Bahrain to Host 2024 Gulf U16 Basketball Championship
Basketball fever is set to sweep Bahrain as the island nation gears up to host this year’s edition of the Gulf U16 Basketball Championship, scheduled to take place from July 7 to 12 at the BBA Arena in Um Al Hassam.
The Bahrain Basketball Association (BBA) confirmed yesterday that all six GCC nations – Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE – will participate in the regional showdown. The tournament also serves as a qualifying event for the prestigious FIBA Asia U16 Championship, which will be held later this year in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
In terms of structure, the teams have been split into two groups. Group A features Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE, while Group B includes Oman, Saudi Arabia, and hosts Bahrain. The championship’s format includes a preliminary group stage, followed by knockout rounds, semi-finals, and placement games.
The action tips off on Sunday, July 7, with Qatar facing Kuwait at 5pm, and Bahrain battling Oman in the day’s second fixture at 7:30pm. On July 8, fans can look forward to UAE vs. Qatar at 5pm, followed by Saudi Arabia taking on Oman at 7:30pm. Group play concludes on July 9 with Kuwait going up against the UAE at 5pm, and a thrilling clash between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain at 7:30pm.
After a rest day on July 10, the semi-finals will take place on July 11. Here, the Group A winner will face the Group B runner-up, and the Group A runner-up will meet the Group B winner. The tournament wraps up with the final and third-place game on July 12, where medals – and places in FIBA Asia’s tournament – will be at stake.
For Bahrain, this is an opportunity to improve upon their third-place finish in the 2023 edition hosted in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Though they missed out on qualification at that tournament, Bahrain eventually participated in the FIBA Asia U16 Championship in Doha after receiving an official invitation from FIBA Asia. However, the team exited early after losing all three group games in the 16-nation continental tournament.
The championship in Bahrain offers not just a gateway to continental competition, but also a showcase of the region’s young basketball talent, as nations vie for supremacy and qualification on the Asian stage.
Team V.DIR-EM-UAE
