This is a guide to the main sports to be competed by blind and visually impaired athletes. There may be some level of sight loss in other sports but these are the sports where visual impairment categorizes them for these events:
Athletics
Athletes must trust guides that shouting or giving other acoustic instructions as they run, throw or jump. Some athlet6es have sighted guides that run with them whilst others are visually impaired with limited vision. Each different level of impairment runs/throws.jumps in different categories.Cycling
Visually impaired cyclists ride tandem with a sighted pilot up front steering them around the track.Football – five-a-side
Four outfield players - wearing blindfolds to give everyone the same level of visual impairment - and a sighted goalkeeper compete two halves of 25 minutes. The ball has ball bearings inside, so players can hear where the balls is and the pitch is surround by acoustic boards so sounds reflect – the crowd is asked to be quiet during play.Goalball
Two teams of three blindfolded players play two halves of 12 minutes. Teams must get a medicine ball full of bells beyond the opposing team to score. The defending team uses any part of their body to prevent the attack.Judo
In the Paralympics Judo is reserved purely for the visually impaired. Although graded on levels of visual impairment competitors fight in weight categories, rather than disability level.Rowingg
Skulls are adapted with additional stabilising "pontoons", buoyancy devices to aid balance.Swimming
A number of events based on severity of disability. For the visually impaired a taper is placed across each lane which prompts swimmers of the approach of the wall.
