FIFA – ISF All Abilities Tournament
The FIFA Football for HOPE – ISF Tournament for players of all abilities took place on Saturday, 17th December 2016 at the ISF Sports Ground. The tournament brought together 14 teams of deaf and hearing impaired players from Phnom Penh, Kampot, Battambong and Kampong Cham for a day of intense football competition and fun. The day also included a football tournament for players with intellectual disabilitiesfrom seven organizations ISF partners with.
Deaf players were integrated into the ISF Football Programme in 2011 and they have since become an integral part of our programme. The successful integration of deaf players encouraged ISF to expand the Programme for All Abilities and we soon welcomed players with intellectual and physical disabilities into the programme in 2013. ISF hope to expand our sports programme to include activities for blind and visually-impaired players and wheelchair sports, and for one Annual Tournament at which all players with disabilities come together to showcase their talents.
On 17th December, over 170 deaf and visually impaired girls and boys kicked off the competitions at 9:00 AM and played through the threatening clouds and well into the afternoon heat. The round robin competitions saw the strongest teams make it to the semi-finals and finals. Thanks to a tenacious defence, Krousar Thmey Phnom Penh Boys Team beat Krousar Thmey Battambang Team 2 – 1 and took home the boys title, and in the girls’ competition, DDP Kampong Cham defeated Krousar Thmey Battambang 2 – 1 with some quick and agile footwork.
The competition was fierce in the games for players with intellectual disabilities. In Level 1, La Valla emerged as the strongest team defeating Komar Pikar Foundation and CamYud. PSE won the Level 2 title after playing very well against Domnok Toek, Rabit School and Pachid.
The FIFA All Abilities Football Tournament 2016 came to a very successful end, giving so much joy, fun and laughter to all the participants and spectators. Thanks to FIFA Football for Hope’s support, we are able to provide a platform for players with disabilities to participate in organised sports. The tournament on Saturday exemplified the spirit of sport for development and highlighted the successful integration of people of all abilities into our programmes.
