How blind soccer works at the Parapan Am Games

By Steve Kupferman

Hover or tap numbers for annotations. (Image: Getty Images)

Five-a-side soccer at the Parapan Am Games is very much like soccer anywhere else: it’s fun, it’s fast and the Brazilians always win. The difference is that it’s played by blind athletes—which, obviously, presents certain problems. Fortunately for everyone involved, the sport has evolved an elegant system of audio cues that do a remarkably good job of keeping games exciting and safe. This year’s tournament gets underway on Saturday. Here’s how it’s all going to work.