Goalball

Lore & Background

Goalball was created in 1946 by Hans Lorenzen and Sepp Reindle to help visually impaired World War II veterans recover. Over the 1950s and 1960s, it grew into a competitive sport. It appeared as a demonstration event at the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg and became a full Paralympic sport four years later in Toronto. The first world championship took place in Austria in 1978.

In 2011, the IBSA Goalball Subcommittee tried to break away and form the World Goalball Association, but IBSA responded by setting up a new committee instead. By 2017, 81 nations competed and 270 international referees were active. As of July 2025, men’s teams existed in 99 nations, women’s teams in 61, and the number of international referees had dropped to 220.

Reader's Guide

Goalball is significant as the only major team sport created specifically for athletes with a vision impairment, with no able-bodied equivalent. It relies entirely on ear-hand coordination, using a ball with embedded bells, and all players wear blackened eyeshades to ensure fairness regardless of visual ability. The sport has grown from a rehabilitation exercise for World War II veterans to a global Paralympic discipline with nearly 100 competing nations. Its rules emphasize silence from spectators and coaches during play, as hearing is critical.

The court is marked with tactile lines, and games consist of twelve-minute halves with golden goal overtime and shootouts if tied. The sport's governance has seen internal disputes, with a 2011 attempt by the IBSA Goalball Subcommittee to form a separate World Goalball Association, though IBSA retained control by appointing a new committee. Goalball demonstrates how adaptive sports can create competitive opportunities for disabled athletes while maintaining strict fairness through equipment and rules.

Did You Know?

• The ball weighs 1.25 kg and contains several noise bells.
• At the Paralympic level, the ball has been measured leaving the hand in excess of 60 km/h.