For the first time, the Upper East Region has hosted the Goalball Northern Zone Championship, bringing together visually impaired athletes from across northern Ghana.
The northern zone covers the Upper East, Upper West, Northern, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions. The Ghana Blind Sports Association still uses the country’s former 10-region division to organize competitions.
At the event, held in Bolgatanga, Upper East regional president of the association, Bernice Awuni, urged government and stakeholders to invest in blind sports.
“This is one of the activities that keeps us happy and fit,” Awuni said.
Goalball is a Paralympic sport played exclusively by athletes with visual impairments. All players wear eyeshades to level the playing field, regardless of whether they are fully blind, partially sighted or able to see.
The sport was invented in 1946 to rehabilitate World War II veterans who lost their sight.
The Upper East men’s team and the Brong Ahafo women’s team won the zonal championships. Both will represent the northern zone at the national “Top Four” competition, scheduled to be held later in Accra.
Source: a1radiononline.com|101.1|Humul Khrusum Tahiru|Bolgatanga
