The World Blind Sports Games 2023 are coming to Birmingham - and they’re going to be massive

The IBSA World Games is an international multi-sport event for athletes with visual impairments, and it is set to take place in Birmingham from August 18th - 27th next year.

This will be the first time that the Games have been held in the UK, and they will feature athletes from around 70 different countries competing in a variety of different sports.

Dan Roper, a goalball player, says that the event is an opportunity to inspire the next generation of athletes. “The Games is massive,” he said. “It’s the first ever IBSA World Games to be held in this country. We’re hoping to showcase what blind and visually impaired athletes can do.

“I think it’s something like 1% or 2% of the population is visually impaired. But participation in sport is so low. And it’s like - come along, take part. You know, there are sports specifically designed for visually impaired people. Just basically inspire people to, you know, bring along the next generation of visually impaired athletes basically”

Rainbow Mbuangi, a blind footballer, agrees, saying that events like the World Games are key in spreading awareness of what blind and visually impaired people can achieve.

“I think having games like the World Games, which is going to be held in Birmingham, is definitely key to getting a message out and the awareness out to lots of different people. The awareness to blind and visually impaired people that they can achieve their dreams on what they want to do.”

The games will be a chance for Birmingham to shine as well. Alaina MacGregor, CEO of British Blind Sport, says that the city was chosen for its transport links, its welcoming and diverse community, and its commitment to the event.

“When we looked to find a city to host the Games, we kept coming back to Birmingham, and we kept coming back to Birmingham for numerous reasons.

“One, it is our second city. It’s right in the middle of the country. It has got great transport links for all these countries that are going to be visiting. We also know that there’s 30,000 blind or partially sighted people living here. And on top of that it is a very welcoming and diverse city. And this university and the city of Birmingham have been - I can’t tell you enough how exciting it has been to work together.

“On top of that we’ve all gone through COVID and yet they have never wavered from that we’ve got these games happening in 2023. So let’s get past these barriers and work together to achieve what we need to”

With the games just around the corner, excitement is building for what promises to be another truly international event here in Birmingham.

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