Playing a sport without being able to see is now a reality. For Irma Nallely Baltazar, playing without seeing has a special spark that serves to break down divisions and barriers and start practicing sports.
Sport is a human right and by recognizing it as such it is possible to make it accessible to all people, says Irma, one of the five students from the University of Guanajuato (UG) who created Shooting in Braille.
Daniel Añorve, professor at the aforementioned University, called on his group of the 2019 International Relations elective subject to voluntarily create a sport that everyone could play, that had a human rights approach and that was aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals from the ONU.
This is how José Pablo Fuentes, Axel Adrián Jiménez, María Fernanda Lara and Irma, from the Law degree, and Dulce Rivera from Public Administration, designed Tiro en Braille.
Alex scoring his three penalties that gave his team the championship in 2023.
With or without disability
It is a game created by Mexican students in which anyone, with and without disabilities, can play simultaneously without categories or divisions.
In almost all basic education schools, physical education classes are taught, but Irma had not felt identified or involved in the practice until she attended higher education, when the opportunity arose, not only to play, but to create a fully inclusive sport.
People who play Shooting in Braille do so blindlyare guided by listening and must put specially designed balls into baskets at ground level to accumulate points.
The creation of the game was based on the premise that blind or visually impaired people would participate without a competitive disadvantage compared to normal-visual people, who must be blindfolded. It was also taken into account that it was economically accessible, with few additions for its replicability; with a low environmental impact; and even had elements of the traditional ball game of indigenous peoples of Mexico.
The process made us rethink sport as a tool to coexist and exercise analytical thinking, to explore and strengthen the physical capabilities and socio-emotional skills of each person and from their own reality.
The proposal is continually improved as a project that is part of the University's Learning Unit, through the International Relations Seminar, which promotes student initiatives that are linked to teaching and scientific research, explained Daniel Añorve.
For example, the first tournament in 2022 was played on a 5×8 meter cement court with a duration of 30 minutes per match, while the second in 2023 was held on grass, in a 6×10 meter space, with matches with two halves. 20 minutes, penalty kicks were introduced and the baskets and balls to be used were improved. For the third edition, in 2024, a 10×10 meter square grass field and a significant reduction in physical contact between participants is contemplated, to protect the physical integrity of those who participate.
The students had the academic advice of Francisco Mora Sifuentes and the continuous guidance of Professor Añorve. The transversal axis of development was to consider sport as a human and constitutional right, which, like the right to food or housing, should be accessible and affordable from its concept and for daily life, as promoted by the Organization of the United Nations to Education, Science and Culturethrough its international instruments and programs, such as Fit for Life.
A pause in play to review a controversial play.
a special spark
Irma Nallely Baltazar points out that stereotypes and prejudices persist that They make some people hesitate to start playing sports. or physical activity, which prevents total inclusion or full enjoyment. For example, mistakenly thinking that normatively qualified people must take care of people with disabilities when competing or playing, that men must regulate their strength or that women have no opportunity to win in competitions that are still called mixed.
The body is the protagonist in sport, safety must be preserved and sport can adapt and recreate to achieve it. Irma explains that, contrary to some persistent ideas, we must start from the recognition of the capabilities of each body and then use some physical characteristic as an advantage or even as a disadvantage in physical activation, instead of starting from a body ideal.
For example, he says that in Braille Shooting tournaments, short people would sneak between arms and legs. So he invited people to explore the capabilities of their own body and identify what they feel most confident with to enjoy more activities.
“All people should give themselves the opportunity to get to know their bodies.our capabilities through sport and making it more accessible for all people.”
Although she has already finished her university studies, Irma wants to continue participating in Braille Shooting tournaments, and calls on institutions and private initiatives to finance and promote initiatives that pursue inclusion and diversification of sports options.
The next Interuniversity Braille Shooting Tournament will be held from May 17 to 31, 2024 with an estimated participation of 120 people.
