The International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), is a nonprofit organization founded 1981 in Paris, France. Its mission is to promote the full integration of blind and partially sighted people in society through sport and to encourage people with a visual impairment to take up and practise sports. IBSA is a full member of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
It is an independent international federation in charge of fifteen sports for the blind and partially sighted, including: Athletics, Alpine skiing, Goalball, Futsal (five-a-side football), Judo, Biathlon, Swimming, Powerlifting, Shooting, Archery, Showdown, Ten-pin bowling, Nine-pin bowling, Nordic skiing, and Cycling.
The IBSA organizes the IBSA World Championships and Games, held every four years. The first edition took place 1998 in Madrid, Spain followed by the event in 2003 at Quebec, Canada to be held from then on one year before the Paralympics.
Famous quotes containing the words blind, sports and/or federation:
“Most blest believer he!
Who in that land of darkness and blind eyes
Thy long-expected healing wings could see,
When thou didst rise,
And what can never more be done
Did at midnight speak with the Sun!”
—Henry Vaughan (1622–1695)
“Even from their infancy we frame them to the sports of love: their instruction, behaviour, attire, grace, learning and all their words aimeth only at love, respects only affection. Their nurses and their keepers imprint no other thing in them.”
—Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592)
“Women realize that we are living in an ungoverned world. At heart we are all pacifists. We should love to talk it over with the war-makers, but they would not understand. Words are so inadequate, and we realize that the hatred must kill itself; so we give our men gladly, unselfishly, proudly, patriotically, since the world chooses to settle its disputes in the old barbarous way.”
—General Federation Of Women’s Clubs (GFWC)