UG HOSTS FIRST BILATERAL GAMES FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED

The University of Ghana and the Sports Directorate in its strive for excellence in sports organised the first ever bilateral games for the visually impaired. The games which brought together visually impaired students (both male and female) from both UG and UCC (University of Cape Coast) was the first ever to be held by any public tertiary institution in Ghana. The bilateral game was held on the April 12, 2013 at the University of Ghana Volleyball court and athletics oval.

The bilateral game involved: Goal Ball, Showdown, Sack Race, 100m race and domino. Goalball is a team sport designed specifically for blind athletes, originally devised in 1946 by the Austrian Hans Lorenzen and German Sepp Reindle as a means of assisting the rehabilitation of visually impaired World War II veterans. International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), responsible for a range of sports for the blind and partially sighted, is the official governing body for the sport. Participants compete in teams of three, and try to throw a ball that has bells embedded in it into the opponents' goal. Teams alternate throwing or rolling the ball from one end of the playing area to the other, and players remain in the area of their own goal in both defense and attack. Players must use the sound of the bell to judge the position and movement of the ball. Games consist of two 12-minute halves (formerly 10-minute halves). Eye-shades allow partially sighted players to compete on an equal footing with blind players.

Showdown is a sport for the blind and visually impaired which could be described as the blind communities answer to air hockey, or table tennis. It is growing very quickly around the world. It is also played by sighted players, but they are not allowed to participate in the International Blind Sports Federation, IBSA tournaments. Showdown is widely spread in Europe, but it's also played in: Africa, Asia, North America, and South America.

Before the games began  Dr. Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah, Director of Sports of the University of Ghana, reiterated the importance of disability sports as part of the Sports Directorate's agenda and challenged the athletes to perform to their optimum. With the first edition being a success, there is no wonder that both universities will ensure that the bilateral game will last for long so as to promote disability sports among public tertiary institutions and at the national level.