Goalball is a sport which has been specifically destined for the visually impaired or blind athletes. The sport of goalball is highly competitive and is played on a gym floor. It is usually played three against three and indoors. Goalball games are quite exciting to watch and highly competitive. There are two teams at the either end of the court. Players are blindfolded in order to make the sport fair. The entire object of goalball is to throw a three pound ball right past the opposing team. The ball is a sort of a heavy basketball.
The ball has got bells inside it that allow the players to keep track of it. Whenever the players hear the ball coming in their direction they dive towards it in an attempt to stop it. Whenever the ball is not stopped by any of the three players and goes back past the line at the back of the court, a goal is awarded. This is how a goal is scored in this sport. The team which scores the maximum number of goals is the winner.
The entire process of players trying to score a goal is exciting to watch. This is one reason why this sport is picking up in popularity. The sport was originally invented by a German, Sepp Reidle and an Austrian, Hanz Lorenzen in 1946. They invented the sport in order to help in the rehabilitation of war veterans who were visually impaired or blinded during the war.
The entire tempo of the game with each team trying to score a goal makes this an exciting game to watch. The game made its debut in the Paralympics in 1976, when it was held in Toronto. The game has been subsequently been a regular part of Paralympics since then. The world championships for goalball are held every four years. The international blind sports federation governs the sport. Three players are allowed to play in each team. These apart three substitutes are also allowed to play. Goa Men and Goa women do not compete together in this game. They have their own separate teams. Eyeshades are to be worn during the entire match. In the major tournaments patches are also used to cover the eyes below the eyeshades. This is done in order to prevent any player to see even if the eyeshades are accidentally knocked off during the game. Infractions are not allowed in goalball. They are punished in the form of the team indulging in infraction losing possession of the ball to the opposing team. Once a team misses the ball and the ball crosses the back line a goal is awarded to the opposing team. Penalties are also awarded in certain instances in goalball during the course of the game. For instance if a team takes more than ten seconds while throwing the ball, a penalty is awarded to the opposing team. Similarly players are not allowed to touch their eyeshades. If they do so a penalty is awarded to the opposing team. Penalties are also awarded for unsportsmanlike conduct in goalball. One can find a whole lot of useful information on goalball in Goa by visiting online sources dedicated to the sport. You can literally find hundreds of online sources which can give you a detailed idea about the sport and its rules. In fact you can find many Goa websites which have the rules of goalball in detail.