India to host women's Asia Cup basketball

India will host two international events in 2017: the FIBA Women's Asia Cup and FIBA Under-16 Women's Asian Championship, the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) announced on Sunday.

The FIBA Women's Asia Cup will be held from July 23 to 29 in Bengaluru while the FIBA U-16 Women's Asian Championship will be held from October 22 to 28 in Hyderabad, a BFI statement said.

Fourteen teams will take part in both events, with eight teams in Division A (which include new Oceania teams Australia and New Zealand) and six in lower Division B.

This will be the first time since 2009 that India will host a major International Basketball Federation (FIBA) event.

"FIBA has allotted this event to India with utmost confidence and support, based on the steady increase in on-court quality of the Indian national teams over the past two years since the new leadership of the BFI, led by President K. Govindaraj and Secretary General Chander Mukhi Sharma, took over," the release said.

The Men's National Teams made it to the quarter-finals in the 28th FIBA Asia Championship in 2015 and again to the quarter-finals, bagging an all time best seventh place in the FIBA Asia Challenge 2016.

"With these two events being hosted in India, the BFI looks to promote and develop the women's National Teams to reach the same success as the men's sides," the BFI said.

Govindaraj also announced the conduct of a men's national league this year.

--IANS

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