Goalball is a team sport designed for blind athletes. It was devised by an Austrian, Hanz Lorenzen, and a German, Sepp Reindle, in 1946 in an effort to help in the rehabilitation of visually impaired World War II veterans.

The sport evolved into a competitive game over the next few decades and was a demonstration event at the 1976 Summer Paralympics in Toronto. The sport's first championship was held in 1978 and goalball became a full part of the Paralympics from the 1980 Summer Paralympics in Arnhem onwards.

Participants compete in teams of three, and try to throw a ball that has bells embedded in it, into the opponents' goal. They must use the sound of the bell to judge the position and movement of the ball. Games consist of two 10 minute halves. Blindfolds allow partially sighted and sighted players to compete on an equal footing with blind players.

Court and equipment

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International Blind Sports Federation rules require the field of play to be 18m long by 9m wide. Goals span the width of the pitch. The ball weighs 1.25kg and has eight holes and noise bells embedded. The ball's circumference is around 76cm.

Players

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Up to three substitutes are allowed in addition to the three starting players. Men and women compete separately. Eyeshades must be worn at all times during the match.

Infractions

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Infractions are generally punished by the loss of possession to the other team

• Premature Throw - throwing the ball before the referee has called "play".
• Out of bounds shot - The ball is shot and does not land within the court boundaries. (Note: Until recently, there was a Step Over infraction, which would be called if no part of the player's body was touching the court at the time of a throw; now, the only requirement is that the ball land in-bounds.)
• Pass Out - while passing between members of the team, the ball crosses the sideline.
• Ball Over - the ball rebounds off a defending player, the crossbar or goalposts and crosses back over the centre line.

Penalties

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A penalty throw may be awarded for:

• The team taking more than ten seconds to throw the ball
• A player throwing a ball more than twice consecutively
• Illegal Defence - defending a ball while out of your team area
• Short ball/high ball/long ball - ball does not land correctly in opponent's court
• Touching eyeshades
• Causing undue delay to the game
• Unsportsmanlike conduct
• Excessive noise
• Illegal coaching

Team sports | Disabled sports | Paralympic sports

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