Less than a week remains until Lithuania hosts the IBTA World Blind Tennis Championships for the first time. From 24 to 29 August, some of the world’s best blind tennis players will compete for world championship titles at SEB Arena in Vilnius, with organisers saying that most of the preparations have already been completed.
The first championship participants – athletes from Argentina – will arrive in Vilnius this Friday, while the majority of players and their teams are expected on Saturday and Sunday.
“Everything is going smoothly. I would say that we have now completed around 85–90 per cent of all the work we had planned. We are working very intensively – you may think you know everything and have planned for every eventuality, but when organising an event of this scale, unexpected issues always arise. Our biggest challenge now will be to welcome the athletes and staff smoothly and take care of their logistics, accommodation and training. But essentially, we are ready for the championships,” says Aidas Danilovas, Championship Director and coach of European champion Karolis Verbliugevičius.
Around 50 volunteers will assist the organisers during the competition week, helping to welcome arriving guests and ensure the smooth running of the championships. According to Danilovas, they are in for an extremely busy week, and the volunteer team is still growing.
Eleven courts and a specially adapted arena
In the final days before the championships, SEB Arena itself will also undergo changes. The venue has previously hosted Davis Cup ties, ATP Challenger tournaments and other international competitions, but the World Blind Tennis Championships present a different set of challenges.
Matches will take place on as many as 11 courts, with five courts providing continuous live broadcasts. The arena will also be further adapted to meet the needs of visually impaired athletes and guests.
“The arena team has proven on many occasions that it is capable of hosting tennis events of virtually any level. However, for obvious reasons, our championships are somewhat different. We greatly appreciate the arena’s support – the team has taken the initiative to install special protection around sharper corners, while special markings will be introduced to make moving around the venue easier. For people with visual impairments, details like these, which may seem minor at first glance, are extremely important,” Danilovas explains.
First the sight classification, then the opponents
The athletes arriving in Vilnius over the weekend will have more than just training ahead of them. Before the championships, every participant is required to undergo a sight assessment in their home country and bring the relevant documentation to Lithuania. However, the final medical classification will take place in Vilnius.
On Sunday and Monday, the athletes’ sight will be reassessed using specialised equipment at the Žiūra clinic. Based on the results, the Championship Medical Committee, comprising specialists from the Czech Republic, Ireland and Poland, will assign the athletes to one of four sight classifications. Only then will the Championship Referee, Lina Berankytė-Astrauskienė, be able to conduct the tournament draw, which is scheduled for Monday evening.
On the same day, 24 August, at 5 p.m., the official opening ceremony of the World Championships will take place on the Centre Court at SEB Arena and will last approximately one hour. The ceremony will be attended by Speaker of the Seimas Juozas Olekas, Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas and Lithuanian Tennis Association President Ramūnas Grušas. The participants will also be welcomed by Ričardas Berankis, the greatest Lithuanian tennis player of all time.
“The opening ceremony will take place on the arena’s Centre Court. We will have a musical programme, several welcome speeches and brief introductions of the participating teams. Everyone is welcome to join us,” says Danilovas.
Lithuanians ready to challenge the world’s best
Danilovas names Italy, Australia and Japan – traditionally among the leading nations in blind tennis – as the main favourites in Vilnius. He hopes that Lithuania’s best players will be able to mount a serious challenge.
The host nation is preparing a team of 13 athletes from Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda and Šiauliai. Lithuania’s biggest hopes rest on European champion Karolis Verbliugevičius, who has been training intensively at the championship venue in recent weeks. According to Danilovas, Justas Pažarauskas is also showing good form and could spring a surprise.
“Karolis is the leader of our national team. He has been training intensively at SEB Arena and is currently in very good form. But I certainly would not underestimate any of our other players – they have all been working extremely hard and are preparing to challenge the world’s best blind tennis players. Competing in a World Championship in your own country is a rare opportunity, and we want to make the most of it,” says Danilovas.
A spark for future growth
The Championship Director hopes that hosting the World Championships in Lithuania for the first time will provide an impetus not only for sporting results but also for the further development of blind tennis in the country.
“This is an opportunity to strengthen blind tennis in Lithuania and encourage more people with visual impairments to take up the sport. At the same time, it is a chance for the entire Lithuanian tennis community to discover a sport that many people have never seen before. We also want to demonstrate that Vilnius and SEB Arena are open to a wide variety of people and events. That is why we warmly invite everyone to come along – to support the Lithuanian team and simply experience world-class blind tennis,” says Danilovas.
