The Supreme Organizing Committee for the Dubai International Basketball Championship, on Tuesday, approved the formation of sub-committees for the 33rd edition of the tournament, which will take place from January 19 to 28 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council. This edition will feature 12 teams, including the United Arab Emirates national basketball team, with the matches hosted at Rashid bin Hamdan Hall at Al-Nasr Club.
The organizing committee held a meeting chaired by Major General / Engineer Ismail Al-Qirqawi, President of both the UAE and Arab Basketball Federations, in the presence of all committee members and representatives from supporting and cooperating entities, including the Dubai Sports Council, the General Department of Security for Facilities and Emergencies of Dubai Police, Dubai Health Authority, Dubai Ambulance Services, the sponsoring company, and Al-Nasr Club, along with Dr. Munir Ben Habib, coach of the UAE national team.
The committee approved a series of organizational and disciplinary decisions and ensured that all committees are ready to welcome delegations and audiences, aiming to make this edition a success in the manner Dubai is known for globally. The committee reviewed the progress of various aspects of the tournament, from welcoming delegations and their accommodations to their transportation and scheduling training sessions at the venues of Al-Nasr, Al-Wasl, and Dubai Club for People of Determination.
The first delegation to arrive was Ahli Benghazi on Monday, with the remaining participating teams set to arrive ahead of the tournament's opening on Friday, January 19. The championship will feature 12 teams, including the UAE national team and Al-Nasr Club from within the country, alongside 10 foreign teams. The foreign teams include four from Lebanon: Beirut, Al-Hikma, Al-Riyadi, and Homenmen; two from Libya: Ahli Tripoli and Ahli Benghazi; along with teams from Tunisia, Morocco’s Sale team, Syria’s Al-Wahda, and the Philippines.
The participating teams are divided into two groups: Group A includes Al-Riyadi, Al-Hikma, the Tunisia national team, Ahli Benghazi, Sale, and Al-Nasr, while Group B consists of the UAE national team, Beirut, Homenmen, the Philippines, Ahli Tripoli, and Al-Wahda.
Major General Ismail Al-Qirqawi expressed his hopes for the tournament to unfold as expected and for all participating teams to gain the desired benefits, especially given the variety of teams and their differing levels, along with the excited atmosphere anticipated during this Arab edition featuring 11 out of 12 teams from the region. He noted that the organizing committee granted Al-Nasr Club the chance to participate in recognition of its previous efforts and significant interest in basketball activities. He also mentioned that the organization has recruited five referees from outside the country to assist in officiating the tournament's matches alongside the referees from the UAE Basketball Federation.
