Rahma Khaled

Khaled sees ‘new world’ through #WeAreSport

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Egyptian swimmer Rahma Khaled has described how the International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) #WeAreSport campaign has helped her with her skills on social media.

Despite having more than 9,000 likes on her Facebook page, Khaled did not have a Twitter or Instagram account before being involved in #WeAreSport.

However, with support from administrator Inas Mostafa, the Egyptian has now gained the confidence to add to her digital presence and launch accounts.

Khaled, who competes in the II2 category, was also encouraged by the idea that she could be a role model for other women and girls with intellectual impairments.

“I feel more confident, because I saw a new world and [I want] to help other people to become champions,” she said.

#WeAreSport aims to give female athletes the tools and knowledge to use social media more effectively to promote their lives as an athlete.

Eleven athletes from around the world have been involved. Each has taken part in an online seminar with the support of an administrator. Mostafa was nominated by the Egyptian World Intellectual Impairment Sport member, ESFID.

“I feel more confident in supporting my athlete to use social media,” Mostafa said. “I have seen a change in the athlete [Rahma]. She created a Twitter account and started using it, she is doing hard work on social media.”

About #WeAreSport

#WeAreSport is supported by the Agitos Foundation, the development arm of the International Paralympic Committee, through their 2017 Grant Support Programme.

All materials used during the seminars, including a Quick Start Guide to Social Media and a longer guide, are available in a variety of languages for all World Intellectual Impairment Sport members to use here.

Jade Lucy took part in a #WeAreSport seminar

Lucy gains confidence on social media through #WeAreSport

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Australia’s multiple swimming gold medallist Jade Lucy has found a new confidence to use social media through the International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) #WeAreSport campaign.

#WeAreSport aims to give female athletes the tools and knowledge to utilise their online presence more effectively. This will enable them to inspire other women and girls to try sport, and show the world that athletes with intellectual impairments train just as hard as anyone else.

Lucy, who started swimming when she was five, was one of 11 athletes from around the world to take part in an online seminar. The Australian was also supported by two administrators, Anula Costa and Chantel Lewis, as well as her mother Leanne.

Lucy said she learned: “How important it is to get lots of likes on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Everything was interesting and I enjoyed learning more things.”

As a result, Lucy said she feels more confident to use her Facebook page and continues to use Instagram to great effect. She also started a Twitter account in August after the #WeAreSport seminar and is using her new knowledge to build her following.

“I posted my training at the gym and I posted my award I won at my swimming club,” Lucy said.

Of her growing swimming career, Lucy said her proudest achievement is: “Winning my first gold medal in the 400m free at Global Games in Ecuador 2015 and winning silver in the 200 free at the Australian Swimming Champs 2018.”

In 2019 the Australian will get to defend her title when the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games take place on her home turf in Brisbane. She is also a triple World Intellectual Impairment Sport world champion in the women’s II1.

About #WeAreSport

#WeAreSport is supported by the Agitos Foundation, the development arm of the IPC, through their 2017 Grant Support Programme.

All materials used during the seminars, including a Quick Start Guide to Social Media and a longer guide, are available in a variety of languages for all World Intellectual Impairment Sport members to use here.

Poleth Mendes throws the shot put

#WeAreSport: Paralympian Mendes inspires others through social media

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Paralympian Poleth Mendes of Ecuador was not sure exactly what kinds of things she should be posting to social media ahead of her participation in the International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) #WeAreSport seminar.

Now the World Championships shot put F20 silver medallist is using her Facebook and Instagram to share her life as an athlete more and inspire other women and girls along the way.

#WeAreSport is a campaign which aims to give female athletes the tools and confidence to use the power of social media to promote themselves. It is hoped that those athletes involved – 11 from countries all around the world – will be able to attract new fans and show other people with intellectual impairments that they too can do sport.

The athletes, all from a wide range of sports, took part in an online seminar and were given materials to guide them. Advice was given on what to share and types of content that work well.

“I liked that it was dynamic and entertaining,” Mendes said of the seminar. Even though she is currently injured, the idea of sharing updates about her rehabilitation particularly appealed to the Ecuadorian: “Now I am in recovery so I have uploaded photos and videos of my therapies and all sports activities.” As part of the project countries also had to nominate an administrator to support athletes in the longer term. Vanessa Vinueza was chosen by the World Intellectual Impairment Sport member in Ecuador and has seen a big change in the way Mendes approaches her social media since the online session.

