Doha: The Qatari national team emerged victorious in the men's category of Round 3 of the FIBA 3x3 Nations League Under 23 Asia-Pacific, an event organized by the Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) at the Federation Hall in Al Gharafa. Twelve teams competed in both the men's and women's categories in this league.
According to Qatar News Agency, the Qatari team, consisting of Hamad Yassin Ismail Musa, Zain Al Din Badri, Nizar Mahmoud, Ahmed Saeed Mohammed, and Mubarak Jama, clinched the title by defeating New Zealand 16-12 in the final match. New Zealand had previously won the first and second rounds. The Qatari team delivered a strong performance throughout the competition, starting with a 21-17 victory against Chinese Taipei, followed by a 22-10 win over Indonesia in Group B.
By winning the third round, the Qatari team accumulated 260 points, having secured second place in the first and second rounds. Meanwhile, New Zealand's total reached 280 points, having been the champions of the initial rounds. After the final match, Abdullah Sultan Al Jaber, a member of the Board of Directors of the Qatar Basketball Association, crowned the Qatari team as the champions of the third round.
In the women's competition, New Zealand achieved a significant victory by securing the third-round title with a 20-13 win against Chinese Taipei. Following the conclusion of the matches, Talal Saad Al Mughaiseeb, the tournament director, crowned New Zealand, marking their first title in the competition. The Philippines team, however, had previously won the first and second rounds by defeating Chinese Taipei.
The Qatari women's national team, which includes Salha Ismail, Mona Abdel Moneim, Sama Jasser, and Lamees Jamal, faced setbacks in their third-round matches, losing 21-6 to Chinese Taipei and 21-5 to Singapore in Group B. This edition of the league serves as a qualifying round for the FIBA U23 3x3 Basketball World Cup.
The champions of the men's and women's categories and the top-scoring team will qualify for the tournament scheduled to take place in Xiong'an, China, from September 17 to 21. A total of twelve teams, including six men's and six women's teams from Qatar, New Zealand, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Chinese Taipei, will participate in the tournament.