ParaPan 101: Goalball

Source: Canadian Paralympic Committee Facebook Page

Goalball was originally created to help World War Two veterans with visual impairments during rehabilitation. It was eventually nominated as a demonstration sport at the 1976 Summer Paralympics in Toronto, and officially became part of the program in 1980.

A Goalball team consists of six players per team, and only three players are allowed on the floor at a time. There are only three positions including center, left and right wings, and all three players contribute to offense and defense. Two 12 minute halves are played. They use a round blue ball with bells in it, which helps the athletes hear the ball. The object of the game is to score as many goals in the opponents net as you can.

Results from 2011 ParaPan Am Games:
Men: Gold: Brazil / Silver: USA / Bronze: Mexico / 4th: Canada.
Women: Gold: USA / Silver: Brazil / Bronze: Canada.
Click here for more results.

Venue for 2015:
Mississauga Sports Centre at 5500 Rose Cherry Place, Mississauga, Ontario.

Nova Scotia Wins Goalball 2015 ParaPan Am Test Event

Source: Canadian Paralympic Committee Facebook Page

Nova Scotia Won the Toronto Goalball Invitational over the weekend at the Hershey Center. It was a test event for 2015 ParaPan Am Games, which will be hosted in Toronto next year from August 7 to 15. This 4 team tournament also featured teams from Michigan, Alberta, and Ontario.

What is Goalball?
Goalball was originally created to help World War Two veterans with visual impairments during rehabilitation. It was eventually nominated as a demonstration sport at the 1976 Summer Paralympics in Toronto, and officially became part of the program in 1980. A Goalball team consists of six players per team, and only three players are allowed on the floor at a time. There are only three positions including center, left and right wings, and all three players contribute to offense and defense. Two 12 minute halves are played. They use a round blue ball with bells in it, which helps the athletes hear the ball. The object of the game is to score as many goals in the opponents net as you can. At the last ParaPan Am Games in 2011 Brazil won gold for the men and USA for the woman. Canada finished with bronze for the woman, while the men finished in fourth place..