Visually impaired goalball players train at the Booyong Indoor Stadium in Vientiane on Saturday.

Visually impaired goalball players gear up for Para Games

Young visually impaired men and women on Saturday gathered to test their skills and put in some practice in the sport of goalball, in preparation for international competitions later this year.
The training session was organised at the Booyong Indoor Stadium at the Dongdok campus in Vientiane from March 10-12.
During goalball training on Saturday, the National Paralympic Committee of Laos and the Lao Goalball selected referees, trainers, and male and female goalball players to prepare for international para games.
They will now undergo further training in the run up to the Asean Para Games in Indonesia in July and the Asian Para Games in China in October.
Lao athletes with disabilities will also compete at the National Disabled Games taking place in Xieng Khuang province at the end of this year.
The three-day training course at the Booyong Indoor Stadium was organised by the National Paralympic Committee of Laos, Asian Development for Disabled Persons (ADDP), and the Lao Goalball Federation.
The training was attended by representatives of various organisations, while ADDP provided financing and Japanese trainers gave instruction to broaden the knowledge of Lao Goalball Federation officials, trainers and referees.
Last month, the National Paralympic Committee of Laos and ADDP held the three-day Para Powerlifting Workshop and Competition for Data-Statistics Qualifiers, with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
The Agency has been supporting disabled Lao athletes since 2016 and has worked with the National Paralympic Committee of Laos to improve training and supervision.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
(Latest Update March 14, 2022)