Para competition Goalball experience class Saitama Tokorozawa December 20, 13:38
In order to deepen the understanding of the Paralympic Games, a trial course of “Goalball” played by visually impaired players was held at a junior high school in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture.
Tokorozawa City opened this trial class, and approximately 140 students from Kitano Junior High School took part.
A goalball played by visually impaired players relying on the sound, is a three-to-three player who rolls a ball with a bell toward the opponent's goal and competes for a score.
The students challenged the game with the blindfold while receiving guidance from Naoki Eguro, the head coach of the Japanese national team, and Akiko Adachi, a gold medalist from the London Games.
The floor was lined with a tako thread, and the students were sometimes throwing balls while touching the thread to check the direction of the opponent's goal.
The boy student said, “I couldn't see anything and it was very difficult to play with my ears.”
Mr. Adachi, who was instructing, said, “I want you to watch the game with a focus on what players are playing through today ’s experience.”