Paralympics 2024: A guide to goalball at the Paris Games
Turkey are the powerhouses in the women's game
- Published
Key information
Dates: 29 August-5 September
Venue: South Paris Arena
Gold medals on offer: Two
How does goalball work?
Goalball is a sport for athletes with visual impairments. It is played by two teams of three using a ball with bells inside. The ball is the size of a basketball but twice the weight.
The game is played on a standard volleyball court and the goals are nine metres in width, which is the same length as the court.
All players on the court must be blindfolded and the aim is to roll or throw the ball into the opponents' goal as many times as possible within two halves of 12 minutes.
The ball must make contact with certain areas of the court and once it has passed these points, defenders will attempt to block the ball with their bodies.
Beyond the group stages, drawn matches are resolved by two extra halves of three minutes. If the game is still tied after this period, extra throws will decide the winner - this is goalball's equivalent of a penalty shootout.
Will GB be competing in goalball in Paris?
For the third Games in a row, neither the Great Britain men nor women will be competing having failed to get through qualifying.
Who are the main challengers?
Brazil and Turkey are the defending champions in the men's and women's events and are also the reigning world champions.
In the men's event, the strongest challenge could come from China, who were only beaten 6-5 in the final at the Worlds, as well as European champions Ukraine and Lithuania, who took gold in Rio in 2016.
Turkey are aiming for a third win in a row in the women's competition but Tokyo silver medallists USA will not be involved after failing to qualify from the Americas region.
World silver medallists South Korea and Japan, bronze medallists at the 2020 Games, could be the biggest dangers along with China.
Did you know?
There are 11 different officials in a game of goalball. There are two main referees responsible for officiating the match, who use different whistle blows and verbal commands so the players understand.
Four officials are located near the goalposts and they are responsible for replacing balls and guiding substituted players on and off the court. The remaining officials work away from the court on the table recording scoresheets and the remaining time left in the match.
ParalympicsGB Tokyo 2020 medals
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