Coventry prepares to host goalball for blind games

Coventry Building Society Arena is hosting men's and women's goalball from Sunday until 27 August

Coventry is preparing to host part of the world's largest sporting event for blind and partially-sighted people.

Coventry Building Society Arena will host men's and women's goalball for the 2023 IBSA World Games from Sunday.

Goalball was created especially for blind and partially-sighted players and sees athletes competing for qualification for the 2024 Paralympics.

The multi-sport competition, taking place in the UK for the first time, runs to 27 August.

The aim of the goalball is to score goals by firing a 1.25kg ball across the court and for players to use their bodies to defend shots from the opposing team. 

Athletes will be competing for qualification for the 2024 Paris Paralympics.

The World Games will see around 1,250 blind and partially sighted athletes from 70 countries competing in other sports including archery, chess, men's and women's cricket, powerlifting, ten pin bowling, tennis, and showdown..

The majority of the tournament is being held across the University of Birmingham's Edgbaston campus, as well as other nearby regional venues. 

"This is the first time we have welcomed goalball to the venue - underlining our credentials as one of the UK's leading multi-purpose sports venues following the success of hosting wrestling and judo at last year's Commonwealth Games and the Billie Jean King Cup this year, said Paul Michael, commercial director at Coventry Building Society Arena.