Abstract
This paper is a summary of the Blind Para-sports Symposium 2015: Scouting and Training Blind Athletes, which was held at the University of Tsukuba on March 8, 2015. The symposium was held to coincide with the lead up to the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2020, and the author examines the scouting and training of blind athletes （in this paper, blind athletes include athletes with low vision）, the theme of the symposium.
Symposiasts Dr. Tomomi Nishida（ophthalmologist and member of the International Classification Committee for the International Paralympic Committee （IPC）/ International Blind Sports Federation （IBSA））, Taisuke Kinugasa （Japan Sport Council）, Keiichi Kimura（Paralympian） and Kiyotaka Harada（leader and director of a sports organization） discussed the current status and issues regarding the scouting and training of blind athletes and concluded that there are few opportunities for scouting and training blind athletes. As measures to address this situation, they confirmed the importance of sharing accurate knowledge among stakeholders and networking more closely in an open manner.
Rather than adhering to past methods, creativity is required in the development of new methods of scouting and training through adopting methods used for Olympic Games and innovative approaches of other countries. It is also difficult to create opportunities for scouting and training blind athletes without access to both central and local facilities. In this regard, schools for the blind and hospitals with departments of ophthalmology can play a vital role, and it is necessary to build a framework for organically linking and utilizing these resources. Moreover, leaders are a key element in strengthening capability in sports. Therefore, efforts to find capable leaders and to pass on specialized coaching skills are also essential.
