The Rwanda Blind Sports Federation crowned Gahini Goalball team as this year’s 2013 champions at Petit Stadium Amahoro Kigali over the weekend.The two-day event attracted seven teams from various provinces, namely; Bugesera, Musanze, Gisagara, Nyarungege, Rwamagana and UNR. In the final, Gahini beat Rwamangana 8:6. In other play-off matches; Gisagara defeated NUR in one of the most exciting games by 12:10 points, while Musanze trounced Nyarungege by 14:4 points. Man of the match accolade went to Zakari Dusengimana (Gahini) and UNR was the best performing team. William Safari, the National Blind Sports President (ABSA- RWANDA) expressed gratitude to all the participants and thanked the sponsors for the assistance in staging the tournament. “We hope to sensitise fans, training facilities, and creating more competitions to improve the sport in the country,” he said. “There is need for the National Paralympics Committee (NPC) to improve the sport by initiating the sport,” he said. Goalball is a game for people with visual impairments. The game is played by two teams of three players each. Players are all blindfolded.The objective of the game is to score as many points as possible by rolling the ball over the opponent’s goal line using a bowling action.Goalball was first introduced in the 1976 Paralympics (International Paralympic Committee) and has continued to gain more and more popularity over the years. It is now played in all International Blind Sports Association (IBSA) regions.To score, a player must roll or bounce the ball down the length of the court, past the opposing defenders, and into the opponents’ goal. Goalball players are not allowed to compete without wearing eyeshades. Bells inside the ball help to orient the players by indicating the direction of the oncoming ball. Therefore, while play is in progress, complete silence is required in the venue to allow the players to concentrate and react instantly to the ball.Blind Sports game rules require the field of play to be 18m long by 9m wide (about 19.7 yards by 9.8 yards). The court is divided into six even sections (3 by 9 m). At either end, just in front of the goal, is the team area. Beyond that is each team’s landing zone. The lines of the court are made by placing tape over lengths of twine. Goalball was first played in Rwanda in 2005, and by 2008 the sport was played at the national level. And this year’s event was first played at the provincial level.
