Basra club holds Iraq's first goalball training camp for visually impaired women

BASRA, Iraq — The Basra Disabled Sports Club has completed its first goalball training camp for visually impaired and partially sighted women, ending the program with a closing match. Club president Basim Shuayb said goalball is a team sport designed exclusively for athletes with visual impairments, with three players per side who rely on bells inside the ball and verbal guidance from coaches to follow the action. Shuayb said the club's disabled sports section was established in 2001 and its first team formed in 2005, describing the latest camp as the first comprehensive program for female athletes after years of groundwork. Participants were aged between 20 and 30, and Shuayb added that the Basra team is the second of its kind in Iraq after Diyala, the most equipped by available resources, and aims to represent the country internationally. Player Ruqayya Bashir said the camp helped her sharpen her skills and gain new experience, noting that goalball demands intense mental and physical concentration as players track the ball by sound. Families of the athletes said they had supported their daughters from the start and called for greater backing for such programs, saying the events boost confidence and give participants a platform to showcase their abilities.