Teams Old School and Oryxes have managed to each snag the win in their respective men’s and women’s categories during the Red Bull Half Court UAE finals, which was held at Dubai Municipality’s newly decorated Satwa Park basketball court.
And with that, the teams have guaranteed their ticket to Serbia, where they will go head to head with the national finalists from other countries in the streetball world finals, taking place in September of this year.
After weeks of grueling matches that brought together a plethora of teams across the entire country, the nationals finals concluded the tournament with a high level of competition and a fun atmosphere as the crowd cheered on its favorite players. And with their perfect coordination and skills, the Old School team-mates managed to overtake the rest of the teams, making Robert Bou Dagher, Amer El Sati, Hassan Dandash, and Bilal Abdallah the champions in the men’s category. As for the women’s team, Orlaith Woods, Melissa Torres, Rachel Thompson and Joana Fernandes took their team Oryxes all the way to the top and were crowned the women’s category winners.
What set this tournament apart is its fast pace, with only a small window of time to score and a solo basketball hoop to shoot at, which demanded a whole new way of strategizing and playing.
Both the men’s and women’s teams expressed how excited they were to represent the UAE to the best of their capabilities in the upcoming world finals in Serbia later this year and their desire to do their best and even try to win the championship.
The tournament, which was held in partnership with Arada Real Estate Development and the Dubai Sports Council, gave local communities the chance to participate in and attend an event that brought together basketball, music, and street art. In cooperation with the Dubai Municipality, the Satwa Park basketball court was outfitted with special graffiti, designed by the creative team at Alienzart specifically for the occasion. The art will live on as a reminder and legacy of the Red Bull Half Court finals that took place in one of the oldest basketball courts in the country.
Now, all eyes are on the upcoming world finals, where the UAE winners will compete in matches against the winning teams of over 30 countries. Additionally, three of the biggest stars in the Arab basketball world, tournament ambassadors Nadine Al Salawi and Ehab Amin, and Red Bull Athlete Wael Arakji, closely followed the Red Bull Half Court UAE competitions and its exceptional players.
They unanimously praised the abilities of the UAE winners and believe they will achieve outstanding results in the world finals. In recent years, the three athletes have been following the development of the game in the region and are confident in the ability of the Arab teams to compete with full force on an international level.
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