Press release                                                                                                                                                                       June 26, 2015, Vilnius

IBSA Goalball European Championships Lounge opened in Kaunas

On 25 June, IBSA Goalball European Championships Lounge was opened in Kaunas, Lithuania, where the championships will take place on 5-12 July. Fourteen trees – as many as participating countries in the Eeuropean Championships – were decorated in a knitted tree graffiti style.

The Lounge will advertise the Championships for the whole period, volunteers will give a chance for common people to try goalball balls and eyeshades every day before and during the EC. The Lounge is close to the Championships’ hotel and is also meant to become a meeting, relaxation and communication place for EC participants.

“The Lounge looks like the trees are wearing sweaters, made in national colors of all EC participating countries. It’s a kind of tree graffiti. We know it is unusual way to advertise sports event but it works – it attracts passengers’ attention and is also made in a way to be informative for blind and visually impaired people”, – said Linas Balsys, President of Lithuanian Blind Sports Federation.

IBSA European Goalball Championships will take place in Kaunas, Lithuania, Sabonis Basketball Hall and Kaunas Sports Hall, between 5-12 July and will act as a qualifier for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

The participating men‘s teams are: Lithuania, Spain, Turkey, Germany, Czech Republic, Finland, Belgium, Slovenia, Sweden and Ukraine. Featuring women‘s teams: Russia, Turkey, Israel, Finland, Germany, Ukraine, Spain, Denmark, Sweden and Greece. Organizers are expecting approximately 280 participants from 14 countries.

The 2015 IBSA European Goalball Championships are under the patronage of the H.E. Dalia Grybauskaite, President of Lithuania.

More information at www.lasfinfo.lt/en/

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