The Australian women’s goalball team isn’t the best-known national team in the country, but they may just be one of the most interesting. Not only do they play a sport that requires participants to dive onto a wooden floor blindfolded to stop a 1.25kg ball thrown at up to 60 km/h, but they are also a realistic contender to pick up Australia’s first ever goalball Paralympic medal.

Known as the Aussie Belles, the team is going through their final preparations for the Tokyo Paralympics. They are currently ranked ninth in the world and the Tokyo campaign in August and September this year will be their third consecutive Paralympics appearance.

​Head Coach Peter Corr said the team was confident and looking forward to making waves in the international goalball scene.

Packaworld has launched its online Europe store, making it easier and more affordable for European customers to purchase its innovative portable bocce courts, goalball goals and water polo nets.

Shoppers in Europe can now buy the high-quality inflatable courts and goals in their local currency, with quicker delivery times and lower shipping costs. 

Orders are shipped from Packaworld’s warehouse in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, operated by Strong in Logistics Solutions (SILS).

​Packaworld chief executive Peter Roberts said the company’s move into Europe would help sports organisers, clubs and schools bring the joy of sport to their communities. 

A goalball coaching session held in Auckland, New Zealand last weekend used innovative portable goals from Packaworld to introduce blind and low-vision athletes to the sport.

And the success of the session, hosted in Spinal Support NZ’s gymnasium, has renewed hopes of starting a New Zealand team.

Goalball NZ committee member Troy Ramsay, who coached the players at the event, was happy with the turnout. Six beginners and 10 experienced players dived into the introduction and training event.

“In New Zealand, goalball numbers have dropped off a bit, and Covid-19 has not helped, so this was an event to get things moving again."

A school-based physical education programme in Hong Kong is using world-first inflatable goalball goals from New Zealand to bring the Paralympic sport of goalball to children with physical or intellectual disabilities.

The Jockey Club ‘Sports Without Limits” youth empowerment programme aims to increase opportunities for disabled children and young people to participate in sport.

​Set up by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the programme is part of a physical education and research initiative seeking to improve student outcomes by growing understanding of the links between physical activity, mental health and physical and cognitive development.

A group of young New Zealanders with vision impairments took to the hockey turf in October to experience the thrill of adapted hockey. 

The exhilarating sport is an adapted form of traditional field hockey, played using audible balls so that players who are blind or have low vision can identify where the ball is.

​Blind Sport New Zealand Awareness and Engagement Coordinator Stephanie Brown said the hockey skills session was organised by Blind Sport New Zealand and Counties Manukau Hockey Association to promote inclusion and raise awareness of the sports on offer for people with vision impairments.

England’s visually impaired rugby team has triumphed over Japan in the sport’s second ever international test series, hosted in Kumagaya on 14 October.

The three-match series was part of a festival of visually impaired rugby organised by UK charity The Change Foundation to coincide with the Rugby World Cup.

Packaworld’s high-quality inflatable Blind Rugby Packaposts were used throughout the series for player safety and to make setting up the smaller fields used for visually impaired rugby simple.

“I never thought I would be playing rugby with other visually impaired people, let alone playing in Japan during a Rugby World Cup,” said England team Captain Jack Pearce.

South Australia’s goalball players are preparing to host the 2019 Australian Goalball Championships next month, with help from portable, inflatable goals from Packaworld.

The championships are being held in Adelaide from 3-6 October, and Goalball South Australia’s players are busy practising with their new Goalball Packagoals, which they received last month.

The state’s governing body for goalball, Goalball South Australia was established in 2012 in response to significant development of the sport through the work of the Australian Paralympic Committee and Blind Sports South Australia.

Goalball South Australia’s President David Tiller said the ease of transport, time required to set up and storability of the Packaworld goals is much better than steel or aluminium goals.

Up until recently Tokyo man Kohei Kamiya had never dreamed of playing international rugby. But that is all about to change, thanks to his selection as captain of Japan’s first blind and visually impaired rugby team.

Kamiya will be one of 10 visually impaired players who will represent their country later this year when the Japanese team plays a three-match international test series against the English Visually Impaired Roses.

The series, taking place on 13-14 October during the Rugby World Cup, will be the second ever international visually impaired rugby test series.

Japan Blind Rugby Secretary General Ayako Matsui said the Japanese team was expecting a hard-fought battle against an "experienced and strong" English side.