Weston Public School student Tyson O’Neil will represent NSW in the sport of goalball at the Pacific School Games in Adelaide in November.
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The 12-year-old is certified as legally blind, and is the youngest member of the NSW 16-and-under goalball squad.
Tyson is no stranger to big competition – he represented NSW at the School Sport Australia track and field championships in Tasmania last year, earning the 2014 Cessnock City Sportsperson of the Year junior athlete with a disability award for his efforts.
This is the first time that goalball – a sport exclusively for visually-impaired athletes – will be included on the Pacific School Games program.
The NSW team will compete against other state mixed teams, plus teams from Malaysia and Thailand.
Goalball was devised in 1946 in an effort to rehabilitate visually-impaired veterans who returned from World War II.
It was introduced to the world at the Paralympic Games in Toronto in 1976.
Played over two 12-minute halves, athletes wear blackout masks on a playing court while they try to roll the ball into the opposite goal while opposing players try to block the ball with their bodies.
Complete silence is required inside the venue, as bells inside the balls help orient the players, indicating the direction of the on-coming ball.
Tyson trains in Maitland and Sydney for goalball and is often trained by members from the Australian Olympic Goalball team.
He will have a busy lead-up to the Pacific School Games – he will also compete in the Australian goalball championships in Queensland on the October long weekend.
The Pacific School Games will run from November 21 to 29, featuring baseball, basketball, diving, football, goalball, softball, swimming, table tennis and touch football.
