Israeli Embassy Supporting Blind Athletes and European Blind Football Championship in Lithuania

After a meeting in June by representatives of the Israeli embassy to Lithuania and the Lithuanian Federation of Athletics Sports, the embassy undertook to support the largest disabled sports event in the nation’s history, the IBSA European Goalball (blind football) Championship, to be held July 8 to 11 in Kaunas.

“I have always been impressed by people who despite difficulties strive for the highest goals. Since the beginning of my work in Lithuania I have observed actively current events in the country and have striven for specific goals through my actions. Having communicated with representatives of the Lithuanian Federation of Blind Athletics and having learned about their extremely high achievements, achieved despite all sorts of obstacles and lack of funding, I realized we were on the same path. I believe in the inexhaustible powers and potentials of the human being, but I also understand that sometimes help, whether it be moral support or a financial contribution, is necessary,” Israel’s ambassador to Lithuania Amir Maimon said.

The Israeli embassy and the Lithuanian Federation of Blind Athletics signed a cooperation agreement in June. Ambassador Maimon is planning to attend and award prizes to the best athletes at the ISBA European Goalball Championship.

Linas Balsys, president of the Lithuanian Federation of Blind Athletics, commented: “We are very happy about this initiative and have agreed on a long-term plan of cooperation with the embassy of Israel. It is a nice coincidence that during the IBSA World Games which were held this May in South Korea teams from both countries earned gold medals: the Lithuanian men’s goalball team, and the Israeli women’s goalball team took first place, along with the opportunity to take part in the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.”

The twenty best men’s and women’s teams will contest the title of European champion in Kaunas. There are to be a total of 66 matches over four days, from 9:00 in the morning till 8:00 at night, held at the Kaunas Sports Hall and the Sabonis Basketball Center.

Blind football is one of the most popular branch of paralympic team sport in Lithuania and the world. Invented in Austria and Germany in 1946 as therapy for blind veterans, goalball is now a professional sport.

The Israeli embassy to Lithuania, who opened their doors for the first time on January 26 of this year, is broadening bilateral relations in the fields of culture, economics, politics, sports and other areas.