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Malta Paralympic Committee and The Malta Trust Foundation Launch ISPORT Project
Malta Paralympic Committee and The Malta Trust Foundation Launch ISPORT Project
The ISPORT Project is a collaboration between the Malta Paralympic Committee (MPC) and The Malta Trust Foundation (TMTF), aimed at developing Para Sport for blind and visually impaired children and young people in Malta, known internationally as Blind Sport or VI (‘visually impaired’) Para Sport.
The project was launched today a press conference in which representatives of MPC and TMTF detailed the ambitions and objectives of this innovative project. The launch was followed by an Open Day held at the National School of Sport, during which blind and visually impaired athletes were invited to try out various Blind and VI Para Sports under one roof, with Blind Futsal, indoor rowing, athletics, judo and swimming all on offer. For many of these individuals, this was the very first time they ever participated in sport and physical activity, demonstrating the very gap in our society that the ISPORT Project seeks to address. Going forward, the Open Day participants and other blind and visually impaired individuals will be guided by the MPC to enrol with sports clubs to commence training sessions. Where required, introductory and 1-to-1 training sessions will be offered, to support a smooth transition into the sports clubs’ environment in which blind and visually impaired athletes will be enabled to train alongside able-bodied and sighted athletes.
During the open day, blind and visually impaired athletes, together with their relatives, were also given the opportunity to interact with and learn from established Para Athletes and Para Sport ambassadors present, including some of Malta’s very own Paralympians and competitive Para Athletes. The Open Day was also attended by various key sport and disability stakeholders, including The Malta Society of the Blind, The Malta Guide Dogs Foundation, Advice and The Commission for Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), among others.
The Chairperson of The Malta Trust Foundation, Her Excellency Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca explained that “this was the natural step ahead for The Malta Trust Foundation, in the context of the work that we do with children and young people with disability. Therefore, when we were approached by the Malta Paralympic Committee to collaborate, we immediately saw the benefits that could result from this project. We want ISPORT to be another opportunity for children and young people with disability to continue developing their full potential. They deserve it.
Malta Paralympic Committee, Secretary General Julian Bajada highlighted that the ISPORT Project marks a new phase for Para Sport development in Malta, noting that the project: “embodies MPC’s ethos of inclusion meets excellence. Ringing true to the MPC’s mission statement of enabling individuals to fulfil their full potential through Para Sport, this project will also inspire and shape our communities by pushing boundaries by daring to do what many may think is impossible. The MPC believes that every individual deserves the best possible opportunity to experience and reap the life-long benefits of sport, asserting that this project is a step in this direction, for individuals from all walks of life, age and ambitions.”
MPC and TMTF encourage blind and visually impaired individuals, and their relatives, to take their first step in sport and come forward to participate in the ISPORT Project. This project will be covering the registration fees, coaching and other related expenses in order not to add additional expenses to the families of the children and young people participating.
For further information, interested individuals may contact MPC via malataparacom@gmail.com or TMTF via info@maltatrustfoundation.org.
Malta Paralympic Committee, Secretary General Julian Bajada
Chairperson of The Malta Trust Foundation, Her Excellency Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca
About the ISPORT Project
The ISPORT Project seeks to enable blind and visually empowered athletes to participate meaningfully in sport, with the aim of empowering such individuals from a physical, social and mental well-being perspective. The project will focus on three core pillars:
(1) Developing a core set of Blind Sport and VI Para Sport in Malta: the ISPORT project will develop a core set of Blind Sport and VI Para Sport disciplines, which are expected to be Blind Futsal, VI Para athletics, VI Para swimming, VI indoor rowing, and VI Judo. Blind and visually impaired athletes will be paired up with local sports clubs and coaches within an integrated sports club environment alongside able-bodied and sighted athletes. Participants in this project already include the Futsal Malta Association and Siggiewi Rowing Club.
(2) Empowering athletes with a visual and other impairment: the project aims to maximise the potential and different abilities of blind and visually impaired athletes by providing athletes, parents, sports entities, coaches and clubs with the necessary tools, resources and ongoing support to realise this goal. Support will be provided by way of assistance to the sports clubs and coaches involved (including the provision of the necessary specialist training and sports technical development to equip them with the necessary know-how in Blind Sport and VI Para Sport), as well as through financial support to the participating sports entities and athletes. Participants will also benefit from a support and mentoring programme, with a view to steering them on their journey in sport.
(3) Educating, raising awareness and challenging perceptions: the project will also engage in educational and awareness activities, with the goal of challenging perceptions about disability through sport, creating a more inclusive society and breaking barriers faced by individuals with visual impairments in Malta.
History of Blind Sport and VI Para Sport
In 1964, recognising that there were many more people with visual impairments, amputations, cerebral palsy and other disabilities who wanted to compete in sports, the International Sports Organisation for the Disabled (ISOD) was founded. ISOD became a growing force and pushed hard for the inclusion of blind athletes into the Toronto 1976 Paralympics, with Goalball becoming the first sport for people with visual impairments on the Paralympic programme.
Nowadays, the main international bodies for blind and visually impaired sport are the International Blind Sport Association and the International Paralympic Committee. Judo became the second visual impairment-specific sport to be included on the Paralympic programme in Seoul, South Korea. Blind football (football-5-a-side) rounded-off the current trio of sports when it made its debut at Athens 2004.
Today there are 8 sports on the Paralympic Programme that include a blind or visual impairment category, including: Athletics, Swimming, Judo, Rowing, Triathlon, 5-a-side football (Blind Football), Cycling and Goalball. Various adapted equipment is used in Blind Sport and VI Para Sport, with a mix of physical and technological adaptations relating to communicating with or guiding blind and visually impaired athletes in their sport. For instance, the footballs used in Blind Futsal generate sound so that athletes can sense and gauge its location on the pitch. Similarly, blind and visually impaired individuals who participate in athletics run alongside their running guide, with the latter being an able-bodied sighted runner who is tied to the blind or visually impaired athlete at the wrist using a specialised band known as a ‘tether’.
