Imagine being blindfolded and having to catch a ball, relying only on the sound of a bell in the ball to guess where it is.
Goalball is a sport for blind or partially blind athletes. Players, in teams of 3, try to score goals with a basketball that has a bell inside of it. The bell helps them detect where the ball is. Players throw or roll the ball into a wide net. A goalball match is split into two 12-minute halves with a three-minute half-time. Players wear blackout eye masks so everyone sees the same amount of nothing.
Goalball was created over 75 years ago by two European occupational therapists to rehabilitate visually impaired veterans after World War II.
In the 1950s and 60s, the game evolved from support for rehabilitation to a competitive game and grew to international success.
Goalball became a Paralympic sport in the 1976 Toronto Summer Games. It was the first Paralympic sport that was designed just for disabled people.
The first Goalball World Championship game was held in 1978 in Austria, the home country of one of the creators.
Today, 81 nations compete in the World Goalball Association.
During a goalball competition, spectators must stay completely silent so players can hear the ball. They can’t clap, cheer, or talk and must turn their phones off. The crowd is reminded to stay silent throughout the game.
There are three positions: centre, right-wing, and left-wing. Usually, players have a position they prefer but they can change it up anytime during the match. Players don’t have to announce when they’re switching positions so many use this to trick their opponents.
Canadians are pretty good at goalball. The Canadian Women’s Paralympic team won back-to-back gold medals in 2000 and 2004 plus a silver in 1984 (the first year there was a women’s Paralympic tournament). The Men’s team won a silver medal in 1996.
Canada also regularly competes at the World Goalball Championship, represented by a men’s team and a women’s team. The Canadian women’s team won bronze in 1984, the first year there was a women’s tournament and silver in 2002.
The 2022 World Goalball Championship is set to commence on June 5th in Hangzhou, China.