Game On!!
The 5th Annual Canadian Goalball Championships is coming to Brantford on April 23 to 25, 2010. Brantford hosted the tournament in 2006 and 2007; the tournament then moved on to be hosted in Montreal, Quebec in 2008 and Kelowna, B.C. in 2009. This tournament includes both men's and women's divisions with teams coming from British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario.
Come out to celebrate the beginning of the tournament on Friday, April 23 at 9:00 a.m. at the Parade of Athletes and Opening Ceremonies (11:00 a.m.), at the W. Ross Macdonald School, 350 Brant Avenue in Brantford. The tournament is being held in the school's gymnasium throughout the weekend.
Goalball was invented in Austria in 1946 in an effort to help the rehabilitation of blinded war veterans. Over the years, the game has grown and today is played in over 50 countries. Goalball has been a part of the Paralympics since 1976 when it was introduced as a demonstration event, which led to the sport becoming a full part of the Paralympics at the 1980 Summer Games in Arnhem. The concept of goalball is this: Participants compete in teams of three, and try to throw a ball that has bells embedded in it into the opponents' goal, using the sound of the bell to track the position and movement of the ball. Games consist of two 10 minute halves, and blindfolds allow partially sighted players to compete on an equal footing with blind players.
5th Annual Canadian Goalball Tournament Schedule
- Friday, April 23 - 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Saturday, April 24 - 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Sunday, April 25 - Playoffs 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- Championships: Sunday, April 25 at 2:00 p.m., which will be followed by medal presentations and closing ceremonies.
Admission: FREE TO THE PUBLIC.
For more information, please contact Mike Breuls at W. Ross Macdonald School, 519-759-0730 x 320.