After the success of the European Goalball Championship, which took place in November, "Casa das Seleções" hosted the World Goalball Championship at the end of the year with various games and national teams competing
There were 32 different countries competing for the highest world title, male and female, as well as the places for the Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024, where some teams, such as Brazil and Israel, respectively, stood out throughout the tournament.
Despite the modest performance of the Portuguese team, in both categories, the participation in a tournament of this size, which attracted dozens of supporters, and the accumulated experience in organising both the European Championships and the World Cup - an unprecedented feat in Portugal - gives a sweet taste of victory and the expectation of the medium-term growth of the sport in Portugal.
Goalball, let's remember, is a collective ball sport practiced by athletes who are visually impaired, and the use of blindfolds is compulsory. The objective of the game is to throw a ball with the hands in order to enter the opponent's goal.
The organisation was the responsibility of the International Blind Sports Federation - IBSA Blind Football and ANDDVIS - National Association of Sports for Visually Impaired People, with the support of IPDJ - Portuguese Institute for Sports and Youth, the Matosinhos City Hall and Matosinhos Sport.
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