Visually impaired athletes will come together later this month for a national goalball tournament being held in partnership with the T&T Blind Welfare Association.

Goalball, played exclusively by visually impaired people, was invented in 1946 to help rehabilitate veterans who lost their sight during World War II.

It has since made its way to the Paralympics (pictured above) with a men’s tournament debuting in 1976 and the women’s edition beginning in 1984.

Here in T&T, stakeholders have come together to host the second national Goalball Competition.

It will be held on September 21st, 2024, at the Southern Regional Indoor Sport Arena in Pleasantville from 8am to 4pm.

Xena Warriors, All Stars and Supersonic Strike Squad will represent north Trinidad, while Power Puff Girls, Titans and Southern Warriors will represent the southland.

The event is free to public, and persons are being urged to come out and lend their support. 

Here’s more about Goalball from the Paralympic website:

“Players must wear opaque eyeshades at all times ensuring fair competition. All international athletes must be legally blind, meaning they have less than 10 per cent vision, and are classified as a B3, a B2, or a B1 – totally blind. 

Teams are made up of six players, with three members playing at any one time. The object of the game is to throw a ball past the opponents and into their net to score points. Players stay on their hands and knees to defend their net and score against their opponents.

A goalball court measures 18 metres long and nine metres wide. It has goals at each end covering the entire nine-metre back-line. String is taped to the markings on the court to allow players to feel the lines and orientate themselves.”