Valledupar, September 5, 2025. The Óscar Muñoz Oviedo Combat Coliseum was officially endorsed to host the goalballcompetitions for the Valledupar 2026 Parasuramerican Games, following a technical visit by the international technical delegate, Janice Dawson. The inspection confirmed that the venue meets all the standards required by the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), including accessibility, functionality and optimal conditions for athletes.
“Visiting the venue for the first time, after the tour we can say that everything looks great. The local team has a good plan and I think everything will be in order for the competitions. The Games organization is a very dedicated team, ready to host the goalball tournaments and all the other disciplines. It will be a great Games“, Dawson said. The delegate also highlighted the relevance of this unique sport created especially for people with visual impairment: “Goalball will be very important in this region, as it gives athletes with visual impairment the opportunity to participate and stay active in the sport, interact with other Para athletes with different disabilities and foster the development of the discipline in South America.”
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A sport with history and Paralympic relevance
The goalball is a sport exclusively for visually impaired people, regulated by the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA). It was created in 1946, shortly after World War II, by Hanz Lorenzen and Sepp Reindle, as a rehabilitation tool for visually impaired soldiers. Its competitive and adapted character led it to be part of the official program of the Paralympic Games since Toronto 1976, consolidating itself as one of the most representative team sports of the Paralympic movement.
Reference in goalballand Paralympic sport
Janice Dawson, serves as Sports Director of the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), serving on the Goalball Committee of IBSA. She has been an international level 3 referee since 2006, with more than 19 years of experience in Paralympic sport. She has participated in numerous regional, national and international tournaments, including the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the IBSA World Games 2023 (Paralympic qualifier), the Goalball 2022 World Championships. In addition, she served as Technical Delegate for Goalball at the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games, consolidating her experience in the organization and supervision of high-level international competitions.
The goalball competitions will be played from July 4 to 8, 2026, with the participation of 72 Para athletes and six teams from the participating countries, in both branches (male and female) and the awarding of 2 gold medals. This tournament is added to the multi-discipline programming of the II Parasuramerican Games Valledupar 2026, to be held from July 4 to July 15, 2026.
Janice Dawson’s endorsement confirms the readiness and quality of the Óscar Muñoz Oviedo Combat Coliseum to host goalball competitions. These jousts not only promote inclusion and sport, but also mark the beginning of the cycle towards Los Angeles 2028, being the only multi-sport event of this magnitude to be held in Colombia during these years of cycles, consolidating the country as an outstanding host of the Paralympic movement in the region.
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