On a sweltering day in eastern China, a squad of soccer players wearing blindfolds hurtled after a ringing ball, occasionally clattering painfully into each other.
However, Jiangsu Province’s blind soccer team hardly care — even when they break the odd bone — because the sport is a rewarding break from the massage parlors, where many of China’s visually impaired population are employed.
Chen Shanyong, the star player and almost completely blind since birth, co-owns a massage business adorned on the outside with a picture of him wearing a gold medal.
Photo: AFP / Cheng Yajing / Jiangsu Provincial Blind Football Team
Teammate Chen Kaihua, a powerful forward who had his eyes extracted as a toddler due to an illness, also has his own massage shop.
All of the Jiangsu players are in the massage trade, or in training to be.
“We’re limited to the massage parlor and have little contact with the outside world,” 31-year-old Chen Shanyong said, as he kneaded the back of a client at his two-floor business in Nantong.
SPORTING OPPORTUNITY
That makes soccer, and an upcoming tournament of blind teams from across China, so vital, giving the players added self-worth, a sense of camaraderie and an escape from their routines in the massage parlors.
“They’re not able to move freely because of their impairment and there are few chances for them to experience the world,” said the team’s fatherly coach, Cheng Xuefeng, before overseeing an intense training session.
GREATER SENSITIVITY
There are at least 17 million visually impaired people among China’s population of 1.4 billion, China Disabled Persons’ Federation data showed.
Like in many other countries, blind or visually impaired people in China are severely restricted in the jobs available to them and often feel alienated.
“I couldn’t go to normal school when I was young. I was introverted and lonely,” said Chen Shanyong, who won soccer silver at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.
About 90 percent of working blind people in the world’s most populous country are masseurs, he said.
With education levels for the blind generally low, the rest tend to be piano tuners or fortunetellers, he added.
“Blind people usually can’t see from a young age, so we’re more sensitive to touching and listening,” Chen Shanyong said.
While massage can sometimes be a front for the sex trade in China, that is not the case for blind masseurs and they are respected, earning up to 6,000 yuan (US$847) per month in China’s more affluent coastal areas, he said.
That is below the average wage in such areas, but more than government handouts and definitely more fulfilling, he added.
Chen Shanyong, who has traveled to Europe and other parts of Asia with China’s national blind team, said that attitudes are changing and technology — such as digital payment and taxi services ordered by smartphone — has made life easier.
NO HOLDS BARRED
The blind squad, affiliated with government services for the disabled, played a five-a-side game with two sighted goalkeepers and eight outfield players wearing black blindfolds to ensure a level playing field.
The ball rang as it pinged about the small pitch, which was surrounded by barriers to help the players guide themselves.
It might be training, but no quarter was given. Burly striker Chen Kaihua had a hefty bandage on his wrist from a previous clash.
Chen Shanyong has broken his nose three times — collisions in blind soccer are frequent.
However, the breaks, blood and sweat are worth it.
“After joining the team, they get a confidence boost and more possibility to experience the outside world,” Cheng said. “The games are held all over the country and they broaden their horizons and make new friends.”
“And most of all, they love football,” he added.
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