GOALBALL

Goalball is a Paralympic sport.  It is the ONLY blind team sport played at the Paralympics.  Goalball is an indoor sport played by the visually impaired. The court is the same dimensions as a volley ball court, with goals like soccer goals, but at chest height that stretch across the width of the court.

Each team has six players, with three (one Centre and two Wingers) on the court at any one time. There are a maximum of three substitutions during a game ,

and players can also change at half time. All players are 'blindfolded', to ensure that all residual light is blocked out, visual advantages are eliminated, time-out will be called if the 'blindfolds' become loose or if the referee suspects that they are incorrectly worn. Sighted people are able to play Goalball in local and National competitions but International events are strictly for the visually impaired.

The court is marked with tape so that players are able to feel for their positions and to determine the position they are facing. Once in position the players lunge and slide across the floor, creating a wall of defence. This must be done as quickly and quietly as possible so that the position of ball can be heard and blocked effectively.

The ball itself is a heavy, hollow, 1.25kg rubber ball, larger than a basketball, which contains a bell. The object of the game is to roll the ball down to the other end of the court and past the oppositions' defence. Often players will curve and spin the ball in such a way as to make the bell less audible, and therefore making it more difficult of the opposition to hear where the ball is coming from. These days the trend is to throw the ball similar to a discuss, but the majority of the throws are hard and fast.