Goalball is a Paralympic sport exclusively for athletes who are visually impaired and blind. The aims of this Additional anthropometric measurements included body mass (kg), body height (cm), the arm span (cm) and length of the body in the defensive position (cm). The results differentiating both groups showed that the players with total blindness obtained higher means than the players with visual impairment for game indicators such as the sum of defense (p = 0.03) and the sum of good defense (p = 0.04). The players with visual impairment obtained higher results than those with total blindness for attack efficiency (p = 0.04), the sum of penalty defenses (p = 0.01), and fouls (p =

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Proper body balance plays a significant role in performing motor skills and it depends upon a number of factors. Its level decreases when the reception of visual stimuli is limited. It may affect the choice of sports activities as well as overall performance. This study sought to assess the levels of selected static balance indices in visually impaired goalball players. Competitors who took part in the goalball tournament of the 2012 London Paralympic Games were included in the study (M ¼ 42, F ¼ 23). The athletes were divided into groups taking into account tournament level, disability experience, training experience and training loads. Static balance was assessed using AMTI AccuSway stabilographic platform (ACS Model). The study participants performed the following tests: standing on both feet with eyes open and closed (30 s, single left-and right-leg stance with eyes open, single left-and right-leg stance with eyes closed (10 s). The significance of differences between groups in gender, disability experience, tournament level, training loads and starting class was assessed using Mann-Whitney U test. Significant differences were noted between competitors from teams participating in the preliminary and final rounds and between competitors with training experience of up to and above 10 years. Players participating in the final phase presented a higher level of static balance, but those with longer training experience lower than less experienced athletes. No significant differences were observed in the levels of the analysed variables between males and females and within starting classes. The study revealed the significance of static balance in achieving sporting excellence in goalball.

Purpose. The purpose of the study was to examine game efficiency of elite wheelchair rugby players in consideration of International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF) classification during the 2008 Paralympic Games played according to the old wheelchair rugby rules. Basic procedures. A group of 77 athletes representing 8 national teams participated in the study. Each team played 5 games for 32 min each. Athletes who played for more than 8 min in total at the 2008 Paralympics qualified for the study. The seven IWRF player point classes were collapsed into four groups. The game efficiency analysis was based on the IWRF Statistical Reports. The following six game efficiency parameters were analyzed: played time (T), sum of all points scored (PT), assist passes (AS), assist blocks (AB), turnovers (TO) and steals (ST). Main findings. The major finding of the study was that most differences in PT, AS, AB, TO and ST were found among all the examined groups (I-IV), except groups I and II. The played time (T) was not sensitive enough to identify significant differences among all the groups. This indicates that played time in the context of substitutions limited by classification point requirements does not reflect the differences between player classes. Conclusions. Generally, there was a tendency for highpoint class players to perform better. The study findings point to the importance of analysis of game efficiency of elite wheelchair rugby players with regard to their IWRF classification during tournaments played according to the new wheelchair rugby rules.

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