Kuwaiti Ahmed Al-Fadly books spot at Red Bull King of the Rock in Alcatraz

KUWAIT: Physical and aggressive one-on-one basketball, wind and hot weather, nothing could stop Ahmed Al Fadly from winning the Red Bull King of the Rock in Kuwait. Ahmed defeated six opponents including his twin brother Abdulaziz and earned a “golden ticket” to compete in the Finals on Alcatraz, San Francisco. The twin brothers overcame all opponents and reached the final to setup a mouthwatering clash. The final was tough as both players know each other very well but it was Ahmed who had the upper hand as he succeeded offensively outscoring his brother by 6 points.

“I’m so happy to win the first Red Bull King of the Rock in Kuwait. The competition format is tough and the level was so high but my consistent playing helped me reach the final and win. Hard luck for my twin brother Abdulaziz, he played brilliantly the whole tournament but at the end someone has to win. I will not rest but will prepare very seriously and improve my individual skills for the finals in Alcatraz.” said the winner Ahmed Al Fadly. The event was held at the Marina Basketball Courts with the participation of 64 of the best one-on-one basketball players in Kuwait. Each player had to win a game of five minutes to advance to the next round.

Abdo Chidiac, a Lebanese professional basketball player acted as the competition director. He was 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.
Now in its third year, the global one-on-one basketball tournament will return with the most competitive field to date.  Bigger and better than ever, Red Bull King of the Rock has expanded to qualifiers in 27 countries, including 33 in the United States.  From these qualifiers, 64 finalists will head to the island to put it all on the line in The Yard on Alcatraz on September 22.

The 64 finalists will include: the top player from the 24 international final qualifiers; the top player from each of the 33 US qualifiers; the five top runners-up from the U.S. qualifiers; and returning champions Izeah “Clutch” Bowman (2010) and Hugh “Baby Shaq” Jones (2011).  International qualifiers will take place in the following countries: Dominican Republic, Georgia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Slovak Republic, Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Jamaica, Italy, Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Spain, Turkey, Brazil, Canada and Ukraine.

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