By Joey Aguilar/Staff Reporter

Since basketball is one of the most popular sports for Filipinos, the Pinoy Basketball of Qatar (Pibaq) will be launching a number of competitions next month.

Pibaq president Pat Carido told Gulf Times that the first Inter-Car Dealer Basketball League 2014 is set on July 18 at the Michael Al Bekey High School Basketball Gym.

At least eight teams from known car brands will be competing in the league which included BMW, Nissan, Kia, Porsche, Toyota, Subaru, Chevrolet and Volkswagen.

He said the tournament was also open to other nationalities provided they are bonafide employees of participating car dealers.

Another Pibaq event is the 12th Inter-Hotel Basketball League which starts today at the Al Sadd Sports Club Gym. At least 20 teams are taking part.

Besides its ongoing president Alvita Cup, Pibaq will also launch its basketball youth camp on July 11 and will run until September 12. The activity is open to children.

The weekly Qatar Aerobics on the Corniche will  continue every Friday but the session was moved from 6am to 5am, according to culture attache Richard Billedo.

He also announced that 17 teams from different expatriate communities had already confirmed to join the Ambassador’s Cup volleyball tournament scheduled on July 18.

“We are expecting more teams to join this exciting sport activity at the Al Arabi Stadium,” he added.

For the holy month of Ramadan, the Malaysian Association Qatar (MAQ) will again hold its food bazaar, showcasing authentic Malaysian cuisine in Hyatt Plaza every Friday starting July.

MAQ committee member Farhan Rashid said they had been organising the event annually since Malaysian food could not be bought easily in Qatar.

They are also planning to organise a bowling tournament for their community members after the Eid al-Adha celebrations.

For other indoor sports, the Filipino Table Tennis Association (FTTA) will continue its regular training sessions and sport clinics for children at the Qatar Bowling Centre (QBC), according to one of its advisers, Ronald Aure.

He expects more players will join their practice sessions and mini tournaments in the next two months.

Bowling, another popular indoor sport among expatriate communities, has consistently attracted enthusiasts and regular players at the QBC.

Members of the Qatar Bowling Federation such as the Association of Filipino Tenpin Club (AFTC) will continue holding their weekly competitions this summer.

AFTC former sports co-ordinator Rico Dela Rosa noted that 20 teams would battle it out for the Season League which started yesterday.

While hundreds of students graduated from its free IT programme yesterday, the Philippine Overseas Labour Office has vowed to continue its baking and pastry-making courses for Filipino expatriates.