Brigadier Ismail Al-Qarqawi, President of the Arab and UAE Basketball Federations, inaugurated the 24th Dubai Duty Free Championship for Arab Women's Basketball Clubs, which kicked off in Marrakech, Morocco. The event was attended by the Vice President of the Arab Federation and President of the Egyptian Federation, Magdy Abu Freikha, along with the President of the Royal Moroccan Basketball Federation, Wassam Mustafa.
The opening ceremony featured segments of Moroccan heritage, after which Al-Qarqawi and the President of the Royal Federation greeted the players of Kawkab Marrakech and the Somali team "Gift Star," as well as the coaching and administrative staff and the match officials, wishing all participating teams success and hoping to showcase a commendable image of Arab women's basketball.
In the first round, the Algerian team Kousidar opened with a resounding victory over the Kuwaiti team Al-Qurain, with a score of 64/105. They showcased their high technical abilities that qualify them for the final match, benefiting from the outstanding performance of Lebanese professional player Rabih Akil and team captain Nasrin, with each scoring 18 points despite their absence in the final quarter to give substitutes a chance after finishing the third quarter with 35 points against 6 for Al-Qurain, who was a strong competitor in the first half but retreated in the second half. This led their coach to withdraw Tunisian professional Huda Hamrouni and American Lucas in the last quarter to focus on local players. The quarter results were as follows: 20/26, 26/26, 6/35, and 12/18. Al-Qurain's professional player Lucas scored the highest with 23 points.
In the second match, the star was the Moroccan audience, who remained energetic as the home team, Kawkab, faced no difficulty in defeating the Somali team "Gift Star" with a score of 40/95, raising the banner of competition while benefiting from the abilities of their local players and two professionals, Jones, who scored 18 points, and Alex, who scored 14 points. Meanwhile, the Somali team performed within their capabilities and earned everyone's respect for their decision to participate in this first Arab championship and their efforts to ensure the tournament's success. The quarter results were as follows: 4/27, 12/28, 12/17, and 12/23.
