(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Hosts begin their sixth fazza international wheelchair basketball campaign in grand style
action from the uae versus oman match of the sixth fazza international wheelchair basketball tournament. — supplied photo
the uae defeated oman 69-56 to begin their campaign in fine style on the opening day at the 6th fazza international wheelchair basketball — iwbf west asian championship 2014 at the al ahli club in dubai on saturday. the three top teams from this five-day eight-nation championship which ends on may 14 will gain berths for the asian paralympic games in incheon south korea later this year.
“we played a good game today (saturday) despite the early hurdles. the first two games will go a long way in determining our final position at this year’s meet. our objective is to qualify for the asian paralympic games in south korea and we are putting all our efforts for the winnings points from our first two fixtures” said uae skipper mohammed al zarouny.
in the other opening session matches between 9am and 5pm on saturday at the venue opposite the lulu hypermarket in qusais and behind al mulla plaza saudi arabia outplayed syria 79-31 while iraq wheeled away with a comfortable 83-34 victory. the uae will lock horns with jordan in its next game while oman will play strong contender iraq. syria will challenge palestine and kuwait will clash with ksa on day 2 of the championship today (sunday).
a total of 170 athletes and officials from eight countries are participating in the tournament including host nation the uae oman kuwait syria palestine jordan iraq and saudi arabia. the iwbf west asia championship is organised by the hamdan bin mohammed heritage center and the dubai club for the disabled under the patronage of shaikh hamdan bin mohammed bin rashid al maktoum crown prince of dubai.
maureen orchard president and secretary general – iwbf who was present at the venue said: “the iwbf is pleased that the uae was chosen as the first country to host the tournament. this region has some very successful wheelchair basketball teams and we felt the championship deserved to become an officially sanctioned iwbf event in west asia this year.”
thani juma berregad chairman of the dubai club for the disabled and head of the organising committee for the fazza championships for the disabled said: “we are proud that the uae is hosting an international level championship. it motivates players who have dreamt of representing their country overseas and inspires them to reach new heights. we are confident that each and every athlete is a true ambassador of the sport and will deliver his best over the course of the next few days.”
ibrahim abdullah rahim director of events at the hamdan bin mohammed heritage center said: “we are proud that this event is synonymous with the vision of shaikh hamdan bin mohammed bin rashid al maktoum crown prince of dubai to make dubai a disabled friendly city by 2020 through the ‘my community…a city for everyone initiative’. we wish all players the very best and hope the strongest teams earn a spot at the asian paralympic games in south korea later this year.”
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.