“The most useful part of the seminar was knowing that in Poleth’s social networks, we can also upload content from day to day, before training or after, with their peers, etc. This means her pages do not have such linear content,” Vinueza said.

And the new activity is already producing results:

“Poleth gets excited when I tell her that someone or some institution has started to follow her on Instagram or Facebook, for example, World Intellectual Impairment Sport or the IPC [International Paralympic Committee.]”

About #WeAreSport

#WeAreSport is supported by the Agitos Foundation, the development arm of the IPC, through their 2017 Grant Support Programme.

All materials, including a Quick Start Guide to Social Media and a longer guide, are available in a variety of languages for all World Intellectual Impairment Sport members to use here.

Leslie Cichocki

Cichocki helps promote female athletes through #WeAreSport

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The USA’s Leslie Cichocki, the first swimmer with an intellectual impairment to represent her country at a Paralympic Games, is growing her social media presence and hopes to inspire other women and girls to try sport.

Cichocki has been part of the #WeAreSport campaign run by the International Federation for Athletes with an Intellectual Impairment (World Intellectual Impairment Sport).

#WeAreSport aims to give female athletes the tools and knowledge to use social media more effectively to promote their lives as an athlete.

Eleven athletes from around the world have been involved. Each will have taken part in an online seminar with the support of an administrator by the end of September.

Cichocki said she liked the fact that the sessions were a way of “getting more women involved in sports and having their voices and experiences heard.”

Follow Leslie Cichocki on social media

The US swimmer made history at the Rio 2016 Paralympics when she competed in the women’s S14, something which she says she is most proud of. Since then Cichocki has been working towards the 2019 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games and the next Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020.

Cichocki has been using social media more since the seminar, especially her athlete page on Facebook. She has been posting various themed posts for days of the week, such as #MotivationMonday and #WednesdayWisdom. These include hints and tips for other aspiring swimmers for training and competition.

Melani Hom was nominated by the World Intellectual Impairment Sport member in the USA, Athletes Without Limits, to be the administrator and support Leslie in her digital activities.

“After our kick-off posts on my personal and her athlete page, we saw an increase in followers. In just over three weeks, she had 36 new fans interested in following her athletic journey,” Hom said.

“I am proud and confident in Leslie’s social media presence. She has proven her understanding of how engaging content helps engage her followers. It’s easy to re-post her content because I believe what she has to say is important and should be shared with others. I especially like her daily themes like #MotivationMonday and #ThresholdThursday.”

#WeAreSport is supported by the Agitos Foundation, the development arm of the International Paralympic Committee, through their 2017 Grant Support Programme.

All materials used during the seminars, including a Quick Start Guide to Social Media and a longer guide, are available in a variety of languages for all World Intellectual Impairment Sport members to use here.

#WeAreSport aims to inspire women and girls with an intellectual into sport

Female athletes celebrated on International Day of Sport for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments

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A series of female athletes are being celebrated online to mark the International Day of Sport for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (IDSAII) on Thursday (20 September).

The theme for this year’s IDSAII is firmly rooted in the International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) #WeAreSport campaign. It aims to encourage more female athletes to use social media.

By the end of September, 11 swimmers, track and field stars, tennis and table tennis #SportChampions will have taken part in seminars to give them the tools and knowledge to improve their digital presence. They have all been supported by administrators from within their World Intellectual Impairment Sport member organisations, ensuring the project can be spread to other athletes in the long term.

For one week starting on 20 September, World Intellectual Impairment Sport will publish athlete stories on inas.org and graphics featuring their social media handles to help build the following of the participants.

World Intellectual Impairment Sport has also published guides to setting-up and using social media in different languages on a dedicated section of its website for all athletes and members to access.

World Intellectual Impairment Sport Vice President Robyn Smith has been involved in the campaign as a firm advocate of women in sport.

“The athletes in #WeAreSport range from those just starting out to experienced Paralympians and world champions in a variety of sports,” Smith said. “But not all of them were getting the full potential from social media.

“We knew that we had to do something about the smaller numbers of women and girls with intellectual impairments taking up sport compared to boys and men. Social media seemed like a good place to start as it is accessible to billions of people around the world.

“We had a great response from the athletes and administrators involved. Many went away and immediately started using the ideas they had heard to set-up accounts on platforms they had not previously used, or posting different kinds of content to grow their fanbase.

