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"VAN" (International Desk) :: The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games unveiled an exciting new video featuring 2010 FIFA World Cup winner Andrés Iniesta playing football 5-a-side for the first time. The video titled “Experience the Unbelievable” also features members of Japan's Football 5-a-side National Team and shows the tremendous skill of players with visual impairments who only use their sense of sound to play the beautiful game. Japan National Team captain Ryo Kawamura couldn't believe he would get the opportunity to play with Iniesta. “It's like a dream... I couldn't believe it when I got the offer,” he said. “We're going to do our best to impress him.” Football 5-a-side is physically demanding sport with players needing to not only have speed, strength and stamina but also excellent spatial awareness. Iniesta is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world having been a core player at FC Barcelona for 16 years. He currently plays in Japan's J. League. Speaking on his first experience with football 5-a-side, Iniesta said it was an unbelievable experience. “It was an amazing experience for me because I could spend time with these guys and see the great work they're doing,” he said. “It was really complicated to do “It's very difficult. “I hope I have the opportunity to watch them play.” Football 5-a-side has been featured at the Paralympics since Athens 2004 with Brazil dominating the event winning four consecutive gold medals. However, Kawamura and his side are aiming to win Paralympic gold in front of their home crowd come September next year. With the countdown to the launch of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games lottery and one-year-to-go celebration fast approaching, Tokyo 2020 is hoping fans will be excited to attend the football 5-a-side competition and other Paralympic events to create a memorable experience.
On Sat, Apr 20, 2024