Two-time Paralympic goalball athlete Tom Vanhove: “Be ready to impress Paris”

Tom Vanhove, who competed in goalball at two Paralympic Games, understands what it is like to prepare and compete on the biggest stage. He led the men’s Belgian national team to the quarterfinals at both London 2012 and Tokyo 2020.

With less than a month to go until the opening of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Vanhove, who was captain of the national team in Tokyo, has a piece of advice for the 4,400 athletes competing in the French capital.

“Don’t be impressed by wonderful Paris, let Paris be impressed by your best performance,” Vanhove said. “So don’t let yourself be distracted by the beauty of Paris and the scale of the Games. But focus on your game during your competition.

“Let the people of Paris be impressed by your performance.”

Goalball in the spotlight

Goalball is one of the two sports in the Paris 2024 sports programme without an Olympic counterpart. It is a team sport, in which Para athletes with vision impairment wear eye shades throw a ball into the other team’s goal.

Vanhove began his Paralympic career in Beijing 2008 as a fan. He traveled with the team and watched from the stands, after just missing the cut for the national team. But four years later, he made his first on-court action at London 2012 in front of a crowd. 

The roar from the fans echoes in his ears to this day.

“The best moment for myself was on courts in London with full arenas. Everyone was cheering for you and all the family and friends were there. So that’s an unforgettable moment,” he said.

“You come home after the game, and your mom is there and you’re taking some photos. It was a different game.”

A family affair

But not all of the Vanhove family was in the crowd at the Games. Some were right beside him on the court. Vanhove played with two of his brothers on the Belgian team.

He played alongside his brother Bruno in London, and then their younger brother Arne joined the squad and made the national team for Tokyo 2020. The Belgian squad was a full affair.

“It was really nice,” Vanhove said. “We always told the coach to take the best selection. Do not take us for the extra publicity because we are brothers. I am quite proud because I know he made an honest decision.

“You had to be on your game to be selected and I think we were at the time.”

Goalball development

Three years since the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, Vanhove reflects on the development of goalball in Belgium and around the world. Last year, he was one of the commentators during the European Para Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands, sharing the attractions of goalball to people on social media.

“It’s getting more attention and more,” he said when asked about the sport. “When I travelled to Beijing (2008), I saw the (Games) everywhere. The Paralympics were on every street corner.”

He has noticed a huge change since his first Games. Several teams like Brazil and Japan have professional athletes on their Paralympic squads, Vanhove says. This was something not so common a few Games ago.

In Belgium, Para athletes train together with Olympic athletes. This is something he did not experience 20 years ago when he began his athletic career.

Goalball itself has seen advancements as well. The style of play has changed as participation has grown, similar to how the three-point shot revolutionalised basketball. Vanhove says the gameplay has shifted with the times as well.

“Before I started, it was going very hard with sliding balls. Now there is more of a bounce (when throwing the ball during the game). Teams started throwing more bounces. Brazil started with very high bounces. It is difficult to point out, but you always see trends in the game.

“It is evolving and now you have to be good at everything.”

Get to know more about #Goalball 🔵

This is a fast and tense sport played exclusively by athletes with vision impairment. #Paralympics @IBSABlindSports @ibsagoalball https://t.co/bBbnFyGyRT

— Paralympic Games (@Paralympics) April 22, 2024

Paris as a backdrop

Looking back at his career, Vanhove said Arne was inspired to pursue the sport at the highest level after watching his brothers compete at London 2012. Tom, Arne and Bruno had plenty of experience playing alongside each other from their adolescent days on goalball teams.

At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, however, none of the other Vanhove family could cheer them on at the venue. Vanhove said his family instead rented out a small community hall to watch all their games and cheer on the boys from home.

As spectators return to the Paralympic Games, Vanhove hopes that people will watch the competitions in person.

"I would suggest Parisians to take the time to watch the Paralympics and see the beauty in each sport. The Olympics have a great variety of sports, but the Paralympics too.

"Goalball is one of those unique Paralympic sports a lot of people have never seen, but when watching, they enjoy it very much."

Discover more about goalball and the 22 sports in the Paris 2024 Paralympic sports programme