Athletics
Vision Sports Ireland collaborates with Athletics Ireland to deliver Visually Impaired/Blind athletics opportunities at both participation and elite level. Athletics is a group of sporting activities that involves competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking.
Athletics is the sport which Vision Sports Ireland was founded on in the late 1970s in Ireland. There is a rich history of blind and vision impaired athletes participating both home and abroad.
Bi-weekly sessions
The Portlaoise VIP Hub has biweekly sessions in javelin, shotput and track events. These take place at Portlaoise College Track from September 6th 11:30am
Paralympics
International Paralympic (IPC) Rules apply which facilitate adaptions including guide runner/walker partnerships for lower vision athletes. Blind and vision-impaired athletes have a proud history in Paralympic competition to date winning 8 gold medals: Carol Carr, 400m, New York 1984; Bridie Lynch, discus, Atlanta 1996; Jason Smyth, 100m and 200m, Beijing 2008; Jason Smyth, 100m and 200m, London 2012 and Jason Smyth, 100m, Rio 2016.
Track and Field
Track and Field disciplines range from the 100m sprint to Marathon as well as long jump, triple jump, high jump, shot put, discus and javelin. Events which are not included in the Para-Athletics schedule include the hurdles, steeplechase, hammer and pole vault.
Guide Running
Vision Sports Ireland alongside our partners at Athletics Ireland have collaborated to create our Guide Running Training course, which provides standarised guide running workshops which provides graduates with the knowledge and skills to guide a visual impaired athlete to achieving their athletics goals.
If you are interested in our next workshop, please contact Sean
Paralympic Athletics
Para athletics is an exciting and inclusive sport for blind and vision impaired athletes, offering opportunities to compete in track and field events such as sprints, middle- and long-distance races, jumps, and throws. Adaptations include the use of guide runners, audible signals, and tactile markings to support athletes’ performance and safety. Events are classified by the level of vision impairment to ensure fair competition.
Classification Categories for Vision Impaired Athletes
- T/F11 – Athletes with very low or no vision. They compete wearing eye masks and run with a guide (track) or use auditory cues (field).
- T/F12 – Athletes with more vision than T/F11 but a visual field of less than 10 degrees. They may use a guide if required.
- T/F13 – Athletes with the least severe vision impairment, with a visual field of less than 40 degrees. Guides are not permitted.
Contact
Vision Sports Ireland, Vision Ireland, Whitworth Road, Dublin 9.
Phone:
01 4056030
Email:
info@visionsports.ie
