On May 15 and 16, Kuwait will host the qualifier for the Red Bull King of the Rock, a one-on-one basketball tournament that will take place at the Marina Basketball Courts.
Sixty-four of Kuwait’s most talented one-on-one basketball players will fight tooth and nail to advance to the final 16 which will take place on May 23 at the same place. The winner at the final will earn a “golden ticket” to compete in the Finals on Samasana, Taiwan.
There are only two options: win and continue on, or lose and go home. Games will last five minutes and will be subject to regulation hoops rules and scoring (two and three pointers). Only the first 64 players to register in each qualifier will be accepted into the competition, so players should arrive starting 5:30 pm if they want to compete. The qualifier is open to amateur and pros alike, however players must be 16 years of age or older to participate. Participants under the age of 18 will need to have a parent or guardian present to sign a waiver at the qualifier.
Abdo Chidiac, a Lebanese professional basketball player will be the competition director and responsible for the overall competition and the athlete management. Chidiac was part of the Lebanese National Basketball Team for 15 years. He also played for several professional clubs most notably Sagesse where he won the Arab Basketball Championship in 1998 and FIBA Asia Championship in 1999. Chidiac a well-known three pointer won the Lebanese Basketball league twice and achieved many individual accolades and accomplishments including several Defensive Player of the year and was among the top 5 scorers for five years.
In 2010, Red Bull King of the Rock went down in history as the first official sporting event ever to be held on Alcatraz and the first time basketball had been played on The Rock since the inmates left the island over 50 years ago.
On September 6, 2014, King of the Rock is back and promises to be better than ever. The tables have been turned since the World Finals will move from US to Samasana Island in the heart of Asia and will also crown the first ever Queen of the Rock. The 32 King of the Rock finalists will include players from the 27 National Finals held all over the world.
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