“We have been delighted with the response and plan to grow the reach of #WeAreSport into the future, including at the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games which Australia will host in Brisbane in 2019.

“This is just one part of our role in developing Paralympic and non-Paralympic sports, adding to our international competition calendar and work on athlete eligibility.”

One of the athletes to participate was US swimmer and Paralympian Leslie Cichocki.

Cichocki said she liked the fact that the sessions were a way of “getting more women involved in sports and having their voices and experiences heard.”

Egyptian swimmer Rahma Khaled also took the aim of #WeAreSport firmly to heart: “I feel more confident, because I saw a new world and [I want] to help other people to become champions,” she said.

Stefanie Pitchian from the Singapore Disability Sports Council is helping swimmer Danielle Moi Yang Ting with her social media. Pitchian said that as a result of the campaign she feels more confident in supporting Moi Yang Ting online.

“She comes to me with different post ideas and she shares with me on how it would be engaging her followers,” Pitchian said.

Since the first wave of #SportChampions were announced in March on International Women’s Day, a further three athletes and three administrators have joined. That brings the total to 11 athletes from 10 countries.

#WeAreSport #SportChampions

Athlete Eligibility group Country Age Sport Career highlights
Danielle Moi Yang Ting

 

Instagram: @daniellemoimoi

 II1/S14 Singapore 19 Swimming 2017 Asian Youth Para Games medallist (silver 100m butterfly, bronze 100m backstroke, 200m freestyle)
Jade Lucy

 

Instagram: @jadelucy_g

Facebook:  @jadelucy-swimmer

Twitter: @jadelucy_lucy

 

 II1/S14 Australia 21 Swimming World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games champion (100m, 400m, 800m, freestyle) and World Intellectual Impairment Sport world champion (200m, 400m and 1,500m freestyle)
Poleth Mendes

 

Instagram and Facebook: @polethmendesec

 II1/F20 Ecuador 22 Athletics Paralympian and silver medallist in shot put F20 at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships
Yang Hee Seo

 

 

 II1/class 11 South Korea 31 Table tennis 2014 Asian Para Games (bronze women’s singles)
Caitlyn Sharp

 

Instagram: @caytlynsharpathlete

Facebook: @CaytlynSharpTF20Athlete

Twitter: @caytlynsharpat1

 II1/T/F20 Australia 15 Athletics World Intellectual Impairment Sport world champion (high jump)
Wong Pui Kei II1/class 11 Hong Kong 20 Table tennis 2017 World Intellectual Impairment Sport World Table Tennis Championships (silver women’s doubles, bronze women’s singles, gold women’s team, gold junior doubles, gold junior team, silver junior singles)
New: Rahma Khaled

 

Instagram: @rahmakhaled453

Facebook: @shampionrahma

Twitter: @Rahmakhaled10

 II2 Egypt 22 Swimming National and international medallist
New: Gloria Agblemagnon

 

Instagram: @gloriaagblemagnon

 II1/F20 France 20 Track and field World Intellectual Impairment Sport hammer and discus world champion, Global Games champion hammer
New: Lizaba Deepak II2 India 23 Swimming National champion
New: Lily Mills II1 Great Britain 18 Tennis National champion
New: Leslie Cichocki

 

Instagram: @swimprincess88

Facebook: @swimstarleslie

Twitter: @Paralympswimmer

 II1/S14 USA 29 Swimming First athlete from the USA to compete in swimming at the Paralympics

 

#WeAreSport is supported by the Agitos Foundation, the development arm of the International Paralympic Committee, through their 2017 Grant Support Programme.

Berger flies high at Val-de-Reuil 2018

Berger aims to fly high at Global Games

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By Gaurav Mokhasi | For Virtus: World Intellectual Impairment Sport

Norway’s Virtus: World Intellectual Impairment Sport world record holding pole vaulter Bjorn Oivind Berger aims to fly high once more at the 2019 Global Games in Brisbane, Australia.

In May Berger broke his own Virtus: World Intellectual Impairment Sport world record at the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Indoor Athletics Championships in Val de Reuil, France, setting the bar at 4.75m.

Describing his goals for the 2019 Global Games, Berger revealed he is not only targeting another world record but a medal in another event.

“My goal is to jump higher than I do now. I want to win the pole vault competition, beat my own world record again, and get a medal in high jump or long jump too,” he said.

Berger lives in Finnsnes, a small town in Northern Norway, that is located 500km north of the centre of the Arctic Circle. Winter there lasts for seven months. Nights often stretch past 24 hours, and the cold is biting.

