When Amy Burk lands in Paris to compete in the 2024 Paralympic Games this August, the Canadian goalball champion hopes to send a powerful message to young people living with blindness: sight loss is not a barrier to achievement.
“My biggest aim in sport is to give even just one young person with blindness hope that there is something else out there for them,” says Burk, 34, who lives in Ottawa, ON.
Born with albinism, Burk – who has been a CNIB participant since childhood – discovered goalball as a teenager. At first, she was hesitant to get involved with a sport designed specifically for people with sight loss.
“I was the only person I knew who was legally blind, so I thought participating in goalball would just add another label,” she says. “But I eventually stopped caring what anyone thought and gave it a chance. And it’s shaped my life so much."
Played indoors on a court similar to a volleyball court, goalball uses a hard rubber ball slightly larger than a basketball with bells inside so players can hear it moving. Players on each team – who all wear blacked-out eye shades to ensure an equitable playing field – use their bodies to prevent the ball from going in their nine-meter net.
Over the years, Burk has travelled the world representing Canada on the women’s national goalball team at the Paralympic Games and Parapan American Games. Paris will mark her fifth time competing at the Paralympics, having previously represented Canada in Tokyo, Rio, London, and Beijing. She is also a mom of two boys, both of whom were born with albinism and are starting to get involved with CNIB programming.
“Goalball has shown me that sight loss doesn’t need to stop you. It doesn’t need to limit you to one opportunity. You can do it all,” she says.
Burk’s teammate, Meghan Mahon, agrees. The Timmins, ON-born, Calgary, AB-based goalball athlete, who was born legally blind and works at CNIB as Lead, Community Outreach for Indigenous and Rural Communities, says that the sport has helped her realize her full potential.
“Goalball has allowed me to be confident in who I am as a strong female and to connect with people who share similar life experiences,” says Mahon, who will be competing in her third Paralympic Games this year, having previously competed in Rio and Tokyo.
Asked what they’re most looking forward to at this year’s Games, Mahon says she’s excited to compete with crowds in the stands – an experience Paralympians didn’t get to have in the Tokyo 2021 games due to COVID-19 restrictions.
As for Burk, she’s excited to win.
“Our team has worked very hard to be a medal contention team, and that’s where we see ourselves this year,” she says. “We want to win."
You can watch Amy Burk and Meghan Mahon compete in the 2024 Paralympic Games on CBC Gem and CBC Sports, which will be streaming every competition with a Canadian team participating. Good luck, Amy and Meghan!