Players hold final preparations for the Gulf Basketball Championship opener against Saudi Arabia.

MANAMA, Sept: Kuwait kicks off its campaign in the 17th Gulf Basketball Championship, held in Manama, with a match against Saudi Arabia at 5:00 PM at Khalifa Sports City Hall, followed by a game between Qatar and Bahrain.

The tournament, in which the UAE and Oman have declined to participate, follows a single-round league system. After the round-robin matches, the top team will face the fourth-placed team, and the second-placed team will face the third. The winners of these semifinals will advance to the final.

Meanwhile, the youth basketball team begins its journey today in the Asian Cup finals, taking place in Amman, Jordan. Dhari Barjas, President of the Basketball Federation, expressed confidence in the national team's preparation for the Gulf Championship. The team has been training intensively in Kuwait for over a month under the guidance of its new Serbian coach, Oliver Kostic. It also held a rigorous training camp in Belgrade, Serbia, ahead of the tournament.

Barjas noted that during the training camp, the national team played three friendly matches against top Serbian clubs, showcasing promising performances. He expressed confidence in achieving strong results in the Gulf Championship. Kuwait's schedule begins with its match against the defending champions, Saudi Arabia, followed by a game against host nation Bahrain on Tuesday, and concludes with a match against Qatar before the semifinals and finals, based on the first-round results.

By Hassan Musa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff