IBSA World Games coming to campus
Archery athlete lining up to the target to take their next turn
The University is thrilled to be hosting the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) World Games this month.
Launching on Friday 18 August with the Opening Ceremony at Symphony Hall, the 2023 World Games will run until Sunday 27 August.
You can head to the dedicated intranet pages to find out more.
More than 1,250 blind and partially sighted athletes will travel from across the world to compete in sports on campus including archery, chess, cricket, judo, football, powerlifting, shooting, tennis and more.
Read the full schedule of events
Pro Vice Chancellor at University of Birmingham, Professor David Adams, said:
“We were incredibly proud to be part of the winning bid to host the Games in Birmingham with our University providing the Games Village and many sports facilities. The University is committed to significant research into sight loss, and we are proud to have over 60 visually impaired students studying at the University.”
Staged every four years, the World Games are the pinnacle of the international calendar outside of the Paralympic Games. Football, goalball and judo events this month will act as qualifying tournaments for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
British Blind Sport (BBS) will be hosting an Activation Zone on campus, where visitors can try out inclusive sports and learn how sport is adapted for people with sight loss.
The Activation Zone will be open Monday 21 - Friday 25 August, 11:00 to 14:00 at Chancellor’s Court and will feature sporting activity taster sessions for blind and partially sighted people of all ages and abilities to participate in and learn more about opportunities available to them in their local areas.
Finally while there are no planned major disruptions on campus, staff will need to be aware of a few temporary changes to car parking:
- Grange Road car park is being closed from 9 - 30 August for the blind football.
- South Gate car park will also be closed from 13 - 27 August due to volunteer and workforce parking.
- Spectators will be directed towards the Northeast multi-story so this may be busier than usual during Games time (14 – 27 August).
Additionally, Grange Road near the Estates Maintenance building will be closed from 9 August to 30 August. You will still be able to walk onto campus through Bournbrook Gate. Campus will still be open as usual with no restricted access or fencing. The only places you may not be able to enter are the IBSA venues which require accreditation.
We will be asking all staff, visitors and suppliers to be vigilant when driving on campus as we’ll be hosting a high number of both visually impaired athletes and visitors on-site during the games. Road notices will be going up across campus to remind drivers and communication will be sent to our suppliers asking them to drive carefully during this time.
Any further updates to campus access can be found on our IBSA intranet pages.