Sports | Monday 31 October, 2016 4:04 pm |

 

The Jordanian and Egyptian teams topped the groups of the first edition of the 3×3 Arab Women Basketball Tournament, being held under the patronage of the wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs.

 

The competition is taking place under the theme ‘Above the Rim, We Score’ and features the participation of 16 teams from eight Arab countries.

 

Held in partnership with the Sharjah Sports Council, the inaugural pan-Arab tournament is being organised by Women Sports Department (WSD) at Sharjah Ladies Club (SLC), with the competition hosted in collaboration with the Arab Basketball Federation and the UAE Basketball Association.

 

The Jordanian teams, represented by Orthodox Team 2 and Al Fahees Team 1, won their groups with a clean sheet and a score of six points each. Egypt’s Sporting Team 1 and 2 also won their respective groups in an unbeaten run, putting the teams from Jordan and Egypt in the final stages to take the title.

 

Over the course of the day’s 24 matches, behind Jordan's Orthodox 2 in Group One, sharing second place were Bahrain’s Ministry of Youth and Sports Team, Iraq’s Halabja Team and UAE Sharqiya, who all scored four points with 1 win and 2 losses.

 

In Group Two, just one point behind winners Al Fahees Team 1 were Lebanese International University with 2 wins and 1 loss.  The Algerian Olympic Team finished third with a score of four points (1 win & 2 losses), and the UAE Central Region Team came fourth with a score of three points from three losses.

 

In the third group, Egypt’s Sporting Team topped the table by a point over second placed Algerian GSP Team 2. Jordan's Orthodox 1 finished third with four points, and the Palestinian University Student Team came fourth with three points.

 

In Group Four, following hot on the heels of Egypt’s Sporting Team 1, the Algerian GSP Team 1 finished second with five points, the Sharjah Ladies Team came third with four points and Jordan's Al Fahees 2 came in the fourth.

The winners’ results – Group 1:

Orthodox team defeated Iraq’s Halabja 10-6, the Bahraini team 10-9 and Sharqiya 13-6

Group 2:

Al Fahees Team 1 beat UAE Central region Team (17-6), the Lebanese team (13-11), and Algerian Olympic (10-8)

Group 3:

Egypt's Sporting 2 defeated Orthodox 1 (10-5), Algerian GSP Team 1 (13-8) and defeating the Palestinian University Student Team (21-10)

Group 4:

Egypt's Sporting team 1 defeated the Sharjah Ladies Team (13-10), Al Fahees 2 (21-13), and Algerian (19-19).

 

The tournament is played according to a group and knockout system where the top teams and runners-up of the group qualified for the quarter- finals of the tournament, which was held yesterday.

 

As per the single-elimination tournament system, the four winning teams then qualified for the semi-final. As a result, the Jordanian Orthodox and Egyptian Sporting teams then qualified for the final match to decide the title of the first edition.  

 

Three-point field

In a separate individual competition, the tournament's Higher Organizing Committee coordinated a three-point field goal contest for the athletes. The 16 teams each nominated one player to take part, which tested how many three-point baskets they could score in one minute.

 

A three point field goal is made from beyond an arc around the basket measuring more than 6 metres.

 

Four players qualified for the final, which was won by Jeena Hazem from Egypt's Sporting 2 who scored 6 shots in one minute, followed by Algerian player Malika Green who made five shots, then Lilian Abu Jubara from Al Fahees 2 and Onoud Al Asi from Orthodox 1.

 

Major General Ismael Al Gergawi

 

Major General Ismael Al Gergawi, Chairman of both the Arab Basketball Federation and the UAE Basketball Association, lauded WSD's efforts in organising the first pan-Arab Women 3×3 basketball competition, yet another world class event it has succeeded in hosting.

 

He thanked the wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi for her nonstop support for Arab female players by hosting championships and tournaments that help develop the performance of women athletes.

 

"We are proud of the Emirati women's representation in the Arab Basketball Federation, which is represented by Nada Al Naqbi, Director of the Women Sports Department (WSD) in Sharjah, Chairperson of the Women’s Committee at the Arab Basketball Federation and Head of the Higher Organising Committee of the Tournament. Al Naqbi is the first Arab woman ever to hold this position, and we thank her for her immense efforts in organising the first edition of this tournament in Sharjah," he added.

Khalid Al Hinai

Khalid Al Hinai, Vice President of the UAE Basketball Federation and Consul General of the International Federation of Basketball 3x3, emphasised that the launch of the first 3x3 Arab Women Basketball Tournament and the relentless attention to the logistics of the event is a great step forward in Arab women's sports.

 

'The Sharjah Ladies Club makes ever greater strides towards developing women's sports through this competition. The tournament moves us closer to international recognition as it is accredited by the International Basketball Association (FIBA), and gives Arab female athletes the opportunity to reach the status of professional players," he added.