Blind and CP Football return to the ASEAN Para Games
Blind and CP Football return to the ASEAN Para Games
An exciting week for para sport is ahead as the 13th ASEAN Para Games kick off on Tuesday in Thailand, marking the Land of Smiles' return as host after 18 years.
Running from 20 to 26 January, the region of Nakhon Ratchasima will welcome over 2,000 para athletes from all over Southeast Asia, as it has for other major competitions for athletes with physical disabilities, including the recently concluded World Abilitysport Games 2025. The province, also known as Korat, is known as the para sports capital of the nation, and has served as a national training base for over 200 Thai para athletes, many of whom have gone on to win medals at the Paralympics and world championships. A National Para-Sports Training Centre is currently under construction, further cementing its place as a hub for Paralympic sport.
This year's celebration of para sport will feature 536 events in 19 sports, including Blind Football and Cerebral Palsy (CP) Football, with host Thailand defending the men's title in the former. Blind Football has been featured several times in the ASEAN Para Games, with Thailand and Malaysia emerging as consistent top performers, after its global debut at the Athens Paralympic Games in 2004.
This discipline features five players on each team, who must all sport eye shades to ensure fairness, as athletes have varying degrees of vision. They must rely on their other senses and instincts, as well as their goalkeeper, who is fully-sighted and plays an integral role in guiding his teammates. The match is played in two halves of 20 minutes each, with a 10-minute halftime break. To learn more about this sensory sport, click here to head over to the International Blind Sports Federation's website.
Malaysia, sending its largest delegation ever, is set to defend the Cerebral Palsy Football title. Governed by the International Federation of CP Football, the discipline made its debut at the ASEAN Para Games in 2014 and has been part of the programme ever since. The discipline is designed specifically for athletes with Cerebral Palsy or other neurological and movement impairments such as hemiplegia, stroke, or brain injury.
Athletes are classified based on their Functional Profile (FT1–FT3). The seven-a-side team must have at least one FT1 player on the field and no more than one FT3 player. The matches are played in two halves of 30 minutes each, with a 15-minute halftime break. As with blind football, offside rules do not apply
Both disciplines are part of the Para Football umbrella, with their federations, IBSA and IFCPF, serving on the Steering Board. Each federation brings a wealth of experience, skills, and expertise to the partnership, creating a platform for the visibility and development of the game.
Organised by the ASEAN Para Sports Federation, the ASEAN Para Games take place every two years and include participation from all 11 ASEAN member states to celebrate inclusion and promote equal opportunities in sport across the region. The 2023 host country, Cambodia, has chosen to sit this edition out, withdrawing its participation just last week.
