KUWAIT CITY, Aug 4: The Kuwait basketball team has begun preparations for the Gulf Championship, set to take place in the Bahraini capital from September 2-7. The first training session was held two days ago at the Basketball Association Hall in Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Complex. Led by national team coach Khaled Al-Qallaf, the session saw the attendance of 12 players, while six players were absent due to special circumstances.

During the initial phase of preparation, the technical staff focused on enhancing the players' physical fitness. The second phase will involve an external training camp in Serbia from August 17-31. Before the start of the first local training session, Dhari Burjas, head of the Basketball Association, along with the technical and administrative staff, held a meeting with the players. Burjas emphasized the importance of commitment to training and delivering their best performance to reflect the development of Kuwaiti basketball.

Mohammed Al-Hasawi, a member of the Federation's Board of Directors and head of the Blue delegation for the training camp and tournament, stated that the Federation aims to continue the success achieved by national teams, most recently the youth team's qualification for the Asian Cup finals. He added that the players who missed the initial training sessions were on summer vacation with their families but will join the sessions this week. The Serbia camp will feature five friendly matches against prominent Serbian clubs as part of the preparation for the tournament.

Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff