Blind Tennis

Maurice Gleeson OAM has been appointed President of the International Blind Tennis Association (IBTA). This prestigious role is responsible for leading a consortium of more than 17 countries, with the aim of developing and increasing participation in blind tennis worldwide. Maurice’s two-year appointment as President of IBTA recognises his commitment and dedication to ensuring the game of blind tennis continues to grow on the worldwide stage. Maurice is naturally thrilled. He said: “I am very excited that, after years of advocating for blind tennis programs to become mainstream in Australia, we are now leading the sport at an international level. Blind tennis is continuing to gain momentum and awareness, not only in Australia but across the world – this can only be a good thing for blind sports generally.” “I see this as a clear opportunity to create stronger bilateral links between the 17+ member countries, while also working towards ensuring blind tennis becomes an official Paralympic sport in the future.  A large part of the role will involve encouraging the participating countries to share their knowledge, experience and skills and work together co-operatively to develop the sport”. Maurice, who has been President of Blind Sports & Recreation Victoria in Melbourne for almost 30 years, was instrumental in starting blind tennis in Australia more than 10 years ago, with VicHealth, Tennis Victoria, and Tennis Seniors Victoria’s support. The program has grown in Australia during that time and is now played in many states.

Mr Takei Miyoshi invented Blind Tennis in Japan in 1984. He was a pioneer in a new racket sport and a role model to the visually impaired. He was born in 1968 and lost his eyesight at the age of one and a half. When he was 16, as a high school student, he dreamed of playing tennis with the able-bodied and created tennis for the blind. Mr Takei worked tirelessly at developing a tennis ball specifically tailored for the blind. His devotion to the sport drew many supporters who joined him in his work. In 1990, the first ever tournament for the visually impaired was held in Japan. Over a 21-year span, Mr Takei was National Champion on 16 occasions. His long term dream and legacy was that blind tennis continues to grow and be played all over the world by as many people as possible. “We have to take responsibility both for success and failure,” Mr Takei said at a lecture on the sport in 2007. He stressed the importance of independence for the visually impaired in both sport and everyday life. Blind Tennis – also known as Sound Ball – is now played in Europe, North America, Latin America, and across Asia-Pacific. Miyoshi Takei lost his life in a tragic accident at a Tokyo train station on January 16th 2011. The Blind Tennis founder died at the age of 42, but the sport continues to build momentum as it targets inclusion at the Paralympics.