King Edward’s School (KES), Birmingham, will welcome top-class athletes from across the world when it hosts two sports in the International Blind Sport Federation (IBSA) World Games.
IBSA announced in May that the city would stage the quadrennial event, taking place from 18-27 August 2023.
The wider region will host over 1,000 competitors from more than 70 nations as they compete in 11 sports: goalball, football, judo, archery, chess, cricket, powerlifting, shooting, showdown, ten pin bowling and tennis. KES will stage the cricket and powerlifting.
“Sport is an integral part of life at King Edward’s, so we are delighted to be involved in the 2023 IBSA World Games,” said Dr Katy Ricks, the school’s chief master. “We look forward to hosting the cricket and powerlifting tournaments and welcoming athletes and supporters from all over the world to our beautiful campus.”
“We look forward to hosting the cricket and powerlifting tournaments and welcoming athletes and supporters from all over the world to our beautiful campus” – Dr Katy Ricks, chief master, King Edward’s School
IBSA World Games cricketers will have use of KES’s 1st XI cricket ground and pavilion at Eastern Road, together with practice facilities including a four-lane all-weather net complex.
The powerlifters, meanwhile, will compete in the Andrew Brode Sports Centre, which opened in May last year and comprises a large sports hall, cardiovascular fitness room, multipurpose space and changing rooms.
The World Games are second only to the Paralympics in the blind sports calendar, with many of the former’s events acting as qualifiers for the latter.
“At a time when sport is facing such unprecedented challenges, [news of the World Games coming to Birmingham] brings a welcome boost to the major events landscape and provides the UK with a fantastic new event to look forward to,” said Esther Britten, head of major events at UK Sport.
“Sport is for everyone and so to have world class athletes in such a diverse range of sports coming together promises to create a truly inspirational event.”
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