Jordan finishes 2nd in WABA Championship

AMMAN — Jordan took the runner-up spot after it beat Syria 80-69 at the West Asian Basketball Association (WABA) Championship which ended in Amman late Tuesday.

The Kingdom clinched one of three qualifying slots to the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in China after it beat Iraq 86-71, lost to Lebanon 92-74 and beat Palestine 92-76.

Lebanon took top spot but it was the qualification of Palestine for the first time ever that was historic following its 70-62 win over Iraq. 

Hosts China and 2014 FIBA Asia Cup champions Iran automatically qualified for the event in September which qualifies the winner to represent Asia at the 2016 Summer Olympics basketball tournament.

Last year, Jordan won the WABA title for the second time in the absence of both the Lebanese and senior Iranian teams and represented the West Asia zone at the 5th FIBA Asia Cup, where China, as well as defending FIBA Asia Championship titleholders Iran had automatically qualified. The Cup (previously known as Stankovich Cup) is held every two years. Qatar was a champ in 2004, Jordan in 2008, Lebanon in 2010 and Iran in 2012 and 2014.

Jordan first won the West Asia title in 2002. In the 2011 qualifiers, Jordan finished second behind Iran and qualified to the 26th FIBA Asia Championship where, for the first time in the country’s history, Jordan reached the final but lost the chance to qualify to the 2012 Olympic Games by losing the final 70-69 to China. Jordan then played at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) for Men but lost to Puerto Rico and Greece and was eliminated. The OQT gave Asia’s second and third teams a chance to qualify to the London Games basketball event. 

Although the men’s basketball team reached the World Championship in 2010 — and it was the only Jordanian team to actually reach a world championship in a team sport alongside the junior team in 1995 — official support for Jordan’s second most popular game is seen as below par by most observers, leading to a decline in the sport locally and less competitive advantage on the international scene.