Shankill hosts Blind Tennis Championships

PLAYERS from 13 countries descended on Shankill Tennis Club last weekend as the Southside club hosted the Blind Tennis World Championships.

The dlr TAKEI Blind Tennis World Championships saw as many as 60 players compete in this unique competition which was held in Ireland for the first time.

 Competitors from Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Pakistan, Poland, Great Britain and Ireland arrived for the event. Between players, sighted guides, coaches and officials, up to 300 people were involved in the tournament which included many volunteers.

 Blind tennis is an extremely skilled form of the sport. It is played on a normal court and the players locate the ball by the sound made by a bell in the middle of the ball.

They are allowed either two or three bounces depending on their level of vision.

 Approximately 40 per cent of the entrants taking part in the World Championships are in the Paralympic category B1 which is for players with zero vision.

 Blind Tennis (tennis for blind and visually impaired people) was created by Mr Miyoshi Takei in Japan in 1984. The sport has grown since then with many countries now participating competitively on all five continents. 

 It is the fastest growing sport for the blind/vision impaired community worldwide and was introduced to Ireland in 2016 by Tennis Ireland and Vision Sports Ireland at Shankill Tennis Club where the new three-court Indoor Centre will be used for the Championships.

 The first Irish team competed in the 2017 World Championships in Alicante, Spain. As a result, Ireland now has a number of world ranked players.

The Irish team taking part in this year’s championships was chosen following regional and national qualification tournaments. It is a strong 12-person team which is a mixture of experience and youth and is keen to improve upon the 2017 Alicante results.

Tournament organiser and President of Leinster Tennis, Liam O’Donohoe, said: “We are honoured to be hosting this major international sporting event in Shankill.

“The interest in participating in the tournament from the worldwide community of blind/visually impaired tennis players was way beyond expectations.” and what was originally envisaged as a two-day tournament will now run over four days.” 

He added: “Last year an impressive group of players travelled to compete internationally for the first time. Based on their performance and the rapid growth of the game in Ireland, IBTA (International Blind Tennis Association) awarded the 2018 world games to Ireland. 

 Mr Joe Geraghty from Vision Sports Ireland stated: “We launched blind/vi tennis in conjunction with Tennis Ireland in 2016. The game has seen terrific growth since then – and now has eight clubs nationwide with active blind/vi tennis, and two more (Dundalk and Waterford) about to start. We look forward to strong Irish performances.” 

 Ms Tina Lowe (who played on the Irish team in 2017 and this year is a member of the tournament committee) said: “The opportunity to play blind/vi tennis has brought me the opportunity play and compete in the sport I loved before I lost my sight 20 years ago. With a great group of juniors having started the game – the future is secure! I’d encourage all parents of juniors who may be interested to come along and experience the game in action”.

 Mr Simon McFarland, Head Coach with Windsor Tennis Club in Belfast stated: “Blind/VI Tennis has transformed many lives in Ulster. The players have grown both in their game play, their physicality and their confidence and we are very proud to be part of the Irish team taking part in the World Championships.”