Link Banana

There are a couple pictures of the aforementioned 5-a-side, as well as a number of other sports new to me. Which leads me to the exactly-what-I-was-thinking first two comments on the post:

Awesome - is this being broadcast by anyone?

Sadly, no. And:

I think this is more human and fun, than the other one…

The Paralympics are now occurring in Beijing, and among their events is the new-to-me five-a-side soccer, a version of the sport for the visually impaired. As Passport explains:

Each team has five players on the field — all of whom are blind or visually impaired, with the exception of the goalkeeper, who may be sighted. All except the goalkeepers wear eyeshades to ensure fairness. The ball makes a noise when it moves, and each team has a guide behind the opponent’s goal to direct players. The field is surrounded by walls, so there are no throw-ins.

I’d love to see a game. The photos of people playing soccer blindfolded are themselves intriguing.

These two things recently caught my eye.

• Kobe Bryant speaks Italian. Now you know. (via Neatorama)
• Chinlone is a traditional Burmese sport, whose ball is about halfway between a soccer ball and a hacky sack. That also approximates what it is. (via Good)

I’ll leave the explanation to Foreign Policy’s Passport:

Evo Morales, Bolivia’s populist president, has signed up with a minor league soccer team in La Paz.

The 47-year-old will be a reserve player for the team Litoral, which hopes to earn a spot in Bolivia’s top professional league next year. Morales was once a standout player for a local cocoa grower’s team and as president, has been an outspoken critic of the worldwide ban against high-altitude soccer games.