On 5 August 2022, Ms. Yaowalak Rakkheereekhet, a student with low vision from the Business Chinese programme, the School of Sinology and a member of Thailand women’s national goalball team, seized a gold medal in the 11th ASEAN Para Games 2022 which was held from 30 July to 6 August 2022 in Solo, Indonesia.
In the final round, Thailand won Singapore with a score of 7-1. The Goalball, exclusively for athletes with visual impairments, consists of two halves of 12 minutes each and athletes wear blackout masks on a playing court. Teams are made up of six players, with three members playing at any one time. The object of the game is to throw a ball past the opponents and into their net to score points. Players stay on their hands and knees to defend their net and score against their opponents. A goalball court measures 18 metres long and nine metres wide. It has goals at each end covering the entire nine-metre back-line. String is taped to the markings on the court to allow players to feel the lines and orientate themselves.
The 11th ASEAN Para Games 2022 was a biennial multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities, participated by 2,309 participants consisting of 1,648 athletes and 661 officials from 11 countries in Southeast Asia (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam).
Photo by @KajohnyosChoketanasret
