Last week the GB Women’s team travelled to Seoul, Korea for 2015 IBSA World Games. The tournament featured some of the best Goalball teams in the world and served as a qualifying event for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
The team of Andrea Logan (Glasgow), Anna Tipton (Cambridge), Georgie Bullen (Leicester), Laura Perry (RNC Hereford) and Sarah Leiter (Cambridge) rose to the occasion and put in stunning performances to reach the Quarter Finals, where they were beaten by Israel – who went on to win the tournament.
The GB team’s results were:
Group Stage
GB 5 – 1 Australia
GB 4 – 4 Germany
GB 1 – 4 Canada
GB 4 – 0 Sweden
GB 1 – 1 Japan
GB 3 – 1 Algeria
GB 4 – 2 Korea
Quarter Finals
GB 1 – 4 Israel
This result meant that GB finished in 5th place!
According to IBSA, “Who will eventually qualify for Rio 2016 from this tournament will not be determined until after all regional championships have been played.” We have beaten teams positioned high in the world rankings and given ourselves a fighting chance of Rio. This is an outstanding result not least because we achieved this on the back of individual fundraising initiatives. A truly great effort from the squad and Head Coach Aaron Ford. Well done!
Mike Reilly, CEO, Goalball UK
