UAE suffer triple injury blow in run-up to Fazza International Wheelchair Basketball Championships

Dubai: Organisers Dubai Club for Special Sports (DCSS) expect hosts UAE to perform at their best despite having three key players falling to injuries from the squad when they host seven other countries in the 5th Fazza International Wheelchair Basketball Championships next week.

Mohammad Al Hamad, Mohammad Al Habsi and Habib Majid were all forced out with injuries during the run-up to the international tournament that gets under way at Al Ahli Club from April 20-24.

“It is such a weird situation for the national team to have three out of training injuries at the same time,” Majid Al Usaimi, General Secretary, UAE Disabled Sports Federation, told Gulf News.

Germany, Japan, China, Turkey, Oman, Kuwait and Iraq have been confirmed to join hosts the UAE in the five-day championship sponsored by Pepsi, Enoc, DP World, Emirates NBD, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and Emirates Airline.

The eight teams will be classified into two groups at the technical meeting on Thursday and after the preliminary round matches, the top two teams will advance to the semi-finals. The third place play-off and final will be held on April 25.

The outstation teams are expected to arrive in Dubai on April 18 and group matches will be played daily from 9am till 3 pm.

The tournament is being held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman, Dubai Sports Council (DSC).

The competition started four years ago with only five countries from the Gulf region. It moved further west with the participation of Jordan and Iraq and last year had three new countries in Japan, Australia and Malaysia taking part.

“We have constantly tried to upgrade this competition by inviting stronger basketball nations each year. This year this event has an international flavour with the presence of Germany and Turkey along with new entrant China,” noted Thani Juma Berregad, President of DCSS.

“The London Paralympic Games witnessed a high level of competition and we would like to have fans come and see some great basketball action in Dubai,” he added.