31st Dubai International Basketball Championship opens
A large crowd watched the opening day, with the national team losing 88-82 to Mighty Sports of the Philippines.
The opening day of the 31st Dubai International drew a large crowd, particularly for the national team's match against Mighty Sports of the Philippines, which finished 88-82 to Mighty. The game was watched by His Excellency Humaid Al Qutami, director general of the Dubai Health Authority, federation president Major General Ismail Al Qarqawi, and the Lebanese consul Assaf Doumit.
The Group B match was strong from both sides, and the national team produced a good performance but for the small errors that cost it some easy points. The Lebanese star Fadi El Khatib played for the UAE.
In Group A, Al Riyadi Beirut recorded an important 96-78 win over American University in Dubai, in a match followed by a large Lebanese crowd who backed Al Riyadi until the win was secured.