The summer is the other extreme, with the sun shining right through midnight for days on end. The nearest indoor training facilities for athletics are situated 1000km away in Norway or 650km away in Sweden.

IL Pioner Friidrett, the athletics club that Berger has been training at since the last 11 years, lacks the funds needed to build an indoor training facility dedicated to athletics, so Berger trains outdoors from May to October.

In winters, the heavy snow and frigid temperatures mean that he has to train in an indoor football hall. But Berger is grateful. “The people at Pioner support me a lot,” he said. “They help me (Team Berger) find sponsors, both through companies and individuals. They also try to maintain good training facilities as far as possible. We live quite far north, so travelling to competitions both in Norway and abroad is very expensive. The Troms Athletic Association also helps me economically sometimes.”

For a top athlete, Berger keeps his training regimen simple. “I exercise every day. I don’t have any special diet. I eat normal, Norwegian homely fare. I never use protein powder or anything like that. The only supplement I take is cod liver oil in winter.”

Ulrike Naumann, who heads IL Pioner Friidrett, mentions other challenges for Berger.

“Most other athletes in our club are younger than Bjorn,” she said. “Kids leave the region after high school for further education, so there is nobody else at Bjorn’s age left. I think that’s a bit of a pity for him. I wish we could create some more possibilities for him to exercise and compete in other places in Norway, but it is difficult for such a little club to do this; it is too expensive. It is not easy to get the state athletics organisation to financially support disabled sportspeople.”

Naumann ensures that Berger is able to train twice a week with Pioner’s twenty other members. These comprise of athletes aged 4 to 71 and three of Naumann’s own children.

Family affair

Berger’s father, Oivind, plays a major role in his development and coaches the younger athletes at Pioner too. “My father is my coach, and with me at exercises and competitions. He always travels with me,” Berger said. “My mother was also involved in my athletics from the beginning. So, both my parents support me a lot. Neither of them knew anything about pole vault, but they learned it for my sake.”

Berger discovered his love for sports early in life. “I began playing football and did gymnastics when I was eight. Then I started with athletics. Pole vault is my favourite, but I like long jump, high jump and discus too. When I was 15, I got a result of 3.75m in pole vault. That’s when I realised I could be a good pole-vaulter.”

But growing up was not easy for Berger due to his intellectual impairment. “There was some bullying at school, and I struggled a bit at that time,” he said. “But it is okay, I never tried to be something else. When I was 17, I became Norwegian champion for pole vault in my age group, competing against people without any disabilities. I am proud of that.”

‘Life is okay’

Berger has since gone from strength to strength. He first became the Virtus: World Intellectual Impairment Sport world record holder in pole vault at the 2017 World Intellectual Impairment Sport European Championships in Prague, an achievement that he still ranks as the biggest of his career. “I jumped 4.71m. That was awesome,” Berger said.

Amidst all his success, Berger remains grounded. He views sports as just one aspect of his life, albeit an important one. “Playing sports is important for my social life too. It lets me make friends and talk to people. When I’m not playing, I like to relax, listen to music and watch films. I work in a little company nearby my home when I don’t have training or competitions”, he said, before adding with a smile. “Life is okay.”

Inputs and translation provided by Ulrike Naumann.

Hong Kong's Ka Man Wong lines up to hit the ball

Wong has her eyes on the prize on the road to 2019 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games

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By Mariam Khan | For Virtus: World Intellectual Impairment Sport

Hong Kong’s Ka Man Wong has her heart and mind set on retaining the women’s table tennis singles Global Games title next year in Brisbane, Australia.

In 2015 in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Wong defeated teammate Mui Wui Ng. Now the London 2012 Paralympic gold medallist is training hard to be at her best once again.

The week-long Global Games, conducted every four years, will be held between 12-19 October 2019. They are the world’s biggest high performance sports event for athletes with intellectual impairments. The Games feature nine sports and over 1,000 athletes from all over the world.

For Wong the Global Games are all about performing well and striving for medals, and that motivates her to succeed. “This is one of the most important competitions after the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and World Intellectual Impairment Sport 2017 World Table Tennis Championships,” she said.

Clinching a gold at the last edition was the “third important medal” for Wong, after her Paralympic gold and Asian Para Games title from Incheon, South Korea, also in 2014.

Wong started playing table tennis in 2000. The challenging elements of the sport is what she relishes the most.

