Goalball, where sixth sense comes into play

TOKYO • Brazil emerged from their team bus singing, clapping and cheering.

The bronze medallists from the 2016 Rio Paralympics were in the mood to make some noise ahead of meeting silver medallists USA in yesterday's big clash.

But that all changed on the field of play, where silence dominated.

Welcome to the unique world of goalball.

"One, two, three, let's go, USA!" screamed their opponents as dance music boomed around the Makuhari Messe Arena.

But once the referee announced: "Quiet, please. Play," you could hear a pin, or a ball, drop.

Most sports in the Paralympics have an Olympic equivalent.

Not this one, where visually-impaired players try to score goals with a hard rubber ball containing bells, while defenders rely solely on sound and instinct to make diving blocks and saves.

"Brazilians are widely known for their happiness," star player Leomon Moreno said about his team-mates' samba antics.

"But once we get on the field of play we focus, concentrate - in Portuguese we say, 'You turn the key'."

With the US holding a slim 3-2 half-time lead, the intensity grew to a crescendo in the second half of this pulsating battle of the goalball giants, with the lead changing hands several times.

Finally, the US team fought back from 5-4 down to inflict a first defeat in five years, 8-6, on pre-tournament favourites Brazil.

"I've never beaten this team before in my life, they are an incredible team," American Calahan Young admitted to AFP after a man-of-the-match display in which he scored four goals, but also conceded several penalties.

Most visually-impaired people have some degree of sight, so the players in Paralympic goalball wear blindfolds to ensure a "level playing field", where everyone is left totally in the dark.

The sport was invented in 1946 as a form of rehabilitation for visually-impaired World War II veterans and is played on a volleyball court with 9m-wide goals at each end.

The aim is to score by hurling the 1.25kg ball, slightly bigger than a basketball, underarm at high speed from one end into the goal at the other.

Some players go for sheer power, while others impart 10-pin bowling style spin or try to bounce the ball as they visualise in their minds where the opponents lie in wait.

Defenders attempt to keep their goal intact by not only utilising the sound of the ball, but also taking audible cues from opponents' footsteps, squeaks of sneakers, rustling of clothes or even the sound of breathing.

The sport is administered by the International Blind Sports Federation, which says that goalball is played in more than 100 countries. It has been a fixture of the Paralympic Games since 1976.

With two pool matches to go, Brazil are still confident of securing gold, especially after hammering defending champions Lithuania 11-2 in their opening match on Wednesday.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE