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"5-a-side Soccer" Special Video Released Featuring Andrés Iniesta!
On August 15, the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee released a two-minute special video titled "Experience the unbelievable" on the "Paralympic 22 Sports Special Page" ( https://tokyo2020.org/jp/special/paralympicsportsvideo/ ) of the Games website. The video features 5-a-side football (also known as blind football). (Image ⓒ Tokyo 2020)
Ahead of the Tokyo Paralympics opening just one year away (August 25), the Organizing Committee has set up a special page introducing all 22 sports featured at the Games. It covers the appeal, highlights, and voices of athletes expected to shine, while also explaining the unique rules and classification systems specific to Paralympic sports.
This special video features Japanese national team players, including Rei Kawamura of the 5-a-side football team, alongside global football star Andrés Iniesta (Vissel Kobe).
Futsal is a sport for visually impaired athletes. Each team consists of four field players and a goalkeeper (who is either non-visually impaired or has low vision). Field players wear blindfolds to level the playing field. Each team has a "guide" who stands behind the opposing goal and communicates information like distance and angle to the goal to the players using voice and sound cues.
The ball used contains lead weights, producing a distinct "shaka shaka" sound as it rolls. Players rely on this sound and their guides' information to play, yet the matches unfold with an intensity and speed that defies expectations for a para sport.
The special video shows the tense match: shouts from players intermingling, skillful dribbling leading to shots, fierce battles for the ball, heel passes, and saves by the goalkeeper. In one dramatic moment, a player removes his blindfold to congratulate the scorer, revealing it to be Andrés Iniesta. Iniesta exclaims "Incredible!" in surprise to the goal-scorer.
Kawamura expressed his joy at co-starring with Iniesta, saying, "It's like a dream. I couldn't believe it when I first heard about it." After the play, Iniesta commented, "I really understood how amazing they are. I wish them luck at the Tokyo Games and definitely want to watch their matches."
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