The 35th Arab Club Basketball Championship for men, which opened today, Sunday, in Doha, witnessed a strong start for the Lebanese basketball representatives. Beirut, who finished third in the previous edition, and Dynamo, who are participating for the first time, both secured victories—Beirut defeating Maghreb Tangier 95-70 and Dynamo overcoming Al Ahly Qatari 93-63. In the same group as Beirut, Group D, the Egyptian Al Ahly, last season's runner-up, won against Dijla Iraqi 92-77.
The first quarter of the Beirut game was thrilling and competitive, with the Moroccan team taking an early lead. However, Beirut, buoyed by their title from the Qatar International Championship just 24 hours earlier, turned the game around. After the first half ended in a tie at 23-23, Beirut imposed their dominance in the next three quarters, winning them 20-13, 25-19, and 27-15, thanks to the star performance of captain Ali Haidar and Sergio Darwish, who was named Man of the Match with 35 points, along with playmaker Ali Mazhar.
In Dynamo's match, the Lebanese team faced no difficulties in defeating Al Ahly Qatari, marking a competitive debut in the Arab scene. They excelled in the first quarter with a 13-point lead (28-15) and continued to dominate, winning the second quarter 28-18, while the third quarter ended in a tie 19-19 and finishing the fourth quarter 18-11 in their favor. Al Ahly's foreign player, David, scored the highest with 38 points, followed by Dynamo's Zach Lofton with 35 points.
Following the three matches, the tournament's opening ceremony took place, under the patronage and presence of the General Director of Qatar Club, Sheikh Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Suhaim Al Thani. Abd al-Rahman al-Mas'ad, Vice President of the Arab Federation, delivered the opening speech on behalf of Major General Ismail Al-Qurqawi, President of the Arab and UAE basketball federations, thanking the Qatari federation and the organizing club for providing every opportunity for the success of this new edition. He stated that the participation of 18 teams is a testament to the significance of this championship and wished everyone success in reflecting a commendable image of Arab basketball.
The tournament will continue on Monday with matches featuring Al-Sib against Al Ahly Qatari, Al-Ittihad Alexandria against Al-Ittihad Algeria, defending champion Kuwait against Muharraq Bahrain, Dijla against Maghreb Tangier, Al-Ittihad Libya against Al Ahly Egypt, and finally, Yemeni Al-Wahda against Moroccan Sale.
