With a focus on the future the first-ever GCC basketball camp for juniors got underway at the Al Wasl Club yesterday.

"It has been long overdue, but better late than never," said Dr Muneer Al Habib, technical director of the UAE Basketball Association, organisers of the event.


Youngsters going through the exercises at Al Wasl basketball summer camp. ©Gulf News
"Now that we've made a start we hope we can maintain its continuity and make it an annual event."

The camp was initiated by a young set of committee members in the GCC Basketball Federation headed by its president Shaikh Talal Bin Saud from Saudi Arabia.

Nearly 100 youngsters, among them players from Bahrain, Syria and Egypt, will participate in the week-long camp.

"It's very important for UAE basketball to support such an event," Dr Muneer stated. "We hope other clubs in the UAE would follow the example set by Al Wasl. "These kids are keen to work work during the summer months, and we should support them."

The training camp is aimed at helping the juniors get their fundamentals in basketball right.

"We are not concentrating on tactics and team work here. We have to ensure that the youngsters first get their basics in order," Dr Muneer stated. For the next seven days the youngsters, including two girls from Egypt's Sporting Club, will go through routines that will help them to grasp the game better.

"The overall development of the rudiments of the game is a big priority," Dr Muneer stressed. At the conclusion of the camp a team of eight UAE juniors will be selected to attend a national-level training camp in Bahrain from August 14-19.

"We are committed to this cause and we will do everything to ensure that a strong base is established," concluded Dr. Muneer.