Dubai: Hosts UAE lost 69-32 to Iraq on day three of the sixth Fazza International Wheelchair Basketball West Asian Championships at Al Ahli Club on Monday.
Having earlier beaten Oman 69-56 and Jordan 63-34, the UAE have already ensured their place in the semi-finals and could still qualify for the Paralympic Asian Games in South Korea in October, provided they finish inside the top three.
Thani Juma Berregad, the chairman of Dubai Club for the Disabled and head of this event’s organising committee, brushed off the defeat.
“This is an initial setback for the UAE,” he said. “The team has played extremely well over the course of the first few days, but Iraq was the stronger team today. Three teams will qualify for the Asian Paralympic Games in Incheon later this year and we are glad the UAE’s chances are still high.”
A total of 170 athletes and officials from eight countries are participating in the championship. The other teams besides the UAE are Oman, Kuwait, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
The championships have been organised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammad Heritage Centre and the Dubai Club for the Disabled under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council.
