The Nicaraguan men and Guatemalan women were crowned champions at the unofficial Central American Goalball Championships in Guatemala on 3 May.

After Guatemala went unbeaten in the group stage they went on to face Nicaragua in the final, beating them with a convincing 9-2 win. Guatemala managed to hold off a charge from Julissa Padilla, the tournament’s top scorer in the women’s with 16 goals for the Nicaraguans.

El Salvador finished third after winning the bronze medal match against Honduras.

Nicaragua managed to top the tables in the men’s competition, this time beating the hosts 6-3.

They also managed to emerge from the group stage with a full house of wins, thanks to their top goalscorer Presley Coe. With 18 goals, Coe was named the men’s top goalscorer.

El Salvador clinched their second bronze medal of the competition. Like their teammates in the women’s competition they overcame Honduras to secure the final podium spot.

The IBSA Goalball calendar contains a host of official and unofficial competitions that take place in all regions throughout the year.

The next major sanctioned event will be the 2019 IBSA Goalball and Judo Qualification tournament. This offers teams a chance to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and will take place in Fort Wayne, USA, from 2-9 July.

European, Asia-Pacific and Americas Championships will also take place in 2019 and will be qualifiers for Tokyo 2020.