Blind sports competition in Ghana has not been developed due to a lack of facilities, protective materials, and inadequate investment.
However, Akropong School for the Blind is striving to change the narrative by becoming a center of excellence in developing sports talents among visually impaired students.
The school has organized an inter-house sports competition for blind students to showcase their sporting skills and talents.
After a week of training, both male and female blind students either totally blind or partially blind took part in goalball, athletics, high jump, javelin, sack race, lime and spoon race, and tag of peace among others.
Goalball is the most popular team sport for the blind and visually impaired. The sport originated in 1946.
The goalball must touch the floor at least once before crossing the line or a penalty is given by an official.
Other common penalties include holding the ball too long and touching the eyeshade without permission from an official.
When a penalty occurs, the guilty player must defend the entire court by himself.
In goalball, two teams of three players each face each other across a court that is nine meters wide and 18 meters long. The object of the game is to roll a basketball-size ball with bells inside over the opponent’s goal line.
Opponents listen for the oncoming ball and attempt to block it with their bodies. Once they can stop the ball and take control of it, they become the offensive team.
The Headmistress of Akropong School for the Blind was impressed by the sterling performances and talents exhibited by the students.
She said this should encourage parents to bring their children with visual impairment to school for the development of their talents.
The Chairman of the Sports Committee in the school Oppong Lartey appealed to philanthropists for landing foams, goalball carpets, jerseys, and goal balls.
Our challenges are many but first of all, we will need what we call a landing foam very big one for high jump and other races you know the nature of our students .when they run they have to get something that will protect them.so if we get two big landing foams that they run on to them then it will be safe, and the high jump too will be nice. We also need a goalball carpet that they can bring and then more jerseys, and Goalballs and any other sporting equipment that will make sports development in this school very very good we will appreciate it.
Evans Adu Gyamfi, Physical Education teacher and coach called on Ghana Education Service to institute inter-school sports competitions for Blind schools at basic levels to help unearth talents to increase Ghana’s chances in the Olympics games.
“Government should have an activity for the visually impaired in basic school so that we all gather ourselves together and compete for the game together because apart from the Inter-house here when they move to secondary school their talents die out they do any blind sports in secondary school am, at the training colleges they don’t do that .so I am appealing to the sports ministry that they should have game for all special Basic schools”.
Bismarck Kwakye and Margaret Brempongmaa were adjudged overall best male and female athletes respectively received plaque and certificates.
“Indeed disability is not inability. I participated in 6 sporting disciplines and I won all hard certificates. We love sports so want people to support us because we can do everything sighted people do” said Margaret Brempongmaa, a blind female student
Bismarck Kwakye however appealed to the government “to help us especially we need goalball carpet. Again we need a league. Even Blind league is welcomed”
Khalid Ali, Secretary of Khadrash Foundation was elated the sports complex facility provided by the foundation is having an impact on sports talent development among blind students.
House 3 emerged the winner for this year’s competition, followed by House 2, House 4, and House 1.
Source: Mybrytnewroom.com/Obed Ansah
