To find out more visit www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish © British Council 2012 Brand and Design/B122

ENGLISH FOR THE GAMES

GoalballWhen athletes come together from around the world to compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, they are fulfilling their dreams and competing at the highest level. Billions of people across the globe join in; watching, listening to and reading about the greatest global celebration of sport. To celebrate the London 2012 Games, the British Council is making a wide range of classroom resources available for learners of English worldwide.

Goalball was developed as an activity to help soldiers who suffered eye injuries in the Second World War. Since then it has spread around the world. It is now played in more than 100 countries. It is played by teams of three visually impaired athletes who try to score by rolling the ball into the other team’s goal. The ball has bells inside so that the players can hear it. Have you ever seen a game of goalball?

Block

Roll

Eyeshades

Bell

Tactile lines

Court

1. Vocabulary

a. Write the correct words in the spaces provided.

a. block b. roll c. tactile lines

d. eyeshades e. bell f. court

4

3

2

1

5

6

2. The rules of Goalball

What is it?

Goalball is a sport for visually impaired athletes. It was developed as a rehabilitation

activity for injured soldiers returning from World War II.

The aim of Goalball is to score by rolling the ball into the opposition’s goal. The other

team tries to block the ball with their bodies.

Who can participate in Goalball at the Paralympics?

Goalball is open to visually impaired athletes. All blind and partially sighted athletes who

meet the International Blind Sport Federation (IBSA) Classification guidelines can take

part.

Athletes must wear eyeshades, or "black-out" masks. This means all participants can

compete equally.

How is it played?

Each team consists of six players. There are no more than three players per team

on the court at any time.

There is a bell inside the ball which allows players to hear it rolling along the

ground.

Most fouls are punished by the loss of possession to the other team.

A penalty throw is awarded for more serious fouls

Games last for 14 minutes with two halves of seven minutes each.

The team with the most goals after 14 minutes is the winner.

If each team has the same number of goals after 14 minutes, the game is decided

by extra throws. This is similar in principle to a penalty shootout.

a. Match the words in the table with their definitions below.

a. bell b. block c. extra throws

d. eyeshades e. roll f. visually impaired

1. A small object that makes a ringing sound when moved.

2. A type of glasses which make it impossible to see, and mean that athletes with

different degrees of visual disability can compete together.

3. Make the ball move along the ground.

4. Not able to see well.

5. Prevent something from passing you.

6. The way that tied games are decided; similar in principle to a penalty shootout.

3. Reading

Goalball

Goalball was invented in 1946 by two men, an Austrian called Hanz Lorenzen and a

German called Sepp Reindle. The year 1946 wasn’t a coincidence: Lorenzen and

Reindle wanted a sporting activity to help rehabilitate soldiers who had lost or damaged

their sight in World War II. Now, more than 65 years later, Paul Jacobs, a British soldier

who lost his sight in an attack in Afghanistan, is working to promote the sport in the UK.

Jacobs, 22, was only introduced to the sport recently, but believes that it is the “perfect

sport for many of the soldiers who have been blinded or partially blinded in recent

conflicts and I .. feel I can contribute something positive.”

Goalball is played competitively in more than 100 countries, but it is still only played at

about 20 clubs in the UK. Jacobs says “I have been determined to overcome all the

hurdles caused by my injuries. I only see opportunities not obstacles and I think I can

really make a significant difference to the profile of Goalball, as well as encourage other

individuals who have lost their sight.”

The sport was first played at the Paralympic Games as an exhibition sport in 1976 in

Toronto. The first world championships were held in Austria in 1978 and women first

competed in the sport at the 1984 Paralympic Games in New York.

Goalball isn’t the only thing on Jacobs’s mind though. He wants to swim the English

Channel and in the next five years to climb Mount Everest. He says “I keep my chin up

and I live life to the full. You can get through anything that happens in life with that

attitude.”

Indeed, with an attitude like that it’s hard to imagine anything but success. And that’s

good news for Goalball in the UK.

a. Decide if the following statements are true or false, according to the text. 1. Paul Jacobs lost his sight in an accident. a. True

b. False

2. Paul Jacobs hasn’t been involved in Goalball for long. a. True b. False

3. Paul Jacobs has a negative attitude. a. True b. False

4. Paul Jacobs believes that others in a similar situation to him should play Goalball.

a. True b. False

5. Paul Jacobs plans to do some difficult things in the future. a. True

b. False

b. Rewrite the sentences using verbs in the passive.

Austrian Hanz Lorenzen and German Sepp Reindle invented Goalball.

Goalball (…..1…..) by Austrian Hanz Lorenzen and German Sepp Reindle.

They played Goalball for the first time at the Paralympic Games in 1976.

Goalball (…..2…..) for the first time at the Paralympic Games in 1976.

They held the first world championships in Austria in 1978.

The first world championships (…..3…..) in Austria in 1978.

Nowadays, more than 100 countries play it competitively.

Nowadays, it (…..4…..) competitively in more than 100 countries.

Someone introduced Jacobs to the sport recently.

Jacobs (…..5…..) to the sport recently.

4. Solution

Exercise 1a

1. b; 2. d; 3. e; 4. f; 5. c; 6. a

Exercise 2a

1. a; 2. d; 3. e; 4. f; 5. b; 6. c

Exercise 3a

1. False (F); 2. True (T); 3. F; 4. T; 5. T

Exercise 3b

1. was invented; 2. was played; 3. were held; 4. is played; 5. was introduced