Goalball

paralympic sport · teamwork · ear-hand coordination · inclusive

Three-on-three throwdown. Each team has three players who work together to throw a ball with bells inside it toward the opponent's goal line, kind of like handball but played entirely by listening and feeling.

Bells tell the story. The ball has bells inside so players can hear exactly where it is at all times as it moves across the court, making sound the most important sense in the game.

Everyone wears blindfolds. Even sighted athletes who play goalball must wear special blindfolds so everyone competes on completely equal terms and nobody has an unfair advantage.

Super hearing skills. Players develop incredible ear-hand coordination, learning to listen carefully to figure out where the ball is coming from and how to throw it with perfect aim.

Started as healing. Goalball began as an exercise to help people who were blind or vision-impaired recover and rebuild their confidence, and it was so fun that it became an official Paralympic sport.