SHARJAH: Jordan’s Al Fuheis, the reigning champion, was crowned the basketball champion of the 7th edition of the Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST 2024) on Monday.
The gold medal was snatched after an intense match against newcomer Syria’s Al Thawra, who bolstered their status as a title contender throughout the championship.
Bahraini Al-Ahli clinched the bronze medal after a win against Saudi Capital, securing their spot on the podium.
The grand finale witnessed the reigning champions, Al Fuhais and Al Thawra, going neck to neck during the first half, with the latter aiming for gold and seeking redemption for their earlier defeat by the Jordanian team. The first quarter concluded with a score of 13-11 and the second at 25-20, clearly demonstrating the robust defence put up by both teams. In the third quarter, the Jordanian team intensified their offensive efforts, widening the gap against the newcomers to end the quarter at 49-37. The final quarter saw Al Fuhais further extending their lead, concluding
the game and the tournament at the final whistle with a score of 72-50.
Prior to the championship match, Bahraini Al-Ahli clinched the bronze medal after a win against Saudi Capital 65-57 in a close match that saw the Bahraini team maintaining a narrow lead over their competition throughout to complete the game (14-12, 26-23, 46-41, 65-57), and securing their spot on the podium.
At the end of the match, the winners were honoured during the closing ceremony of AWST 2024 in the presence of Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of AWST Higher Steering Committee for AWST; Sheikha Hayat bint Abdulaziz Al Khalifa, Chairwoman of the Equal Opportunities and Gender Equality Committee at the Arab National Olympic Committees; Hilal Al Hazami, Chairman of the Sharjah Sports Council; Abdulaziz Al Anzi, the Secretary-General of the Arab National Olympic Committees; Faisal Ghasal, Sports and Youth Administration Representative and Minister Plenipotentiary at the League of Arab States, Hanan Al Mahmoud, Vice Chairman
of the Higher Steering Committee for AWST and Noura Al Shamsi, Director of AWST.
Source: Emirates News Agency