The Goalball Federation of India held Goalball nationals at Maharishi Dayanand University in Rohtak here which concluded on Sunday. A total of 10 teams from across the country participated in the 3-day event. In the men's category, Maharashtra beat Uttarakhand in an edge-of-the-seat encounter, with the final score being 10-9 in favour of Maharashtra. In the women's category, Maharashtra beat Uttarakhand by 10 goals.
Goalball is a Paralympic sport, it is specially designed for blind people of a certain age. The Goalball federation of India has been working to promote the sport across the country and tap some fine talent in the sport who would go on to bring laurels for the country on the international stage.
The founder of GFI Kunal Goyat said, "What I learned was that these athletes were not disabled, they were super abled. The Olympics is where heroes are made, the Paralympics is where the heroes come. We have spotted some incredible talent at the tournament and we hope to form a formidable squad that will go on to represent India in the future."
When quizzed on the quality of the tournament Kunal Goyat said, "All participants were very enthusiastic and dedicated towards their goal, all the players were extremely excited and everyone showed eagerness to win the event."
He also their main aim is to participate in the upcoming Paralympic games and ensure that team India wins a medal at the games.
The Most Valuable Player of the tournament Deepak Singh Rawat said he was happy with the way I performed.
"I wish to keep up with my form, Little unfortunate that we couldn't win the nationals but I will like to give full credit to my team and the coaching staff. We fought till the last moment, but in the end, one team had to lose which unfortunately was us," he said according to a release.
"I would like to congratulate the Goalball federation of India for hosting the tournament. Regular national-level tournaments like these not only help in nurturing the skills of players but also prepare them to attain confidence at the big stages. I hope to represent India at the Paralympics and win a medal for India in goalball".
( With inputs from ANI )
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