FIBA Asia Secretary General Hagop Khajirian (left) is seen during the draw ceremony of the 27th FIBA Asia Championship.
DOHA: Qatar have been drawn in Group B of the 27th FIBA Asian Championship, details revealed yesterday.
The 16-team event will be held in Manila, Philippines, from August 1 to 11.
Other teams in Group B are Lebanon, Japan and Hong Kong.
Hosts Philippines exercised their right as hosts and opted to play in Group A in the Preliminary Round competition of the 27th FIBA Asia Championship.
The other three teams – Jordan, Chinese Taipei and Saudi Arabia – were drawn in Group A before Philippines used their privilege of opting their choice of group for the Prelim Round.
The top three teams from Group A will qualify for the Second Round where they will take on the top three teams from Group B.
Japan, Qatar, Lebanon and Hong Kong were first drawn in Group B and with Hong Kong joining them after Philippines’ choice.
Group C poses a veritable clash of big guns with China, Iran, Korea – the three who between them have won 19 gold medals in FIBA Asia Championships – all drawn together in the first three rounds of the draw. A qualifier yet to be identified from SEABA joined them. The top three teams from Group C will play against the top three teams of Group D.
Group D saw Kazakshtan, India and a qualifier yet to be identified from SEABA drawn to start with and Bahrain joining them later on.
“With the successful completion of the Draw Ceremony, the stage set for the competition at the 27th FIBA Asia Championship, the biggest event in FIBA Asia. In other words, the countdown has begun to identify the Champion of FIBA Asia,” said FIBA Asia Secretary General Hagop Khajirian who presided over the conduct of the Draw Ceremony.
“FIBA Asia assures Samahang Basketbol Ng Pilipinas (the National Federation of Philippines), the hosts of the event all and necessary support towards the successful conduct of the competition. And going by the impressive manner things moved in the Draw Ceremony, we are confident that the event too under SBP will be a grand success,” he added.
Khajirian further clarified that the names SEABA1 and SEABA2 were only symbolic at this stage.
“Lots will be drawn to identify which team will be called SEABA1 and which SEABA 2 after the qualifiers are spotted at the end of the 10th SEABA Championship to be played in Medan (Indonesia) from June 20-23,” he said. The top the three teams from Manila will all qualify directly for the biggest basketball event in the world. The 27th FIBA Asia Championship is the third occasion when Manila will host this prestigious event, but the first in 40 years.
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