23 August - World Blind Tennis Championships in Vilnius-Lithuania
Updated: 15 hours ago
The 2026 IBTA World Championships will be held from 24 august until 29 august 2026. Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, will host the IBTA World Blind Tennis Championships for the first time in history.
From August 24–29, 2026, Vilnius will become the global stage for one of the world’s most important adaptive sports events as the official IBTA (International Blind Tennis Association) World Blind Tennis Championships take place for the first time ever in Lithuania at SEB Arena.
More than 120 elite athletes, coaches, and delegates from 22 countries — including Japan, Argentina, Great Britain, Italy, Germany, and Poland — will arrive in Lithuania to compete for world championship titles across multiple visual impairment categories.
The tournament is the largest blind tennis event in the world and one of the most significant international sporting events taking place in Lithuania in 2026.
Among the expected favourites are top players from Japan, Great Britain, Poland, Italy, Argentina, Germany, and of course players from Lithuania.
“Blind tennis proves that sport does not begin with sight — it begins with determination. For Lithuania, this championship is more than a sporting event; it is a powerful message about opportunity, equality, and human potential,” says Aidas Danilovas, founder and coach of Blind Tennis Lithuania.
Australia is sending 15 players to this World Championships 2026. At the last World Championships in 2024 in Italy, 10 medals were won in the different categories, of which 6 gold medals were.
The selected Australian tennis players in 2026 are:
B1 Women’s Teresa Whelan
B2 Men’s Ethan Cook, Oliver Fanshawe, Mark Haskett & David Gordon
B2 Women’s Courtney Webeck & Arantza Mezo
B3 men’s Michael Leigh & Reuben Fairbank
B3 women’s Caroline Lane & Leah Glassenbury
B4 Men’s Arato Katsuda-Green
B4 Women’s Grace Hobbs & Maddison Kelly
A little bit more about the classifications
B1: Total or near-total blindness; Players must wear complete blindfolds during matches to ensure total fairness.
B2: Severe low vision.
B3: Moderate low vision.
B4: Mild low vision.
BLIND TENNIS IN VICTORIA
Are you interested to start with Blind tennis in Victoria-Australia? Participants can choose to play on a social basis or develop and improve their skills to play at a more elite level.
Blind Sports & Recreation Victoria and Tennis Victoria are having a Junior Blind Tennis program for children aged 5 to 15, who are blind or vision impaired.
Participants are instructed by qualified, professional coaches and all equipment is supplied. Free parking is provided for parents of participants at the venue – Melbourne Park Tennis Centre.
Both adult and junior programs are held at the National Tennis Centre (Indoor Courts), which are located within the Melbourne Park precinct, opposite AAMI Park Stadium, next to Melbourne Arena. Friday evenings are the training sessions.
Juniors: Fridays evenings from 5.30pm to 6.30pm.
Adults: Friday evenings commencing at 6.30pm to 8pm.
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