Karolis Verbliugevičius, President of Blind Sport Lt, and Vice-President Aidas Danilovas met with Lithuanian Tennis Union (LTS) President Ramūnas Grušas and his team at SEB Arena. The meeting was an opportunity to thank them for their cooperation in organising the 2026 IBTA World Blind Tennis Championships in Vilnius, reflect on the event and discuss ways to improve conditions for players with visual impairments.
This was the first event of its scale at SEB Arena to bring together so many people with visual impairments. The championship organisers and the arena team shared their experiences, discussed what had worked well and identified lessons to consider when organising future competitions.
SEB Arena, which hosts ITF-level international tennis tournaments and Davis Cup ties and provides facilities for wheelchair tennis, also welcomed the blind tennis community for the championships. The event demonstrated the complex’s potential to host blind tennis competitions while helping the team better understand the needs of blind and partially sighted participants.
Ramūnas Grušas highlighted aspects of the arena’s accessibility that could be improved. He explained that the arena had been designed and built more than a decade ago in accordance with the safety requirements of that time. The championship experience helped identify where improvements were needed to make it safer and easier for people with visual impairments to move around the venue.
In the post-championship participant survey, SEB Arena received a rating of 4.5 out of 5. One of the complex’s key advantages is that tennis courts, accommodation and dining are available in one place. This arrangement makes daily life easier for participants and simplifies event organisation.
During the meeting, tokens of appreciation were presented to the Lithuanian Tennis Union and the SEB Arena team for their cooperation and contribution to this historic blind tennis event in Lithuania. We sincerely thank them for their partnership, open discussion and attention to our community’s needs.
We invite sports organisations and partners to support the development of blind tennis. Contact Blind Tennis Lithuania – together, we can create more opportunities for blind and partially sighted people to take part in sport.