“I enjoy the moment when I can grasp a win after putting all my efforts in the game,” she adds.

What is next for Wong?

It was her father who discovered her potential and encouraged her to take up the sport. Wong finds a sense of accomplishment in staying dedicated to the sport all these years.

Wong is looking forward to the Global Games as she will get to meet and compete with different players from various countries. “To me, Global Games is not only a platform to compete, but also an opportunity to make friends and widen my own horizons,” she said.

There are many players who can give Wong tough competition. But she believes it all lies in her own play. The Hong Kong athlete also needs to spend more time in training to overcome a long-term knee injury that causes difficulty in training.

“All I have to do is to be concentrated and properly execute tactics suggested by coaches,” she said.

The 2019 Global Games also act as the World Championships for all sports. For table tennis, athletics and swimming they are a key stop on the road to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. For all other athletes it is the highest level they can compete at.

The USA's Jonathan Pierce acknowledges the crowds

Pierce eyes Tokyo 2020 swimming berth

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By Georgia McCutcheon and Virtus: World Intellectual Impairment Sport

With two years to go until Tokyo 2020, Jonathan Pierce – one of his country’s most promising athletes – is aiming to be the first male swimmer with an intellectual impairment from the USA to compete at a Paralympic Games.

At his first Para swimming meet in 2016, Pierce swam nine races and broke seven national records. Officials after the meet were in awe – they could not believe that they had never encountered him before. This competitiveness persisted as Pierce continued swimming, and he currently holds 14 regional International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) Americas records and 21 national.

Over the coming 18 months, Pierce is favored to be selected to attend the 2019 Global Games in Brisbane, Australia – a key stop on the road to Tokyo 2020. He is supported by Athletes Without Limits, the Virtus: World Intellectual Impairment Sport member responsible for the Paralympic pathway for athletes with intellectual impairments in the USA.

At the 2017 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Swimming Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico, Pierce left with three medals, including a gold and two bronzes. This is despite suffering a stomach bug that took him out of competition for nearly two days. Having spent a morning sick in his hotel room, that evening Pierce insisted he swim in the relay so that the US team could compete.

According to Pierce, his goals are to “get faster and to hopefully qualify for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.”

Celeste Sychterz, Head Coach of the Athletes Without Limits national team noted: “Johnny is a tremendous competitor. He’s worked incredibly hard to transform physically over the past two years. His performance at the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Swimming Championships, his sportsmanship and his camaraderie with the entire US team is a testament to his success. Johnny is continuing to improve and will make an impact at next year’s Global Games for the US team.”

Already a member of the US Para-Swimming Emerging Team, he is aiming to shed more time and to qualify for the Paralympic B Team. Though there are still standards that he must meet, he is highly motivated to improve his times.

If he qualifies for Tokyo 2020, Pierce would be the first intellectually impaired man to swim in the Paralympics for his country. He would join Leslie Cichocki, who became the first American S14 female swimmer to compete at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

When discussing what Pierce enjoys most about participating in global swimming competitions, he responded: “I like to travel to new countries and compete in swimming. I like to meet new people and make new friends in other countries too.”

Pierce’s natural comfort in the water was evident very young. It lead him to participate in swimming lessons as a child and a competitive swimming programme throughout high school.

In April, competing at home in Indianapolis at the World Para Swimming World Series, Pierce swam against some of the best in the world. He qualified for four finals and moving into ninth place in the world rankings in the 400m freestyle.

Floating baby

Though Pierce’s training schedule is jam-packed, with morning swim practices six days a week and evening gym workouts five days a week, he also benefits from a natural ability in the water.

His father, Tim Pierce, described his son as being really comfortable in water, even at three years of age: “He would float for an hour in the deep end, ears submerged, and laugh when going under.”

Now Pierce will be hoping that what was once a means of sanctuary can deliver the same joy at the highest levels in two years time in Japan.

Saudi Arabia are presented with their 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Football World Championships trophy

Saudi Arabia become four time football world champions

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Saudi Arabia bagged their fourth International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) Football World Championships crown in Karlstad, Sweden, on Saturday (18 August).

The defending champions swept aside Argentina 2-0, with both goals coming from captain Abdullah Al Dosari.

Aldosari opened the scoring mid-way through the first half with a stunning free kick from just outside the 18-yard box.

Argentina had their chances too, but the first whistle blew with the score at 1-0.

