The founding president of the ANICES association, Sébastien Filippini has just been appointed development and performance manager of National Torball! A logical progression considering his background.
For 17 years, the Nice Association of Cultural and Sporting Initiatives (ANICES) has been working towards integrating people with disabilities into the world of sports. This club offers various sports, but remains a specialist in Torball, a sport little known to the general public that might surprise them.
Torball is a discipline practiced by both visually impaired and able-bodied individuals. Created in Germany in 1955 in rehabilitation centers for war-wounded individuals, Torball was introduced for the first time in France in 1970. This game involves throwing a sound ball (containing iron pellets) under three strings to score a goal. Two teams of three players compete during two five-minute periods. The team that scores the most goals wins the match.
A symbol of rebirth
ANICES offers its members the opportunity to play the sport they love. For them, Torball is a real liberation. It has served as a springboard to relive the sport and feel sensations they thought they could no longer experience. Despite its lack of visibility, Torball is expanding and beginning to attract many enthusiasts, especially within the association. With 130 members and 8 sports sections, the sport is experiencing real success in Nice, even allowing able-bodied people to try this discipline. An idea devised by Sébastien Filippini, who became blind at the age of 16.
Sébastien Filippini, a model of commitment
After losing his sight in adolescence, the head and president of ANICES promised to help people with disabilities. Since 2007, Sébastien and his association have been fighting to rehabilitate the image of Torball, often overshadowed by Goalball, which differs in playtime and ball weight. Having played this sport for nearly 30 years and coached the Nice women’s team, Sébastien Filippini also becomes the development and performance manager of National Torball in France. A source of pride for the bearer of the Paralympic Flame, who fulfilled a dream on August 25, 2024. Today, Sébastien hopes to popularize this sport and enhance the association for which he fights every day.
