Kochi: India's Blind Football team, groomed by the Society for Rehabilitation of the Visually Challenged (SRVC) and Indian Blind Sports Association in collaboration with the Tata Trusts, will participate at the Asian Championships in Tokyo, Japan, from 2nd to 7th September, which is a pre-qualifier for the Rio Paralympics 2016.
Announcing the details, Ms. Shriya Saran, Brand Ambassador, Indian Blind Football Team, said, "The Asian Championships tournament will provide great exposure to the team and the idea is to take this sport to the next level by improving on our team strength. The training and conditioning camp at Kochi that began on 8th August would go on till 29th August. The team comprises players from Delhi, Dehradun, Mumbai, Kolkata, Jodhpur and Kerala. The plan is to get a world class sporting facility to encourage sports for the physically challenged and run campaigns and road-shows across the country to bring forward talented footballers and sports persons to take up sports."
SRVC, an NGO based in Kochi, has been working with the economic rehabilitation efforts of the visually challenged since 2002. SRVC helped put together the First Indian Blind Football team in August 2013. India, currently ranked at world number 28, had entered the semi-finals and finished fourth in its first ever international tournament outing that featured national teams from Iran, Russia, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Vietnam.
The team has been coached by Sunil J. Mathew, assisted by Ravi Consul; M.C. Roy is the Team Manager and David Absalom is the Chief-de-mission. Mr Loo W.K., an international coach/ international referee from Malaysia, has been helping the team during the training camp at Regional Sports Centre, Kochi.
Mr. Biswanath Sinha, Associate Director, Tata Trusts, said, "Sir Dorabji Tata towards the end of 1919 first sowed the seeds for establishing a Sports body at National level for promoting the Olympic Sport in united India. Taking forward the legacy of its founders, Tata Trusts have been working on various aspects of disability over many decades. Recognizing and building excellence remains part of the overall vision and mandate of the Trusts. By supporting this venture, the Trusts are enabling the visually challenged individuals to showcase their sporting talent. We are creating awareness about the challenges and unique abilities of the differently abled, thus promoting social inclusion. This is a great opportunity for this team to demonstrate their talents in the international arena."
Tata Trusts has come forward to help the team take a giant leap to plan the participation at the prestigious event. Tata Trusts, by popularizing Football for the visually challenged, seek to champion the cause of the visually challenged -- their right to sports, entertainment and a quality life like every other human being. This new collaboration between Tata Trusts and the Indian Blind Football team is expected to benefit the players and encourage more corporates to come forward to support and recognize the differently-abled.
About Blind Football
Blind Football is a five-a-side football for athletes with visual impairments including blindness. The sport, governed by the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), is played with modified FIFA rules. The field of play is smaller, and is surrounded by boards. Teams are reduced to five players, including the goalkeeper, per team. Teams may also use two guides, who is positioned off the field of play, to assist in directing players. The ball is equipped with a noise-making device to allow players to locate it by sound. Matches consist of two 25-minute halves, with a ten-minute break at half-time.
Football 5-a-side players are assigned to one of three sport classes based on their level of visual impairment: B1 - Totally or almost totally blind; from no light perception up to light perception but inability to recognise the shape of a hand. B2 - Partially sighted; able to recognise the shape of a hand up to a visual acuity of 2/60 or a visual field of less than 5 degrees. B3 - Partially sighted; visual acuity from 2/60.
According to the latest IBSA rules the goalkeeper needs to compulsorily belong to the B3 category (partially sighted). So ALL players on the field are visually challenged and belong to any of the B1, B2 or B3 category.
About Tata Trusts
Tata Trusts are amongst India's oldest, non-sectarian philanthropic organisations that work in several areas of community development. Tata Trusts seek to be catalysts in development through giving grants to institutions in the areas of Natural Resources Management, Rural Livelihoods, Urban Livelihoods & Poverty, Education, Enhancing Civil Society and Governance, Health and Media Arts, Crafts and Culture.
For more information please visit http://tatatrusts.org/
