Qatar Junior Falcons players and officials pose for a photograph after winning the U17 Youth GCC All-Filipino Club Championship 2016, in Manama, Bahrain recently.
The hard work in the months of rigid training paid off for the Filipino kids in Qatar when they won the U17 Youth GCC All-Filipino Club Championship 2016, held in Manama, Bahrain.
The Qatar Junior Falcons outplayed five other equally tough teams from host Bahrain, Dubai and Saudi Arabia which paraded the best of the Filipino student cage players aged under 17 from an all-star selection in their respected Filipino communities.
The Junior Falcons who had been undergoing several months of training from the weekend basketball clinic under the tutelage of Filipino veteran coaches led by former San Beda Red Lions cage star Francis Mercado survived a three-point thriller against Dubai, 65-61, adding feather to the cap of the new champions.
“The heart and willingness of the team is really their weapons, everyone sacrifice played their roles and put courage on it. We're really happy and very proud with the chemistry of the team, we are the champion” said Francis Mercado, head coach of the Junior Falcons.
In the past few years, PIBAQ has been embarking on a basketball clinic based on the FIBA international standards to mold young Filipinos with good potentials to become future stars in the hardcourt in the Philippines where such sports has been very popular over the decades.
The tournament held at Zain Basketball Arena saw two teams from the host country, two teams from Saudi Arabia and one each from UAE and Qatar slugging it out in the two-day event early this month.
PIBAQ chairman Pat Carido said their recent feat has inspired them to extend extra effort to promote the basketball training not only for the young boys in Qatar but to all other millions of countrymen in the Filipino communities in the GCC.
Adding prominence to the tournament were the presence of Philippine Ambassador to Bahrain Alfonso S. Ver and Cultural Attache John Jiao of the Philippine Embassy in Qatar.
The Filipino Club Basketball Group, an active member of Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), the basketball governing body in the Philippines, led by Chairman Emil Durano Jr. hosted the tournament.
Durano extended his gratitude to the participating teams including Qatar Junior Falcons, Batang Jawo Junior Stallions (Team 1 of Bahrain), Tia Betty’s Restaurant International (Team 2 Bahrain), White Camel Youth Basketball Club based in Riyadh, KSA, New Generation Basketball Camp based in Dammam, KSA and JK Sports –Jazzville Basletball League.
Rifai Kanakan of Junior Falcons was chosen as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
The Qatar delegation led by Carido included Gabrielle Antonio Cruz from Philippine International School Qatar (PISQ), Jesse Andrew Sirios from PISQ, Razle Jan Fajardo from PISQ, Arvin John De Leon from PISQ, Kim Biala from PISQ, Juliano Vincenso Lopez from PISQ, Rashad Kanakan from Philippine School Doha (PSD), Jayson Clark Dominic Pascua from PSD, John Kyle Japson from PSD, Eskit Nosidal from PSD, Sharoff Dion Zafar Ali from Doha English School and Armiani Josef Grimaldo Andres from Newton International School.
Also joining the delegation were coaches Mercado, Longalong, Arvin de Leon and Andrew Sirios.
PIBAQ expressed gratitude to the delegation sponsors like OOREDOO, Alicafe, Happy Journey Travel, Filipino Community Centre, Go Sports and Gulf Air.
