A PARALYMPIAN has launched a new sports club for Winchester's blind and partially sighted.

Adam Knott, who played goalball for Team GB with brother David at the London Games, was at Peter Symonds College for the first training session of Winchester Goalball Club last Saturday (Feb 16).

Adam, 18, of Chandler's Ford, who studies at the college, said: “I wanted to set up the club as part of the legacy of the games. We want to make sure people can have this opportunity to play in competitions.

“It's a club for anyone with a visual impairment and I hope people will enjoy goalball as much as we do.”

Goalball is played on a volleyball-sized court, with three-man teams trying to score against each other in football-style nets. But the ball has bells in it as the players are all blindfolded.

The club was set up thanks to help from Winchester Rotary Club and Sainsbury's Winchester, after the latter allowed Rotarians to raise cash for the club by selling raffle tickets at its store.

Rotary president Simon Theobalds presented Adam with a cheque for £1,000 towards club funds while Mayor of Winchester Frank Pearson did the official opening honours.

Rotarian David Farthing, who also helped set up the club, said: “We hope this money will help you continue to train in Winchester and realise your ultimate goal of getting to the Rio Olympics in 2016.”

An open training session was held from 10am-11am with three prospective members turning up. But the brothers urge anyone interested to come along to the next open session at the college at the same time on March 2.

Adam and David, 15, are still active members of the UK goalball team and hope to compete at the sport's youth championships in Colorado, USA, in July.