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Goalball facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
02 ACPS Atlanta 1996 Goalball general action
Goalballer Sarah Kennedy (Qld) makes a save for Australia at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games
Atlanta 1996 Goalball Raelene Bock
Goalballer Raelene Bock (NSW) competes for Australia at the 1996 Summer Paralympics

Goalball is an exciting sport made for people who are blind or have very low vision. It's played by both men and women. Each team has three players. The goal is to throw a special ball into the opponent's goal. This goal is located at the back of their side of the court.

You score a point if the ball goes into the goal. The ball has a bell inside it, so players can hear where it is moving. Since players cannot see the ball, they listen carefully to the bell. They use their bodies to block the ball from entering their goal. All players wear special eye shades to make sure no one can see anything, making the game fair for everyone.

Who Can Play Goalball?

Goalball is designed for athletes with different levels of vision. To make the game fair, players are grouped into different categories based on how much they can see. This ensures that everyone competes on an equal playing field.

  • B1 class

    B1 players are completely blind.

  • B2 class

    B2 players have very limited vision.

  • B3 class

    B3 players have some vision, but it's still very low.

Vision Categories in Goalball
Category What It Means
B1 Players in this category cannot see anything at all.
B2 Players have very little vision, like seeing less than 2/60. This means they can only see something at 2 meters that a person with normal vision could see at 60 meters.
B3 Players have some low vision, from 2/60 up to 6/60. This means they can see something at 6 meters that a person with normal vision could see at 60 meters.

Images for kids

  • Goalball vid Paralympics i Aten

    The Swedish goalball team at the 2004 Athens Paralympic games

  • Copper Box Goalball Dec 2011

    A game of goalball in progress (2012).

  • Goalball court in the Future Arena at Rio

    Goalball court at the Future Arena in Rio de Janeiro (2016).

  • Goalball-2015 IBSA World EGY-CZE M throw

    Egypt men's goalball team throwing towards Czech Republic. IBSA World Games, Seoul, South Korea (May 2015).

  • Goalball-2015 IBSA World UKR-GRE F defend

    Ukraine women's goalball team preparing to defend against Greece. IBSA World Games, Seoul, South Korea (May 2015).

  • Goalball-2015 IBSA World CAN-ALG F throw

    Canada women's goalball team throwing to Algeria. IBSA World Games, Seoul, South Korea (May 2015).

  • Goalball-2019 Asia-Pac Regional IRI-CHN M line-up

    China and Iran men's teams lined-up for the introductions before the start of the game. Regional championships, Chiba, Japan (2019).

  • Goalball-2019 Asia-Pac Regional KOR-AUS M line-up

    South Korea men's team at line-up. Goalball regional championships, Chiba, Japan (2019).

  • Goalball-2019 Asia-Pac Regional JPN-AUS F throw

    Japan women's team throwing. Goalball regional championships, Chiba, Japan (2019).

  • Goalball-2019 Asia-Pac Regional JPN-AUS F defend

    Japan women's team defending. Goalball regional championships, Chiba, Japan (2019).

  • Goalball-2019 Asia-Pac Regional JPN-THA M defend

    Japan defending a throw from Thailand. Regional goalball championships, Chiba, Japan (2019).

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Goalball Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.