Goalball
Officially Goalball (IBSA)
PARALYMPIC TEAM SPORT for BLIND + VISUALLY-IMPAIRED athletes — 3v3 on 9×18 M INDOOR COURT (same as volleyball). All players wear BLACKOUT MASKS (so partial-sight players are equal). Players ROLL a HEAVY RUBBER BALL (~1.25 KG with INTERNAL BELLS) toward opponents' 9-M-WIDE GOAL along the ground; defenders LOCATE ball by SOUND, DIVE + BLOCK with FULL-BODY SLIDE. Invented 1946 by HANZ LORENZEN (AT) + SEPP REINDLE (DE) as WWII veteran rehab; Paralympic sport since 1976 Toronto. IBSA governs.
Quick facts
Category
Ball Sports
Type
Team sport
Players
6–6
Duration
~24 min
Where played
indoor
Field / court
Indoor gym floor (usually volleyball court)
Country of origin
🇩🇪 Germany
Estimated origin
Invented 1946 by HANZ LORENZEN (Austrian) + SEPP REINDLE (German) as rehabilitation activity for WWII blinded veterans; formalized as competitive sport; introduced as demonstration at 1972 Heidelberg Paralympics; official medal sport since 1976 Toronto Paralympics (men) + 1984 Long Island (women).
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional
How it works
Objective
Score more goals than opponent by rolling ball past their 9-m-wide goal line.
Rules
Basic rules
PLAYERS wear BLACKOUT MASKS (mandatory — equalizes partial vs. total blindness)
Signature mandatory blackout.
ATTACKER ROLLS ball toward opponent's goal (ball MUST touch ground before leaving TEAM AREA + between HIGH BALL LINE 3rd)
Signature ground-roll requirement + high-ball rules.
DEFENDERS locate ball by SOUND of bells + BLOCK with FULL-BODY SLIDE across goal line
Signature sound-defense + slide-block.
10-SECOND RULE: attacker must release ball within 10 sec of gaining possession
Signature 10-sec possession limit.
SILENCE from CROWD during play (crucial for players to hear bells) — cheering only between plays
Signature crowd-silence rule.
POINT: ball crosses opponent's 9-m goal line
Signature goal-line score.
OVERTIME: 3+3 min golden goal, then extra throws (like penalty shootout)
Signature overtime + shootout.
Scoring
1 goal = 1 point; game with most goals wins.
Win condition · Score more than opponent in 24 min (or extra time).
Playing area
Called
Indoor gym floor (usually volleyball court)
Dimensions
9×18 m court; goal area 9 m wide × 1.3 m tall (entire end line)
Equipment
GOALBALL: rubber ball ~1.25 kg, 76 cm circumference, with 8 HOLES + 8 INTERNAL BELLS (audible when rolling)
Signature belled goalball.
BLACKOUT MASK/EYESHADES (mandatory for ALL players — equalizes sight)
Signature mandatory blackout mask.
PADDING: heavy full-body padding — knee + elbow pads, hip pads, chest guards, protective cup
Signature protective padding.
TACTILE COURT MARKINGS: tape lines with raised string underneath (players feel via touch)
Signature raised tactile lines.
Terminology
- Eyeshades
- Mandatory blackout masks.
- High ball
- Illegal — ball must touch ground within team + neutral areas.
- Team area
- Attacker's 3-m zone from own goal — must release ball within.
- IBSA
- International Blind Sports Federation — governing body.
Major competitions
Paralympic Games Goalball
every 4 years · Various · since 1976
IBSA Goalball World Championships
every 4 years · Various · since 1978
IBSA Goalball Regional Championships (Euros, Panams, Asia-Pacific, Afro)
biennial · Regional
Where it is played
Governing bodies
IBSA — International Blind Sports Federation
Founded 1981 · Bonn, Germany
Famous names & records
Famous athletes
- Asya Miller (US, 4× Paralympian, gold 2004 Athens)
- Nabil Abdel-Ghani (EG)
- Kelly Sackett (US)
- Zsolt Szilágyi (HU, multi-time Paralympic medalist)
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Goalball— Wikipedia
- IBSA Goalball— IBSA
- Paralympic.org Goalball— IPC