Qatar players and officials celebrate with the winners’ trophy after winning the GCC Basketball Championship yesterday. Right: Qatar Basketball Federation president and Qatar Olympic Committee secretary general HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani watching the match.
Captain Yaseen Ismail led Qatar to their fourth GCC Basketball Championship title yesterday before announcing retirement from international basketball.
Qatar, in the presence of Qatar Basketball Federation president and Qatar Olympic Committee secretary general HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, beat Bahrain comprehensively in their last match in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Qatar won their final match of the round-robin tournament 86-63.
Going into the match, Qatar only had a one-point advantage over Kuwait and Bahrain, but the win ensured that Coach Vassilis Fragkias was a happy man.
Yaseen retired after a busy and successful career that last 21 years; he participated in all the Arabian Gulf, Arab, Asian and international tournaments.
The national team and Al Rayyan star won a total of 15 championships across various competition.
“It’s time to give a chance to the new generation in order to continue the march of achievements in basketball for Qatar,” he said.
The match was fast and exciting throughout, Qatar had inflicted much of the damage in the first half itself with a scoreline of 50-32.
Sheikh Saoud said: “We offer congratulations to all the players for winning the title and also for qualifying for the Asian Cup next year in China, a tournament that will determine eligibility for the Rio Olympic Games in 2016. I thank the players, coaches and administrative staff for their great effort in the tournament.”
He added: “We congratulate our brothers in the Saudi federation for their excellent organisation and thank them for their hospitality.”
Qatar Basketball Federation secretary general Mohamed Ali Hobash was palpably ecstatic at Qatar’s win. He said: “We are delighted at the victory. The win proves that basketball is going in the right direction in Qatar. We are competing in the hardest of tournaments, and we were confident to get the title back to Doha despite strong opponents.
“Our players showed their experience in the match against Bahrain and also their fighting spirit.”
Coach Fragkias said: “I am proud of having won my first title with Qatar, and I hope to keep up the good work in the future too. Now, there is a lot of work to be done ahead of the Asian Cup in China.
“I am quite satisfied with the performance of my players in this tournament. Let’s not forget that there were some absences in our ranks, but we were able to compensate. The new players also gelled well with the others in the team. The spirit in the team is high, and this shows excellence on the part of our players.”
In the other match, Kuwait beat hosts Saudi Arabia 59-50 to win the silver medal. Bahrain won bronze.
BELOW:
Qatar Basketball Federation secretary general Mohamed Ali Hobash (centre) exchanges memento with head of the Saudi Basketball Federation in the presence of QBF executive Saadoun al-Kuwari. Right: Yaseen Ismail with the trophy.
