Basketball gets a spotlight at F1

Manama : More than 300 children showed up to play a popular kind of basketball game- 3*3 during the three-day F1 weekend. 

While the main focus remained on motorsport at this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix, for the first time ever, a basketball activity organised by the Bahrain Basketball Association was also conducted.

Fans were able to take part in 3X3 (three-on-three) basketball and the initiative aimed to raise interest among residents for this highly important sports form. A special zone in BIC’s F1 Village was allocated for a half-court playing area. The experience allowed participants to shoot hoops alongside a number of famous Bahraini athletes from various sports, including national football, stars Mohammed Salmeen, Ismaeel Abdullatif and Mahmood Abdulrahman. 

Speaking to DT News, Member of 3*3 Committee and Head of Organizers of the 3*3 Basketball Challenge ‘Hamad Al Mahari’ said: “This is the first tournament of its kind and we are happy to bring it to F1 this year.3*3 is a popular form of basketball and our president Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa always had the vision to make basketball available to all the communities in Bahrain and make it one of the most popular kinds of sports in the country.”

Besides a large number of children, men and women also actively took part in the initiative. There was a scoring board in the process and for those who shot a set of hoops; they were gifted with their very own basketballs. Handball icons Saeed Johar and Hussain Al Sayyad, members of the Bapco women’s basketball team and KHK MMA fighters led by Hamza Kooheji, were also present during the three-day stint.