Key facts

Venue: Olympic Park - Copper Box
Dates: Thursday 30 August – Friday 7 September 2012
Medal events: 2
Athletes: 132 (72 men, 60 women;12 men’s teams and 10 women’s teams)

Since it was developed as a rehabilitation activity for injured soldiers returning from World War II, Goalball has spread around the world. Played by visually impaired athletes using a ball with bells inside, it is among the most exciting team sports on the Paralympic programme.

The basics

Goalball is played by two teams of three visually impaired athletes on an indoor court with tactile lines, with goals (9m wide x 1.3m high) at either end. The aim is to score by rolling the ball into the opposition’s goal, while the opposition attempts to block the ball with their bodies.

All athletes are visually impaired, and wear eyeshades to allow athletes with varying degrees of vision to compete together. The Goalball arena is silent during play so that players can hear the ball, but spectators are free to cheer when a goal is scored.

Both the men’s and women’s tournaments begin with a round-robin group stage. The 12 men’s teams are divided into two groups of six teams, while the 10 women’s teams are divided into groups of five. The top four teams in each group qualify for the quarter-finals, from which point the tournaments are played in a knockout format.

Goalball, past and present

Introduced to the Games as a demonstration event at the Toronto 1976 Games, Goalball was added to the Paralympic programme as a full medal sport four years later in Arnhem. The women’s tournament first featured at the New York and Stoke Mandeville 1984 Games.

Jargon buster

- Ball: Made of rubber, the ball used in Goalball is 24-25cm in diameter, and has eight holes that allow players to hear the bells within the ball when it moves.
- Court: The playing area, measuring 18m x 9m. All the lines on the court are tactile.
- Extra throws: Tied games are broken by extra throws, similar in principle to a penalty shootout.

See Goalball in action on ParalympicSportTV

See the London 2012 Paralympic Games competition schedule

Get involved

Goalball is growing in popularity, with more clubs springing up across the UK. Learn more about how to get involved on the Goalball UK and Parasport websites. The International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), the worldwide governing body for the sport, has additional information on its website.

See also