The Dis+Abled European Summer Games competition already on the first day provided a lot of excitement for both athletes and competitors. The competition took place in goalball, bocci, archery, bowling and swimming. Other athletes from other disciplines conducted their training sessions in individual arenas during this time.
One of the most spectacular disciplines during the multidisciplinary competition in Wągrowiec is undoubtedly goalball. A Paralympic competition that is designed for people who are blind or have low vision, and relies mainly on the senses of hearing and touch. Players play with eye patches and special goggles that keep out the light so everyone has an equal chance. The lines bounding the field are embossed so athletes can feel them by touch. The game uses a special ball made of rubber with a bell inside. Thanks to this design, the ball makes sounds that allow the athletes to track its position and move in the right direction.
A few words of summary of the first day from the Coach of the Polish goalball team Piotr Szymala:
„At the start of the competition we managed to create three national teams – U19, which is going to Brazil in two weeks on July 11 for the World Championships, Polish National Team A and Polish National Team B. We consider the first day of the competition very fruitful, we managed to win against teams from the Czech Republic and Romania. On Tuesday the competition will continue, and on Wednesday we will know the teams that will qualify for the final competition.”
Competition also began in bocci, which is one of the most precise Paralympic sports. It is a strategic game, and its rules resemble pétanque or boule. It is designed for people with severe physical disabilities. Boccia can be played as a single competition or as a team competition. The games are held on a court measuring 12.5 meters long and 6 meters wide, divided into six rectangular zones. The players’ task is to place their ball as close as possible to the ball-target (a white ball labeled „jack” or „ball”). They can do this by throwing from their hands, throwing from a ramp (a special tool that allows people with movement difficulties to move the ball) or by bouncing the opponent’s ball off the target ball.
Malgorzata Perlinska, a national team player in bocci:
„Today was a nervous day, as I had a wheelchair breakdown in the morning. Fortunately, we arrived at the competition on time and despite the lack of training before the start, I managed to beat my opponent. As soon as we finish our bocci competition, I will definitely go to other arenas to cheer on the male and female athletes.”
The organizer of the Dis+Abled European Summer Games is the Polish Paralympic Committee. The event is co-financed by the European Union’s Erasmus + program. The Ministry of Environment and Climate and Minister of Sport and Tourism Kamil Bortniczuk have assumed honorary patronage of the event. Media patrons of the event are TVP Sport, TVP 3 Poznań, Polish Radio and the niepełnosprawni.pl.