I lost my sight after catching chickenpox - now I'm chasing my dream for Team GB
Caleb Nanevie was aged just seven when he lost his sight following a rare allergic reaction to penicillin but this month he will star for Great Britain’s goalball team.
Goalball is a team sport designed specifically for athletes with a vision impairment. Initially an exercise used for rehabilitation for ear-hand co-ordination, the sport has grown and is now one of the must-see events at the International Blind Sport Federation (IBSA) World Games.
The Coventry Building Society Arena will host both men’s and women’s goalball between August 20 and 27, with qualification spots available for next year’s Paralympic Games in Paris. Great Britain will be hopeful that a home crowd can roar them on to medals in both events with Nanevie part of the men’s six-player squad.
Now aged 29, Nanevie lost his sight after doctors in Ghana prescribed the drug for chickenpox. This triggered Stevens-Johnson syndrome, leaving him blind for three years before a cornea transplant restored partial vision in his left eye following successful surgery in England.
Caleb Nanevie is one of the stars of goalball in the UK (Goalball UK)Attending the Royal National College For The Blind in Hereford, his passion for goalball developed. “I started playing in college when I was a teenager,” Nanevie explained to Mirror Sport on the eve of the IBSA World Games. “Me and my friend started playing once a week after he persuaded me. It started off with just having fun playing the game and being purely recreational, but it slowly became more of a regular activity for me.”
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Nanevie – a keen footballer and a talented sprinter competed at 100m and 200m events at club level – added how goalball hit home differently: “My love for the sport grew really quickly, because I was big into playing football and athletes but there was no sport that I could compare to goalball – there is nothing truly like it. I could do both the defensive and attacking aspects of the game, and it is so enjoyable when you are playing.”
Goalball sees two teams of three compete directly against each other on an indoor court, with the aim to score goals by quickly and precisely throwing – kicking is not allowed – a 1.25kg ball across the court and defending shots from the opposing team using their bodies.
“This sport brings everyone in the blind community together through their love of sport,” adds Nanevie, “and it is great for those who are less sporty but who want to be involved and meet new people. It provides pathways into sports too – lots of goalball players have moved into blind cricket, blind tennis or football, because you create those connections and you know where to go.
Caleb moved to England as a child as he recovered part of his vision
He is now a star at club and national level for goalball - an indoor sport“The power of sport is really strong because of the experiences that it brings you and how it shapes your social circles and your life.”
Nanevie plays domestically for the Northern Allstars, but his love for the sport sees him double up as a coach while also going into schools to help spread awareness. “We teach kids all about goalball but also stress the importance that just because someone is blind or partially sighted, it does not mean they cannot be involved in sport,” he explains. “Raising awareness for how people can adapt and can be helped to maximise their abilities is really important.
“Kids are so willing to listen and learn about this, they are so eager to show how they can help and get involved. There have been so many examples where you can see the impact that it has on individuals and inspires them to become involved.”
Playing in a home international tournament is a once in a lifetime opportunity, with GB’s goalball team having no shortage of motivation. “We all play domestically but when you are representing GB there is a whole different level of pride to it. Our families would come to watch our club matches but for an international event like this, it changes everything.
“The families can see exactly what the game is about and to play in front of them is really important for me – you feel that responsibility to do them all proud.”
Goalball has exploded in popularity in recent years and is now a major forceNanevie has an added incentive to play at his best, with his four-year-old son Logan cheering him on from the sideline. “I really want to be able to score a goal in front of him,” he continued. “I want him to be proud of me and he inspires me to play at the height of my ability.
“Our aim is to get all the way to the final and to get a medal, because then I can show Logan that and he can see those medals when he grows up. If that helps inspire him to get into sports or whatever field he wants to go, it would be special.”
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If GB can finish in the medal positions, it would guarantee qualification for next year’s Paralympic Games in Paris – the pinnacle for the sport: “To play on that stage is a dream for me. We know we have so much hard work to do to reach that point – because we are coming up against so many world-class teams, but we have a strong team ourselves and will do our best to go far.”
Ahead of the competition starting, Nanevie urged anyone with blindness or partial vision to get involved in sport and become part of the wider community. “Believe in yourself. Don’t think of what you cannot do, because there is always a way to adapt and make something accessible for you,” he concluded. “Being blind is a challenge, but do not be shy about yourself and try to explore any opportunities when they come – that is the best way you learn about yourself and develop.”
Great Britain men's goalball team play their first fixture in the IBSA World Games on Sunday August 20 against Egypt at 5pm at the Coventry Building Society Arena. Tickets are available here.
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