May 25, 2006
Spartanburg hosts World Goalball Championships June 26-July 2

SPARTANBURG, SC —  The 2006 International Blind Sports Association World Goalball Championships will be held at the University of South Carolina Upstate in Spartanburg, June 26-July 2.

Goalball is a team sport played by blind and visually impaired athletes around the world. A team of three athletes on each side of the court aims to launch a ball at speeds of more than 30mph into the opposing side’s goal on an indoor volleyball-sized court. All athletes are blindfolded to create a state of total blackness, and nine bells encased in a ball the size of a basketball help the athletes track the ball’s location.

“Our organizing committee is diligently working to prepare for these championships. We feel Spartanburg is the perfect venue – large enough to offer the requisite amenities, yet small enough so that our entire community will rally behind this event,” says Jack Todd, local organizing committee chairman and media/library services coordinator for the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind.

The 300 international visitors — 165 athletes, 90 coaches/escorts and 20 officials/dignitaries — will be in Spartanburg for the six days of competition. Many teams will arrive in Spartanburg prior to the dates of the competition in order to acclimate, and all teams will lodge, compete, and eat on the campus of USC Upstate.

Admission to all games is free of charge. Spectators are encouraged to come and participate in four days of elite international competition.
For information about the 2006 International Blind Sports Association World Goalball Championships, contact Jack Todd at the S.C. School for the Deaf and the Blind at (864) 577-7640 or at jtodd@scsdb.k12.sc.us.

Team Spartanburg, the sports council of the Spartanburg Convention & Visitors Bureau, is assisting with the event.

Team Spartanburg’s mission is to promote Spartanburg as a destination for sports events; it recruits new events as well as provide assistance to existing sports events. Team Spartanburg is supported by its partners:

Champions – Coca-Cola, JM Smith Corp., Wachovia, City of Spartanburg
MVPs – Herald-Journal/Celebrate Community, Radisson Hotel & Suites, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, Verizon Wireless, Wofford College
All-Stars – Ogletree Deakins, Showcase Marketing, Shred First, Spartanburg Marriott at Renaissance Park, Spartanburg Methodist College, University of South Carolina Upstate

For information Team Spartanburg, go to www.teamspartanburgsc.org or contact Jules Bryant at (864) 594-5051 or laura.corbin@wofford.edu or Nikki Harris at (864) 594-5050 or laura.corbin@wofford.edu.

Team Spartanburg
Spartanburg Convention & Visitors Bureau
298 Magnolia Street
Spartanburg, SC  29306
(864) 594-5050
1-800-374-TEAM

For more information, contact Team Spartanburg.