“The good results over the last two years make us believe that Portugal is capable of competing with any team on a global level,” said Luís Gestas, president of ANDDVIS – the National Association of Sports for the Visually Impaired.

In statements to Lusa, the director ensures the competitive quality of the team – currently in the European first division, when historically it has always been between the second and third –, which needs funding to travel to Lahti between September 28 and October 6, where it hopes to compete with the experience and fine-tuning of two training camps.

“What is usually done is to say that we won’t do it because we don’t have the means, we won’t do it because the State is responsible and it doesn’t meet our expectations. Or we roll up our sleeves and seek any and all possible solutions to provide more and better working conditions for this team,” explained the president.

Luís Gestas believes that this is the perfect time for the goalball team to break the long drought of a collective Portuguese team participating in the Paralympic Games, supporting his confidence in a working group, including athletes and coaching staff, of “enormous quality.”

“Golden generation”

“This may be the golden generation of Portuguese goalball and we have to make the most of it. The Paralympic Games project is no longer a dream, it is an ambition,” he said.

In order to complete two stages of preparation, ANNDVIS has launched a crowdfunding campaign of 10,000 euros – “the project, which has attracted interest from companies and individuals, is explained at www.porportugal.pt ” –, without specifying whether the Portuguese mission will be at risk if the goal is not achieved.

“I prefer to be an optimist and we will believe that we will reach the level that this team needs to complete two more stages of preparation. We could sit back and criticize everyone and everything for not having what we need, but I prefer to fight and work with my board, my team, my coaches, and these athletes to find solutions to achieve the goals”, he emphasized.

To reach the Paralympic Games in goalball, the team has several paths, always dependent on good performances in the European and World Championships, “moments in which Portugal has to be present”.

The Portuguese goalball team has been developing at the Pocinho High Performance Center, in Vila Nova de Foz Coa, “with exceptional conditions, but at a very high financial cost”, and also working at the Alfeite naval base, in facilities provided by the navy.

“We are talking about a sport with athletes who are proud to represent Portugal in international competitions. This Euro will be a unique opportunity to demonstrate their talent, their resilience and their team spirit”, he concluded.

Goalball is a team sport with a ball, played by visually impaired competitors – they play blindfolded – and whose objective is to throw a ball