British Columbia Blind Sports and Recreation Association

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Goalball

Goalball:A sport for blind people
Canadian women do not just dominate hockey

By Jackie Humber

Goalball is a team sport specifically created for people who are blind.

Goalball is a Paralympic sport and Canada's women's Goalball team won Gold at the last two Paralymoic games held in Sydney and Athens.

According to BC Blind Sport and Recreation program director Mike Lonergan,goalball was created in Europe in 1946 by a group of people who wanted a sport for the blind.

Goalball is played in a gymnasium on a volleyball court. The ball that is used is a little larger than a basketball and it has a bell inside so blind players can hear it. There are two teams of six players but only three players from each team can be on the court at once and each player must wear a mask to cover their eyes.

The object of Goalball is for one team to throw the ball across the court and to get the ball past the opposing players to cross the goal line and score. The opposing team hears the bell inside the ball and tries to stop it from passing their goal line. Once a player touches the ball, they have only 10 seconds to either pass the ball to a teammate or throw it to the
opposing side and try to score. The game has two 10minute halves and usually a team will play three games in one day in a tournament.

"It's good for your cardio. There's definitely a fitness factor to Goalball," said Lonergan. There are seven men's teams and five women's Goalball teams across Canada. British Columbia has two teams. One is in
Kelowna and the other team is in Vancouver.
The next major competition for Vancouver's Goalball team will be at the Disability Games in Nanaimo on July 13-17. Lonergan believes that exposure will be a good opportunity for people to be introduced to Goalball.

"It's really fast-paced and fun to watch. It'll be good for people to see the game," said Lonergan.

Vancouver's Goalball team practices twice a week and usually has a game once a month. Anyone interested in playing or watching a game can contact, BC Blind Sport and Recreation at (604) 325-8638

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