General Information

Goalball originated in 1946 in Europe after World War Two by Hanz Lorenzen of Austria and Sepp Reindle of Germany, in an effort to help the rehabilitation of blinded war veterans. The governing body of Goalball is the International Blind Sport Federation (IBSA).

Goalball is the only international team sport for the blind and the visually impaired played in the Paralympic Games. The game was introduced to the world in 1976 Paralympic Games in Toronto, Canada, and has been played at every Paralympic Games since then. Every four years, a World Championships has been held with the first being in Austria in 1978. Since that time, the popularity of goalball has increased to where it is played competitively in all IBSA regions.

In a goalball match, each team has three players on the court and a maximum of three substitutes. All competitors wear eyeshades while they are on the playing court, which allows athletes with varying degrees of vision to participate equally.

Goalball’s competition enjoys the unique atmosphere inside the playing venue. The object is to roll the ball into the opponent's goal while the opposing players try to block the ball with their body. Bells inside the ball help to orient the players indicating the direction of the on-coming ball. Therefore, while play is in progress, the gymnasium is completely silent so as to allow the players to concentrate and react instantly to the ball.

Goalball in China

Goalball was first introduced to China in 1992. In 1994, China’s Men and Women Goalball teams participated in Beijing Far South Games. Goalball was listed as a regular event in National Games for the Disabled in 1996 and in National Championships for the Disabled in 2001 respectively.

China’s goalball develops rapidly over the past two years. China’s goalball teams have ranked among the world strong teams. Women team won the silver in the 2006 World Championships, which was the best achievement in China’s goalball history. In 2008 Beijing Goalball Paralympic Tournament, Women team aims for top three while Men team is tipped to make a strong appearance.