The International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) Goalball has announced that the 2021 Asia-Pacific Championships will be held in Asan, South Korea, from 1-11 November.

As well as the regional title on offer, the top men’s and women’s team will qualify for the 2022 IBSA Goalball World Championships in Hangzhou, China.

The competition will take place at the Asan National Sports Centre for the Disabled and will be organised by the Korean Goalball Federation.

Kari Rasanen, Chair of the IBSA Goalball Committee, said: “We are excited to be heading to South Korea for an Asia-Pacific Championships for the first time. It shows great promise for the growth of goalball in Asia, especially as it will be the third consecutive year the competition is hosted in a new country.

“We are also pleased to add yet another event to the calendar for 2021, joining other regional Championships and the Worlds announced recently. With 2020 being a difficult year, we are happy to be able to keep the calendar mostly on track and are looking forward to seeing teams back on court very soon.”

Asan is known for its many hot springs and spas and is located around 85km south of South Korea’s capital, Seoul.

After a gap in competitions due to coronavirus, the 2021 IBSA Goalball European Championships B will be held in Pajulahti, Finland, from 27-31 January.
 
The 2021 IBSA Goalball European C Championships in Târgu-Mureş, Romania, follow from 11-18 April.

Sao Paulo, Brazil, is set to host the 2021 Americas Championships from 13-20 June.

The 2022 IBSA Goalball Youth World Championships will also take place in Sao Paulo from 15-20 March ahead of the 2022 IBSA Goalball World Championships in Hangzhou, China, from 3-15 July.