FIBA launches U-17 Skills Challenge 2020

ꟷ GABF to participate

The executives of the international basketball forum have confirmed, in a video session on June 12, that the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2020 Youth World Competitions cannot be organized this year because of the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, FIBA have proposed a new project for this age group, titled FIBA U-17 Skills Challenge 2020.
According to the decision of the FIBA executives, those participating in the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2020 and the FIBA Women’s U17 Basketball World Cup 2020 are directly qualified to participate in the FIBA U17 Skills Challenge 2020, and will be joined by four other national teams, one from each region.
FIBA U17 Skills Challenge 2020, in which both male and female teams can participate, is scheduled to commence on August 17. Twenty teams would be participating in each of these categories, and this world class competition of skills and abilities would be broadcast live on FIBA’s official Youtube channel.
The rules governing the FIBA U17 Skills Challenge 2020 specify that at each game/challenge, teams would be comprised of five eligible players from the national team (chosen from the 24 players registered on the FIBA MAP) and the terrain must be compatible with the official configuration imposed by FIBA (with the location of the milestones and the bird apparatus).
Everything is timed, and at each position/procedure/throw the athletes either get or do not get points in that challenge (the timer starts when the first athlete starts dribbling from the starting line, and will stop when the ball reaches the fifth athlete in the hands of the first, located at the starting line, on the back cough).
During the events, the FIBA rules of the game would be applied, and after the qualifications, the international forum would finalise the format of the two final competitions, pairing the participating teams and establishing the hours of each event within the FIBA U17 Skills Challenge 2020.
National coaches Junior Hercules and Lugard Mohan have been selected by the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) as the primary points of contact for the recruitment and execution of this qualifier. The GABF will be selecting five boys and five girls born on or after January 1st, 2003 to represent Guyana in this regional qualifier.
The GABF currently awaits information regarding the final phase of the FIBA U17 Skills Challenges 2020 from the FIBA Americas Regional Office, including the FIBA U17.