Credit: Goalball UK
Aston University School of Optometry has been selected to host athlete classification services for the 2023 International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) World Games in Birmingham on August 18-27.
Facilities at the School of Optometry will be used to facilitate accurate classification, which will be supported by staff assisting accredited classifiers testing athletes’ visual acuity and restriction to their field of vision.
These included B1 to B3, with B1 being unable to see a hand in front of the face and B3 being at best only able to see the top letter on a standard optometrist’s chart.
Optometry Professor Joy Myint from Cardiff University and ophthalmologist Dr Claire Morton helped IBSA co-ordinate the classification, which involved a team of international classifiers.
Prof Myint said: ‘Classification is the cornerstone of the Paralympic movement. It determines which athletes are eligible to compete in a sport and how athletes are grouped together for competition.
‘We are delighted that Aston University’s Department of Optometry has allowed us to use their excellent first-class equipment and facilities. This ensures that the IBSA expert classifiers can conduct classification in a standardised environment.’
