Goalball
Encyclopedia
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
designed for blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
athletes. It was devised by Hanz Lorenzen (Austria), and Sepp Reindle (Germany), in 1946 in an effort to help in the rehabilitation of visually impaired World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veterans. The International Blind Sports Federation, responsible for fifteen sports for the blind and partially sighted in total, is the governing body for this sport.
The sport evolved into a competitive game over the next few decades and was a demonstration event at the 1976 Summer Paralympics
1976 Summer Paralympics
The 1976 Summer Paralympics were the fifth Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in Toronto, in the province of Ontario, Canada from August 3 to 11, 1976...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. The sport's first world championship was held in Austria in 1978 and goalball became a full part of the Paralympics from the 1980 Summer Paralympics
1980 Summer Paralympics
The 1980 Summer Paralympics were the sixth Paralympic Games. They were held in Papendal, close to the host city of Arnhem, Netherlands, from June 21 to 30, 1980.- Sports :...
in Arnhem
Arnhem
Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
onwards.
Participants compete in teams of three, and try to throw a ball that has bells embedded in it into the opponents' goal. Teams alternate throwing or rolling the ball from one end of the playing area to the other, and players remain in the area of their own goal in both defence and attack. Players must use the sound of the bell to judge the position and movement of the ball. Games consist of two 12 minute halves (formerly 10 minute halves). Blindfold
Blindfold
A blindfold is a garment, usually of cloth, tied to one's head to cover the eyes to disable the wearer's sight. It can be worn when the eyes are in a closed state and thus prevents the wearer from opening them...
s allow partially sighted players to compete on an equal footing with blind players.
Court and equipment
International Blind Sports Federation rules require the field of play to be 18m long by 9m wide (about 19.7 yards by 9.8 yards). Goals span the width of the pitch. The ball weighs 1.25 kg (about 2.76 pounds) and has eight holes and noise bells contained within. The ball's circumference is around 76 cm (about 30 inches).Players
Up to three substitutes are allowed in addition to the three starting players: one Center and two Wingers. Men and women compete separately. Eyeshades must be worn at all times during the match.In tournament play, patches cover the eyes beneath the eyeshades to prevent any player seeing if the eyeshades are inadvertently knocked off during the game.
If eyeshades are knocked off, then play is stopped, and eyeshades are put back on. Goalball players are not allowed to compete without wearing eyeshades.
Infractions
Infractions are generally punished by the loss of possession to the other team- Premature Throw - throwing the ball before the official has called "play".
- 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
A penalty throw may be awarded for:- A team taking more than ten seconds to throw the ball
- A player throwing a ball a third time 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 - unnecessary eye shade checks, etc.
- Unsportsmanlike conductUnsportsmanlike conductUnsportsmanlike conduct is a foul or offense in many sports that is not necessarily a violation of the respective sport's rules of play, but violates the sport's generally accepted rules of sportsmanship and/or participant conduct...
- Excessive noise
- Illegal coaching - coaching from the bench during play or after an official has said "Quiet please" with intentions of continuing or starting play. New rules in effect as of 2006 allow coaching from the bench during an "official timeout" in the United States, to comply with more of IBSAs rules.
In a penalty situation a single player is required to defend the entire goal for one throw.
Official IBSA Goalball rules
The current (2010-2013) official rules for Goalball may be downloaded from the International Blind Sports Federation website.Paralympics
Goalball is a sport played at the Paralympics.At the Paralympics, there is a number of 12 men's teams and 10 woman´s teams eligible to compete at the Games.
United States
The sport is played in Pennsylvania.This sport is also played through the Milwaukee Recreation Department in Milwaukee, Wisconsin