It has been decided to advance the date of the Dubai International Basketball Championship by one week, from January 19 to January 28, 2024. Awad Sami, Chairman of the "Sama" events management company, which sponsors the championship in cooperation with the Prisma Public Relations Management company, stated that the decision to reschedule was made to ensure all opportunities for the success of this major international event and to avoid conflicting with the West Asian qualifiers. He expressed gratitude to Major General Ismail Al-Qarquawi, President of the Arab and UAE Basketball Federations, and the Board of Directors of the federation for choosing a suitable date to ensure the desired success.
He mentioned that several Arab and Asian teams have shown interest in participating, primarily Al-Riyadi and Beirut from Lebanon, with the possibility of a third Lebanese team to be announced later. Additionally, the UAE national team, Strong Group from the Philippines, Salé from Morocco, Al-Ahly from Libya, and other teams from Tunisia, Egypt, and Qatar will also participate, including Zamalek from Egypt, which has given its initial approval through head coach Ahmed Miri and general coach Yasser Abdelwahab, awaiting the final decision from the club's board.
He added that Moroccan club Raja, which has a large fan base, has also expressed interest, and efforts are being made to find a sponsor for the team in the championship.