Saudi Arabia then had to hold on until deep into the second half. Al Dosari struck again in the 81st minute from another free kick, close to the same position as his first goal to secure his country’s win.

Speaking after the game Al Dosari said: “It is a great feeling to win the fourth world title and it feels fantastic. I cannot describe the feelings, I am really happy.

“It’s not only about me, it’s about the team. We have 11 players and we are a good team, we have a good strategy. It’s not only about me, everyone takes his responsibility.”

Poland v France – bronze medal game

Three goals came for Poland in the first half of their 4-1 win over France for third place.

Two players – Lukasz Mludzikowski and Piotr Krawczyk – starred for Poland with two goals each.

Krawczyk got his team on the board in the 12th minute, adding one more just over 10 minutes later.

Mludzikowski opened his account just before half time from a corner, scoring again in the 63rd minute.

France regained some ground courtesy of Marcel Atanso with five minutes left on the clock, but it was not enough to unsettle Poland.

In the other placement games, Russia beat Japan 5-3 to claim fifth place. Hosts Sweden finished in 7th after their 4-1 win over Germany.

About the 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Football World Championships

The 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Football World Championships have seen eight countries play for the title – Sweden, France, Germany and Argentina. Saudi Arabia, Poland, Japan and Russia.

Games were shown live at the World Intellectual Impairment Sport YouTube channel. Full results are available at https://iwfc.se/.

Photographs are available on request from lucy.dominy@inas.org.

The logo of the 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Football World Championships featuring the Swedish flag drawn artistically

Argentina grab final spot after dramatic win over Poland

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Argentina secured themselves a place in the final of the 2018 International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) Football World Championships after a tension-filled match that ended with penalties in Karlstad, Sweden, on Thursday (16 August).

With the first half ending goal-less despite chances for both sides, including Argentina hitting the post, the South American side were the first to find the net.

Top scorer Gaston Ariel Ibarguengoitia struck a cross from Luciano Alejandro Campitelli in the 60th minute to give his team the lead.

But European champions Poland fought back just seven minutes later. Piotr Krawczyk capitalised on a neat set of passes from the midfield and, despite hitting the post with his shins and nearly injuring himself, managed to nudge the ball home to bring Poland level.

The whistle blew at full-time but there was more drama to come.

Argentina once again edged ahead courtesy of Ibarguengoitia in the first 15 minutes.

Poland refused to give-up and levelled the score for the second time in the match. Pawel Michalski scored after Argentina let their guard down to allow Krawczyk an almost unchallenged run down the right wing where he passed the ball to his teammate.

But with no more goals attention turned to the penalty spot.

Argentina and Poland both scored their two opening chances. But it was Krawczyk, the man who had been involved with both of Poland’s goals, that was the first to have his shot saved by Argentina’s Fernando Rafael Pereira.

With the pressure on to maintain their goalscoring record, Rodrigo Balquin steeped up to score Argentina’s fourth penalty.

Poland’s Patryk Kruszec, now under extreme pressure, then missed to hand Argentina a 4-2 victory.

Defending champions Saudi Arabia to meet Argentina in the final

Saudi Arabia maintained their great run in Sweden to advance to the final after a 4-1 win over France.

Team captain Abdullah Aldosari was the first to score for the defending champions in the 16th minute from the penalty spot.

He was bought down in the area after an untidy challenge from Dylan Moreau and duly converted. Abdullah Adam added one more in the 20th minute.

France clawed back some ground just before half-time, also from a penalty. Fuad Ahmed Kaabi was seen to hand-ball a free kick in the box. The task of taking the shot fell to Morgan Lebraud who slotted it home.

But what seemed like a glimmer of hope for the French faded in the second half when two more goals came for Saudi Arabia. The first was a great effort from Ahmed Bu Helal who dummied the French defense before firing a shot across the goal and into the far corner.

Omar Abdullah Kaseer then claimed the fourth in the final minute.

“It will be a strong match and we need to prepare [for Argentina] more than this game,” Helal said.

Saudi Arabia will face Argentina for the title on Saturday (18 August). France will play Poland for third place in the day’s first game.

About the 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Football World Championships

The 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Football World Championships have seen eight countries play for the title – Sweden, France, Germany and Argentina. Saudi Arabia, Poland, Japan and Russia.

Games are being shown live at the World Intellectual Impairment Sport YouTube channel. Information about groups, the schedule and results are available at https://iwfc.se/.

Photographs are available on request from lucy.dominy@inas.org.