EGYPT is getting ready to host the under 19 basketball World Cup taking place from 1-9 July at Cairo Stadium's indoor halls. Sixteen countries will participate in the nine-day event divided into four groups. The first group includes New Zealand, South Korea, France and a team to be decided from South America. Egypt, the host, falls in the second group with teams from Germany, Puerto Rico and Lithuania. Group 3 includes Canada, Japan, Spain and Mali. The fourth group comprises Iran, Angola, Italy and the US. Egypt won the World Cup bid after strong competition with Italy, Israel and Latvia. At a press conference held alongside the draw at Mohamed Ali's palace in Manial, Khaled Abdel-Aziz, the minister of youth and sports, said the Egyptian government was putting all its facilities at the disposal of the Egyptian Basketball Federation “to make the event a great success, to attract the attention of the whole world to Egypt and to send a message that Egypt is a safe place for everyone.” Magdi Abu Freikha, head of the federation, said winning the bid to hold such an event in Egypt “is proof that we are moving in the right path. It won't be the last but it is the first step as Egypt will be able to organise such huge events in all sports from now on. I think the Egyptian team will reach the finals and the players will do their best to win the title and the cup.”
