Participating countries may also have a national referee scheme. Changes over time have seen regulation period halves increase from seven, to ten, to the present twelve minutes. Team staff were limited to when coaching could occur, but now it is after any whistled stoppage in play. Rules such as step-over and third-time throw have been removed. The ball must be thrown back towards the opposition goals within ten seconds from contact. In 2014, this was extended to reaching the centre line to ensure a quicker delivery. Eye patching was introduced under the eye shades to reduce cheating. Competitions and events Goalball is a sport played at the Paralympic Games. During the Games, male and female teams are eligible to compete following various selection requirements. The number of participating teams has changed over the decades, but for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, this was reduced from ten to eight teams per division by the International Paralympic Committee. Competition is open to sighted persons to national level, but for international IBSA-sanctioned tournaments, athletes must have a visual impairment classification of B1, B2, or B3. The IBSA World Goalball Championships has been held every four years, since 1978. A youth world championships was introduced, and the Fifth IBSA Goalball World Youth Championships were run in Budaors, Hungary in July 2017, the first outside of Colorado, United States of America. Diving as part of defensive skills has been used as a training activity for (sighted) sports teams. Professional teams trying goalball have included the Boston Bruins ice hockey, Queensland Fire cricket, and Seattle Sounders FC soccer teams. In popular culture In 2006, the computer-animated series Bernard produced a three-minute clip, featuring Eva the penguin introducing the titular polar bear to goalball. In 2018, the sport was featured in the fourth episode of the anime Ani x Para: Anata no Hero wa Dare desu ka, where the characters of the anime KochiKame played a match of goalball. Goalball was featured in episodes 10-12 of the 2020 Japanese anime, Breakers, where Paralympic sports are featured, originally planned to promote the 2020 Summer Paralympics. Gallery See also Goalball at the Summer Paralympics World Goalball Championships Paralympic Games goalball athletes Torball References External links International Paralympic Committee page on goalball Beijing 2008 Paralympic Goalball Information with an Australian slant from accessibility.com.au BBC Sport article with video and commentary on what Goalball is Goalball Australia International Blind Sports Federation