council countries participating.

Al-Shanfa mentioned that the youth team started training in the Al-Ittihad Hall at the Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Indoor Sports Complex a few days ago, under the guidance of the technical staff led by Bahraini coach Salman Ramadan and with the full preliminary squad in attendance.

He added that the national team will continue its local training sessions until July 10, after which they will embark on an external training camp in Turkey for 16 days. The final list of players representing the national team in the tournament will be announced after the camp.

Al-Shanfa explained that the Federation has devised a robust preparation plan for the team, given that the top two teams will qualify for the Asian Championship in Jordan this September. Both the Federation and the players are eager to win the title, especially as the tournament will be held in Kuwait, allowing them to compete in front of their home fans.

Khaled El Anzi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff