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IVAN VINKLER (SLOVENIA)
Ivan was born on the 26th of September, 1969 in Ptuj, Slovenia. He now lives in Ljubljana, He has been in employment since 1987 and is married with a child.
Ivan started to do sports in the Institute for Blind and Weak-sighted Youth in Ljubljana, which he attended because of severe visual impairment. He became involved in goalball in 1987 and more seriously in 1989. A new structure had to be put in place for goalball in his country after Slovenia became independent.
In 1993 his home country took part in the IBSA European Championship in England as the newly-born Slovenian national team, taking 8th place. Slovenia has been present at all major goalball competitions around the world since then. In 1994 Slovenia placed 3rd at the IBSA World Championship in Colorado, USA and thus qualified for the Paralympic Games in Atlanta. In 1995 Ivan was part of the team that won the European Club Champions event in Germany. Slovenia took 5th place at the Paralympic Games in Atlanta in 1996 and Ivan’s club team finished third at the European Club Championship in Venice the same year.
In 1997, Slovenia won the gold medal at the IBSA European Championship in Stockholm. At this competition, he was voted one of the three best players of the tournament. Slovenia also took gold the following year (1998) at the IBSA World Championships in Madrid. In 2000, Slovenia took 6th place at the Sydney Paralympic Games, and in 2001 4th place at the IBSA European Championship in Budapest. Ivan was voted best goalscorer at the championships.
After the Sydney Paralympic Games, Slovenia rejuvenated its team, going on to win 3rd place at the IBSA World Championship in Sao Paolo (Brazil). Ivan again won the award for best goalscorer.
Slovenia placed 11th at the Athens Paralympic Games in 2004, and finished 4th in 2005 at the IBSA European Championships in Belgium. In 2006, he was part of the Slovenia team that took 4th place at the IBSA World Championship in South Carolina, USA
Ivan intends to play for his country up to and including the Paralympic Games in Beijing, China, in 2008.
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