Qatar players and officials prior to their departure.
Doha, Qatar: The Qatar U-18 National Basketball Team delegatio arrived in Ahmedabad, India yesterday to participate in the FIBA U-18 Asian Championship, hosted by India from August 13 to 23, with the participation of elite youth teams from across the continent.
The delegation is headed by Qatar Basketball Federation Secretary General and Director of National Teams Saadoun Sabah Al-Kuwari.
Qatar earned their place in the continental competition after finishing second in the Gulf U-18 qualifiers held in Doha, securing a direct berth to the Asian finals.
Qatar have been drawn into Group C alongside China, Iran, and Sri Lanka. The team will open their campaign against Iran on August 14, face China in the second round on August 16, and conclude the group stage against Sri Lanka on August 18.
The team is led by Algerian head coach Mounir Ben Ghalla, assisted by Hashim Zaidan, with Kenan overseeing physical conditioning and Saif Al-Hamandi supervising medical and rehabilitation duties.
The Qatar squad includes 12 players: Abdullah Yassin, Tamim Ashraf Abu Issa, Ziad Al-Bitar, Muath Omar Mousa, Azzam Mohammed Yaken, Ziad Tamer Al-Johari, Mohammed Saeed Badri, Mahmoud Tamer Ibrahim, Amer Ibrahim Mousa, Owen Ikina, Youssef Waleed Abdelqader, and Shahi Mohammed.
This participation carries significant importance for Qatar, as the team aims to achieve positive results in the continental championship, which also serves as a qualifying pathway to the FIBA U-19 Basketball World Cup 2027 in the Czech Republic.
The top four teams from the Asian Championship will secure qualification spots.
