Dubai celebrates FIBA Under 17 World Championship hosting success

Hosting the FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Dubai is not only being seen as boost for basketball in the United Arab Emirates but also marks the UEA’s increasing ability to host major sporting events.

The event, held between 8th and 16th August, has opened up the possibility of the UAE, along with other Gulf nations, sharing the hosting of the FIBA World Cup, according to the Yvan Mannini, President of World basketball’s governing body.

Mannini said he had been impressed by the UAE’s hosting ability of the youth tournament but considered that the adult tournament, which consists of 32 teams rather than 16 at Under 17 level, too big to be held in the country on its own.

Mannini stated “for the future, everything is possible, (however) I do think it’s very difficult for the UAE to organise (the World Cup) alone. It may be possible with some other country in the Gulf.

“There are now 32 teams in the final round of the World Cup, which is maybe too big for a country like UAE.

“You can maybe do something together. It’s a very interesting thing to have a good network around Dubai and have something like this.”

While Mannini said that the UAE could host FIBA’s pinnacle event with a partner country, such as Qatar, he added that with what he has seen at the Under 17 tournament, other, larger FIBA events could be held at Dubai’s Hamdan Sports Complex.

Mannini added “I am sure that the UAE will be a good organisation for the future of FIBA. When I saw a venue like this, I think we can do something more."

The tournament was staged at the Hamdan Sports Complex (pictured below) which, with its giant video scoreboard and court built over a swimming pool, has had the feel of a scaled-down version of the US NCAA tournament Final Four, which often takes place at NFL stadiums.

UAE Basketball Federation President Ismail Al Qarqawi explained “we hope that we showed the world what we did for Fiba, to organise this in Dubai. We brought everybody together.

“This is, we hope, not the last time we provide this kind of international basketball, but is the beginning.

“We do our best to have a good relation with FIBA and we want to participate in all the international activities of FIBA – clinics for coaches or referees, technical, matches, whatever.

“We are ready, we are open to benefit from all this activity with international basketball.”

Commenting on the global development on of basketball, Mannini, who will soon step down from FIBA’s Presidency highlighted the organisation’s Calendar 2017 project, an ambitious restructuring of the international schedule, as the body attempts to make its World Cup a more recognised and admired event, to perhaps even rival basketball at the Olympics, the premier forum for the game.

The USA won the 2014 FIBA Under 17 World Championship, beating Australia 99-92 in the final.

The 17th FIBA World Cup will be held in Spain from 30th August to 14th September.

Click here to visit the FIBA Under-17 World Championship website.