Goalball

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Goalball

The Swedish goalball team at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
Highest governing body	IBSA
First played	1946 in Austria
Characteristics
Contact	None
Team members	3 per side
Mixed-sex	Single
Type	Team sport ball game parasport
Equipment	Goalball Eyeshades
Presence
Country or region	Worldwide
Paralympic	1976

Goalball is a team sport designed specifically for athletes with a vision impairment. Participants compete in teams of three, and try to throw a ball with bells embedded inside it into the opponents' goal.^[1] The ball is thrown by hand and never kicked. Using ear-hand coordination, originating as a rehabilitation exercise, the sport has no able-bodied equivalent. Sighted athletes are also blindfolded when playing this sport.

Played indoors, usually on a volleyball court, games consist of twelve-minute halves (formerly ten-minute halves) with a three-minute half-time.^[1] Where there is a tie, golden goal overtime occurs in the form of two three-minute periods (and a second three-minute half-time). If the tie persists, a paired shootout ('extra throws' and 'sudden death extra throws') determines the winner. Teams alternate throwing or rolling the ball from one end of the playing area to the other, and players remain in the area of their own goal in both defence and attack. Players must use the sound of the ball to judge its position and movement. Eyeshades allow partially sighted and blind players to compete on an equal footing.^[1] Eyepatches may be worn under eyeshades to ensure complete coverage of the eye, and prevent any vision should the eyeshades become dislodged.

The International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), founded in 1981 and responsible for a range of sports for blind and partially sighted people, is the official governing body for the sport.