It’s all about the swing

GOALBALL is one of the fastest growing sports for blind people – and is certain to attract big crowds at the 2023 International Blind Sports Federation World Games.

Mark Winder, head of

Goalball UK, said: “Our GB squads are deep in preparation for the Games.It’s going to be a fantastic showcase of high-performance VI (visually impaired) sport right here in the UK.”

The aim of the game is to score goals by quickly and precisely firing a 1.25kg ball across the court and defending shots from the opposing team using their bodies.

Games are split into two 12minute halves and are played on a court measuring 18m x 9m wide with two teams made up of three players each, and goals spanning the width of each nine-metre court end.

GOLF will welcome many new players with a disability to the game if a groundbreaking project is successful.

The body that oversees the game in the UK and abroad is spending a year examining the golf swing of players with impairments,

EDGA (formerly the European Disabled Golf Association) believes the study will lead to better competitive opportunities, fewer injuries, and more disabled people playing the game.

A key ambition of the project

AT THE READY: GB’s goalball squads are focused on preparing for the World Games is to improve on the current classification of players with different impairments into “sports classes” that will ultimately help the golf industry to understand and attract more of the 15% of people worldwide who have a disability.

Work began at back-to-back EDGA Tour events in Portugal in January and the aim is to analyse at least 200 golfers over the next year, including players with visual impairments.

Research will continue at key EDGA Tour events in Scotland, Ireland and England, including at the inaugural The G4D Open, staged by The R&A with support from the DP World Tour, at Woburn in May.

EDGA project leader Dr Roger Hawkes, said a detailed examination of the swing of players with a disability “should give the golf industry far better understanding of how different impairments influence a golf swing, thus unlocking a door to the needs of more golfers.

“This research will help golf’s governing bodies in the important areas of classification, and sports classes, around different player impairments for events.”

is helping and inspiring tens of thousands of people.

But the charity needs to find ways to balance the books.

You can help in a big way by becoming one of our loyal subscribers. For a suggested £20 donation (more, if you can afford it!) we will send you the next SIX editions.

All Together NOW!

NAME