The Lebanese U16 men's national basketball team has traveled to Doha, the capital of Qatar, to participate in the Asian Championship from June 12 to 19.
The delegation includes: Hisham Gerardy as president, Rabi Francis as coach, George Akeeki and Maroun Deb as assistant coaches, Joe Armoni as a physiotherapist, Metri Habib as a fitness coach, Claude Abi Jebrail as an international referee, and players: Jean Paul Al-Shami (team captain), Jad Tabara, Ryan Hashim, Giorgio Qazi, Serouj Avedissian, Ray Abu Suleiman, Anthony Al-Naba, Tony Awad, Brian Saleh, Karl Zmouta, Chris Hashim, and Nikolai Choueri.
Thirteen teams are participating in the championship, divided into four groups as follows:
- Group A: Australia, Bahrain, India, and Qatar.
- Group B: Lebanon, Iran, and Indonesia.
- Group C: The Philippines, Japan, and Kuwait.
- Group D: South Korea, New Zealand, and Kazakhstan.
The schedule for Lebanon's matches in the first round is:
- Sunday, June 12: Lebanon vs. Indonesia (8:15 PM Beirut time).
- Tuesday, June 14: Lebanon vs. Iran (8:15 PM Beirut time).
It is worth mentioning that the Asian Championship is a qualifier for the World Championship, which will be held in Malaga, Spain, from July 2 to 10. The four teams that qualify for the semifinals of the continental championship will participate in the World Championship alongside teams from all continents.
Lebanon previously qualified for the Asian Championship by securing second place in the West Asian Championship held last month in the Jordanian capital, Amman.