This article originally appeared on WIRED Italia and has been translated from Italian.
The Paris 2024 Paralympics have shown the general public just how vast, extraordinary and all too often ignored the world of parasport is. One of the sports that has attracted the most attention is blind football, or more precisely B1 5-a-side football, which has demonstrated the extraordinary spatial awareness, speed, precision and technique that visually impaired players are capable of.
Like all visually impaired competitions, the sport is regulated by the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), which was founded in Paris in 1981. Here’s how it works:
B1 5-a-side football stadium
A distinction is made here between B2/3 5-a-side football, in which visually impaired players also participate, and B1 football, in which most players are completely blind. Only the latter is included in the Paralympics. B1 football is played on a rectangular field of the same specifications as 5-a-side football/futsal (40 metres long, 20 metres wide). Along the length of the field, boards 1 to 1.3 metres high are placed to prevent the ball from leaving the playing area.
Player
Each team consists of four mobile players (all of whom are blind and wear masks) and one goalkeeper (who can also be blind). The goalkeeper must stay within his own area, which is two metres deep, but can give instructions and guide his teammates when defending. However, when attacking, the mobile players receive instructions from a blind attacking guide who is positioned behind the opponent’s goal. When the ball is in midfield, the coach can give instructions to the team. Unlike traditional football, there is no offside penalty, so the game is fast-paced.
Ball and silence
During the match, it is essential that no one speaks except the goalkeeper, the attack guide, or the coach who gives instructions. This is because the ball itself has a rattle sewn between the inner tube and the outer shell, allowing visually impaired players to imagine the ball’s position by sound instructions. Spectators are asked to maintain strict silence, as players must rely on their hearing, for example when one of the players signals to the other that he is making an action towards the opponent. Spectators are only allowed to cheer after a goal is scored.
Match duration
B1 5-a-side football matches are split into two halves of 20 minutes each, with a maximum 10-minute break in between.
Sports History
It seems that the first 5-a-side blind football tournament was held in South America, with Brazil being the pioneer. In fact, the first championship of this event was held in Brazil in 1980, and since the sport became a Paralympic event, Brazil has always won the gold medal. The game spread to Europe a few years later, and in 1986 the first European Championship was held in Spain. Since 2004, that is, the Athens Olympics, B1 5-a-side football has been officially adopted as a Paralympic event. In the tournament to be held in Paris in 2024, the men’s tournament will be held in a temporary stadium built under the Eiffel Tower.
