Blind Goal Ball

Goalball is the oldest and most popular sport practiced by people with visual impairment. Its emergence came after the end of World War II and during the exit of a group of war survivors with various physical and sensory disabilities, where they found that practicing sports activities an opportunity for physical and psychological treatment and a means to facilitate their reintegration in society, which made the Austrian Hans Lorenzen and the German Sepp Rindel, who are among the most famous people interested in the rehabilitation of the blind in the world, decide to create a group sport for the blind that combines in its exercise muscle strength, mental focus and the strength of the sense of hearing. This sport was very popular for people with visual impairment until 1976 when it was presented to the world at the Paralympic Games in Toronto, Canada. During 1978, the first World Goal Ball Championship was held in Greece, the Paralympic and World Championships every four years, and the Continental Championships every two years that are continuously organized under the umbrella of the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA).

Goal ball in the Sultanate of Oman

Goal ball appeared in Oman at the beginning of the 21st century, when the blind used to practice it as a hobby in the branches of Al Noor Associations for the Blind until April 2014 and when the Omani national team was formed for the goal ball for the blind, which participated in the eighth Gulf tournament, and was hosted by the Sultanate in Muscat with the participation of 6 Gulf teams. The Omani team was able to achieve a well-deserved second position.

During the year 2016, the OPC took over the supervision of Goal Ball for the Blind, and the Oman Open Goal Ball Championship was created, which was organized in five successive editions, and through it, the blind people from blind association and educational institutions were able to participate.

Since the goalball is a team sport that is practiced by the blind, its practice requires the presence of a number of rulers to implement its own law and many training courses for the national referees were implemented on the sidelines of the Oman Open Goal Ball Championship.

OPC also worked on reforming the national team by selecting the best players that represented the country in the 1st and 2nd West Asia Para Games held in 2017 and 2019.

The Committee invites all visually impaired people in Oman, as well as blind sports fans, to participate in the Goalball events.

For inquiries:
Adnan Mubarak Al-Oweidi, member of the Paralympic Committee
Phone 0096899459016