On Saturday, April 24, 2010, in Nice, at the St Barthรฉlรฉmy gymnasium (64, av. Cyril Besset), an event never before organized by the A.N.I.C.E.S association [[A.N.I.C.E.S, Niรงoise Association of Cultural and Sports Initiatives. Founded in July 2007, the A.N.I.C.E.S association aims to develop sports, culture, and leisure activities for the visually impaired and able-bodied people, regardless of race, degree of disability, gender, or age.]] will take place: an international torball tournament. Nine teams will be present:
5 foreign teams (Liรจge, Amriswil, Milan, Bergamo, Venice),
4 national teams (Marseille, Paris, Nice 1, and Nice 2).
Torball, a team sport designed by the Germans after the Second World War, is today one of the only team sports for the visually impaired. A practice in which about four hundred visually impaired people in France engage.
On a field sixteen meters by seven, this sport consists of scoring goals using a sound ball that emits a noise as it rolls on the ground, allowing it to be tracked. A match is limited to two halves of five minutes and is contested by two teams of three players (two wingers and a central player).
Based on hearing, this sport requires silence and proves to be an excellent exercise for the visually impaired; combining the development of reflexes with the enhancement of orientation skills, it also demands great concentration and a hint of nervous tension.
In Nice, torball is a rapidly evolving sports activity. A.N.I.C.E.S currently has three torball teams: team 1 (in 3rd division), team 2 (in 4th division), and the women’s leisure team. Torball is also developing among younger players: a youth section has been established in the city of Nice, torball is also practiced at Louis Nucรฉra College as part of educational support, and since February, it is being developed in the city’s leisure centers.
This year, the first team from Nice ranks among the best French teams in the 3rd division, after a remarkable 2nd place in the first part of the championship held on February 13 in Lyon. If they continue on this path, they could end the season by achieving their goal: the 2nd division. However, for this to happen, we need to wait until next June 26, when they will travel to Mulhouse to participate in the second part of the championship.
The A.N.I.C.E.S association calls on the inhabitants of the Nice region to discover this unique sporting event in the city of Nice on Saturday, April 24, 2010, from 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM. Entry to the gymnasium will be free.
At the end of the matches, a ranking will be established and the international title will be awarded.
