THE Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Executive Committee officially announced yesterday that the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) has been successful in its bid to host the 2016 CBC U-16 Championship for Young Men and Women in July 2016.

“We wish to congratulate and thank Mr Nigel Hinds, GABF president for this undertaking. We are confident that it will be an excellent event of the highest standard,” the CBC said in a press release.
The bid, according to the CBC, was ratified by the executive committee over the weekend after being presented to the committee at the 2016 CBC Assembly this February in the Bahamas by the GABF president.
The bid by the GABF was seen as the Federation’s desire to focus on the development of youths while the nation celebrates its 50th Independence Anniversary on May 26 this year.
This will be the first occasion where Guyana will be hosting the CBC’s Youth Championship which was initiated in 1982.
The inaugural Caribbean Seniors Championship was hosted by Guyana in 1981 and again in 1988 and 1994 under the CARICOM brand.
To date, ten men’s and seven women’s national teams have confirmed their participation. This includes Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname and the hosts Guyana in the Men’s Championship.
The Women’s Championship will include national teams from Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the hosts Guyana.
The Youth Championship was last held in St John’s, Antigua in 2008 and both the Men’s and Women’s Championship winners were the Bahamas.
FIBA in the Americas Regional Director Alberto Garcia congratulated the GABF and their authorities for hosting the first Youth event in the region in the last eight years.
Hinds expressed his thanks to the CBC Executive Committee for awarding Guyana the opportunity to host the 2016 CBC U-16 Championship.