What is inside a goalball ball?
Officials' detail · The game · 2 of 2The ball is blue natural rubber, 24 to 25 cm across, weighing 1.25 kg, with two bells and eight sound holes. Every player on court wears opaque eyeshades, over gauze eye patches at championships, from the start-of-half check to its end. Glasses, contact lenses and hearing aids are banned. Tampering with eyeshades to see can bring a two-year ban.
How it works
- Ball: 1.25 kg, 24 to 25 cm.
- Sound: two bells, eight holes.
- Eyeshades: opaque, with a nose beak at top events.
- Eye patches: under the shades at championships.
- Glasses and lenses: not allowed.
- Hearing aids: not allowed.
- Padding: no more than 10 cm from the body.
- Numbers: 1 to 19.
The glossary has the ball (goalball), the eyeshades, the eye patches, the hearing aids (goalball), the uniform (goalball) and the eyeshades penalty.
Tricky cases
A player touches their eyeshades mid-game. Penalty?
Yes, unless the referee allowed it.
A player wears a hearing aid. Result?
Removed from the game; may be substituted.
Can padding be bulky?
Not more than 10 cm from the body.
When are eyeshades checked?
At the start of each half.
Why the rule exists
Patches and shades make all players equally blind. Banning hearing aids keeps the game based on unaided hearing.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| All events | Eyeshades | 6.1 |
| Championships | Eye patches too | 6.4 |
| Top events | Beak on the shade | 6.5 |
From the rule book
IBSA, Goalball Rules and Regulations 2025 (effective 1 January 2025), rules 4 to 6 and 26. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: IBSA Goalball Rules and Regulations 2025.