Muscat: The curtain has fallen on the GCC 3x3 Basketball Championship, which was held over two days in the Omani capital and featured high technical levels and intense competition in both the men’s and women’s events.
Qatar’s Muna Suleiman emerged as the standout performer in the women’s category, earning the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
The Qatar women’s team finished fourth, following a 7–11 loss to Kuwait in the third-place playoff.
Earlier, Qatar fell to Saudi Arabia 13–19 in the semifinals, while Bahrain defeated Kuwait 12–10 to advance to the final, where Saudi Arabia claimed the championship after a 20–17 win over Bahrain. Muna Suleiman delivered an exceptional performance throughout the tournament, playing a decisive role in playmaking, leadership, and scoring key points that kept Qatar competitive in several matches. She was strongly supported by teammates Maya Rami Al-Khatib, Naziha Hossam, and Tania Al-Tawil, who helped showcase the strength of Qatar’s women’s basketball on the Gulf stage.
Speaking after receiving the MVP award, Muna Suleiman said: “I am very proud of this award and grateful to my teammates and the coaching staff for their continuous support. This recognition motivates me to keep improving and to help the team achieve better results in the future. Our goal now is to raise the level of women’s basketball in Qatar and compete strongly in the upcoming tournaments.”
She added: “Despite finishing fourth, we played strong matches and gained valuable experience that will help us develop technically and physically.
These lessons will be crucial for our future competitions.” In the men’s competition, Qatar claimed the runner-up position after losing the final to Bahrain 16–20.
The team had booked their place in the final by defeating Saudi Arabia 20–16 in the semifinals. Qatar opened its group-stage campaign with victories over Oman (B) (16–12) and Bahrain (17–13).
The men’s team—made up of Ahmed Saeed Mohammed, Deyan Janic, Miho Harasic, and Nadim Muslic—delivered impressive performances that strengthened Qatar’s presence in Gulf basketball
