Rashed Al-Naqbi, Head of National Basketball Teams, announced that the national team will begin its internal camp in Dubai today without players from Al-Ahli and Sharjah clubs. This is part of the preparation for participating in the 35th edition of the Dubai International Tournament, which will be held at the Al-Nasr Club hall from January 25 to February 1. Al-Naqbi said in statements to 'Emirates Today' that nine players will start the internal camp, which is held at the Al-Ahli Club hall, with the list to be completed on January 21 when Al-Ahli and Sharjah players join, as they are tied to their clubs for the final and decisive matches of the group stage of the West Asian Super League for the Gulf region. He explained that invitations were sent to 17 players, with the initial list including: Saif Hamed, Abdulaziz Khalifa (Al-Wasl), Hassan Abdullah, Mamadou Inday, Hassan Haidar, Hassan Shaiba (Al-Nasr), Rashed Naser, Jasem Mohammed, and Khalifa Khalif (Al-Bataih). The list will be completed with the addition of Al-Ahli players: Qais Omar, Omar Al-Amri, Hamed Abdul Latif, Hassan Khalid, and Sharjah players: De Marco Dixon, Ahmed Abdul Latif, Mahmoud Wasim, and Mohammad Asad. Al-Naqbi added that Al-Ahli and Sharjah will play their pre-final round of the West Asian Super League group stage today and tomorrow. Al-Ahli will host Bahrain's Al-Muharraq in Group A, while Sharjah will travel to face Qatar's Al-Arabi. The two teams will conclude their group stage journey on January 19 and 20 with two decisive matches: Al-Ahli against Kuwait's Kazma, and Sharjah against Kuwait's Al-Kuwait, in a battle to secure qualification for the final rounds. Al-Naqbi indicated that the national team's participation in the Dubai International Tournament is part of the preparation plan for the Gulf Games, to be held in May in the Qatari capital, Doha. He stated that 'Al-Abyad' (the team's nickname) aims to defend its title after winning the gold medal in the 2022 edition. Al-Naqbi concluded that the Dubai International Tournament represents a crucial stop to maximize technical benefit by engaging with diverse basketball schools from elite clubs and teams across Asia and Africa, expressing his hope to present a level of play that befits the reputation of Emirati basketball, especially after the team's bronze medal achievement in the previous tournament.
