| In
a world which seems to be ever smaller, thanks to new technologies, organisations
which find themselves to have common interests should do everything possible
to co-operate and work together. This is also true in the case of the
blind, where IBSA and ICEVI are delighted now to be working closer with
each other for the benefit of the blind and partially sighted.
Many of you may not know who we are. IBSA,
the International Blind Sports Federation, is the worldwide governing
body in the field of sports for the blind and partially sighted. A non-profit,
non governmental organisation registered in Spain, IBSA was founded in
Paris in 1981. IBSA has one hundred and ten member countries from all
regions and continents of the world, and currently approves and helps
to organise world and regional championships in fourteen official sports.
Our mission is to provide a wide range of sports opportunities to blind
and partially sighted athletes in all parts of the world and to develop
new sporting opportunities and sports.
IBSA is proud to be a founding member of
the International Paralympics Committee, the international body in charge
of organising the summer and winter Paralympics Games, the equivalent
of the Olympic Games for athletes with a disability.
The sports which currently enjoy IBSA support
are: athletics, alpine skiing, football, goal ball, judo, nine-pin bowling,
Nordic skiing, power lifting, shooting, showdown, swimming, tandem cycling,
ten pin bowling and torball. But these sports are just the tip of the
blind sports iceberg - many other sports and games such as archery, equestrian
sport, cricket, chess and beep baseball are practised in many countries
of the world, and we welcome applications for official status from these
and other sports.
While IBSA is responsible for events for
elite blind athletes, such as our multi-sport World Championships (Madrid
- 98, Quebec - 03), we are also committed to development at grassroots
level, co operating with our expertise and experience in seminars and
courses aimed at raising awareness of the benefits of sports and recreational
activities in the all-round education of children with a visual impairment.
These opportunities to get our message across are now taking on a particular
significance with the expanding policy of mainstreaming, which unfortunately
often results in children with any type of disability being excluded from
physical education classes and denied the opportunity to participate in
any sports or recreational activities with their peers. On many occasions,
even in so called 'developed' countries, this is due to a complete ignorance
of the range of sports and activities which blind children can take part
in and the great advantages in terms of integration, mobility, rehabilitation
and self-esteem which this brings.
As we enter a new era of co-operation with
ICEVI and the World Blind Union, IBSA is pleased to have the opportunity
to share our thoughts with you here in the pages of 'The Educator'. In
future articles we will go into more detail on how this co-operation translates
to the field and benefits blind children. In the meantime, if you have
any questions or would like to receive further information on IBSA please
contact either info@ibsa.es or ibsa@ibsa.es.
Enrique Pérez
IBSA President. |