Four all-star Filipino basketball teams in the Gulf region will slug it out for supremacy in the hardcourt in the 4^th GCC All Filipino Cup Championship which will be held here at Al Gharafa Sports Club on April 18-19 this year.

It would be another exciting event for thousands of Filipino basketball enthusiasts in the region as the participating teams will parade the cream of the crops from their respective leagues who once shone from collegiate and commercial tournaments in the Philippines before they became OFWs.

Pinoy Basketball of Qatar (PIBAQ) with an all-out support extended by Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) will host the two-day basketball tournament which will be participated by the all-star selection Filipino teams from Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and host Qatar.

Delegates from participating countries have reached an agreement to pursue the big event during a meeting at the Maharlika President Hotel in Dubai where the launching and press conference was also held.

Danny Vera hosted the meeting which were attended by the participating team coaches Jhun Paule (Dubai), Alex James Harrow (Abu Dhabi), Dong Silastre and Rod Cleofas (Bahrain), Pat Carido, PIBAQ President and founding member and local sponsor Ms. Rosie Punzalan Aquino of Philippine Tailoring.

Carido, who is also one of the pioneering members of Samahan ng Basketboll ng Pilipinas (SBP) in the GCC said the two-day event will be an invitational tournament among the best Filipino basketball players working in the GCC region that would serve as an offshoot to bigger upcoming leagues that would be organised by the proposed establishment of Philippine Basketball Middle East (PBME).

Already, Filipino star players Roy Lura of Team Abu Dhabi and Rolly Basilides of Team Dubai have already led their respective teams to intensive practice with less than two months left before the big basketball tournament.

Team Dubai will meet Bahrain in the first match while local host Qatar will play against Abu Dhabi in the second match, Dubai Head Coach Jhun Paule said: “Bahrain may have four imports led by former DLSU Bader Malabes but we will make sure that it will not be an easy fight and I am confident that we will take the championship trophy”