BASKETBALL – AN all-Bahraini team will soon be competing in the Fiba 3x3 World Tour – the premier international street basketball series under the International Basketball Federation (Fiba).
The formation of the squad was announced yesterday by the Bahrain Basketball Association (BBA), making for an historic first for the kingdom in the rapidly developing half-court version of the game.
The team, to be known as Seef, will be joining others from around the world – each representing major cities – competing in various events worldwide.
The participation of Seef on the Fiba 3x3 World Tour reflects the BBA’s strategic direction of developing the game in the kingdom and advancing its status at the regional and international levels.
It also follows the great boom that 3x3 basketball in Bahrain has witnessed over the past two years, the BBA said. This has included the kingdom’s hosting of events on the Fiba 3x3 World Tour calendar, the participation of Bahrain representatives Riffa in the worldwide series, the historic debut of Mohammed Kowayed with Riffa as the first-ever Bahraini player in the Fiba 3x3 World Tour this ongoing season, and the rise of Bahrain’s 3x3 men’s basketball national team on the Fiba 3x3 World Ranking.
Furthermore, the first-ever Bahrain 3x3 Summer Tour was launched this year and is currently ongoing, and it has proven its popularity amongst both players and fans.
Along with Kowayed, Riffa are made up of top players from Belgium, but Seef will feature a group of prominent Bahraini players who excel in 3x3.
It has still yet to be announced when Seef will be making their maiden appearance on the Fiba 3x3 World Tour, but the BBA are planning for the team to hold an overseas training camp to ensure a high level of technical and physical readiness for their upcoming participations.
Seef will also be made up of a totally Bahraini technical and administrative staff, the BBA noted.
BBA president Alaa Mudara said that the formation of the Seef team is an important milestone for Bahraini basketball. He added that it is within the kingdom’s comprehensive vision aimed at strengthening Bahrain’s presence on the international sporting stage and it creates new opportunities for players coming from the kingdom.
The Fiba 3x3 World Tour 2025 has already made stops in Japan, China, the Netherlands, France, Austria, and Mongolia, with events also set to be held in Hong Kong, Canada, Switzerland, Hungary, China, Macau, and the UAE before heading to Bahrain for the Fiba 3x3 World Tour 2025 finale on November 21 and 22.
There are also 20 lower-tier Challenger tournaments to be held throughout the season.
This year will be the first time ever that Bahrain will be staging the curtain-closer, which will crown this year’s Fiba 3x3 World Tour champions.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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