Table tennis for the blind and visually impaired, that may sound a bit crazy, but it is really possible. At the TTC table tennis club in Emmen, a room has been made available especially for people who have little or no vision. The visually impaired Selima Bathoorn also plays there.
“The sport is actually called showdown and it looks a bit like a combination of table tennis and air hockey,” says the player. Selima from Emmen has been a fanatical showdown player for two years now. She started in Assen at a table tennis club with about 10 to 15 members and now wants to set up the same in her hometown of Emmen.
Even though showdown looks a lot like table tennis at first glance, there are major differences, according to Bathoorn. “In any case, it is played with an elongated bat, instead of a round table tennis bat. And you actually play it in a large container, you try to hit the ball directly into the goal, just like in air hockey.” In Emmen Selima likes to play with her good friend Mariska. The duo explains why they also have to wear tinted ski goggles while playing. “It’s actually very simple, everyone is equal,” says Mariska. “For example, I am visually impaired, but you also play the game against people who are completely blind. If we all wear the same glasses, no one can recognize colors and the game remains fair,” Selima continues.
Members of the TTC table tennis club often train in the evening, which is why Selima and Mariska choose to practice in the afternoon. “There shouldn’t be a lot of ambient noise, then it takes too much energy to be able to focus properly on my own table tennis ball,” Selima explains. The ball that showdown is played with is filled with small steel balls, so it makes a sound when it rolls over the table. “So it is a game where you have to keep your ears open,” says Selima.
So far, Selima and Mariska are the only two players who play showdown at TTC in Emmen. Chairman of the club, Henk Roelofs, is proud that he can organize this for the ladies. “I enjoy doing it. We have ensured that the women’s dressing room has been converted, so that they can always play this game without being bothered by ambient noise too much.” Selima is currently busy arranging more players. “I hope more people come, the more people, the more fun it is!”