Goalball uses a sound-filled ball so blind and visually impaired players can locate it.
The ball contains bells, and athletes listen for its movement while trying to roll it into the opposing team’s goal. All players wear opaque eyeshades during competition, ensuring that athletes with different degrees of vision compete under the same visual conditions.
Goalball was developed in 1946 by Austrian Hanz Lorrenzen and German Sepp Reindle as a rehabilitation activity for veterans blinded during the Second World War. It became a Paralympic sport at Toronto 1976 for men and was added to the women’s programme at New York and Stoke Mandeville 1984.
Goalball is different from blind football, which uses a ball with a sound-producing device and is played with feet. In goalball, players defend a full-width goal while lying on the court.