The Panama National Football 5 Team for the Blind participated for the first time in the American Football 5 Tournament, Division 2, organized by the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) and held in San José, Costa Rica, until December 8. This event served as a prelude to the World Qualifiers.
Support from Naturgy allowed the team to arrive at the tournament in better conditions to fully focus on their athletic performance and the international promotion of the sport. During the training camp in Costa Rica, the team continued with court adjustment sessions, sound orientation exercises, and ball control drills, aiming to fine-tune their game reading before each match.
The delegation traveled with uniforms, equipment, and logistics covered by Naturgy Panama. The matches are played on a 40 x 20-meter court delimited by sideboards, with two 20-minute halves.
Panama faced the United States, Guatemala, and Costa Rica in a sporting event that served as a prelude to the World Qualifiers. This Sunday, the team will play for third place against their counterpart from the United States.
The team competes under the official regulations of the discipline: four players with blindfolds that completely block their sight, a goalkeeper with partial or full sight responsible for guiding from the area, and a ball with an internal sound that marks the rhythm of each play.
This debut opened an opportunity for athletes with visual impairments to compete in a regional stage where preparation and sound game reading are as important as strategy. The preparation of the Panamanian squad included several months of technical and tactical work.
"This support allowed the team to arrive at the tournament in better conditions to fully focus on their athletic performance and the international promotion of the sport."
