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Dubai: The General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare (GAYSW) has decided to intervene in an attempt to raise the profile of basketball in the UAE.
"We are missing out on some of the top clubs of yesteryears and we cannot allow this situation to continue," Ebrahim Abdul Malek, secretary general of GAYSW told Gulf News after overseeing the elections to the new board of directors of the UAE Basketball Association last week.
"In the recent past we had clubs like Al Wahda, Al Jazira, Bani Yas and Al Ain who were regular contributors to the national squad," Malek stated.
Return to the fold
"We need to rectify this situation and have the best clubs returning to the fold."
The request for clubs to re-start basketball in Abu Dhabi has been made formally through the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.
"And the response has been very encouraging so far," Abdul Malik said.
"All the clubs in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain have the ability and the resources to support the sport, and I think they should do it," he added.
Malek thanked the new directors of the UAEBA. "We would also like to thank the outgoing members as they are the ones to bring the sport of basketball to its present state."
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