Iran U-18 team heads to FIBA Asia championship

TEHRAN,Aug.16(MNA)--Iran basketball team left Tehran on Tuesday to compete in the 22nd FIBA Asia U-18 Championship which will be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from August 17-26. Iran has been grouped with Kazakhstan, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia in Group D in the competitions. The team is scheduled to play Kazakhstan in its opening match on Friday. Iran will play Saudi Arabia and the Philippines respectively in the following days. Defending champion China has been drawn alongside fellow East Asian team Hong Kong, West Asia’s Lebanon and South Asia champions India in Group A. South Korea, who lost to China in the gold medal game at the 21st FIBA Asia Championship at two years ago, lead the fray in Group B, which consists of another East Asian contenders Japan along with Singapore and Syria. Host Mongolia is in Group C, which comprises Chinese Taipei -- the bronze medalists of the 21st FIBA Asia Championship -- Indonesia and Bahrain, who are making a comeback into the competition after a gap of 30 years. The top three teams from each group will advance to the second round of the championship. The top three teams from the FIBA Asia U-18 Championship will represent FIBA Asia at the 2013 FIBA U-19 World Championship which will be played in Czech Republic from 27 June-7 July 2013.