IBSA has released dates for events over the next three years ©Getty Images

The International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) has announced the new dates and locations for major events over the next three years including the IBSA Goalball World Championships.

It also confirmed that the event cycle will not change ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games despite Tokyo 2020's postponement.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tokyo Games was moved to 2021, and it is now scheduled to start on July 23.

For 2022, the IBSA Goalball World Championships will be hosted in Hangzhou in China from July 3 to 15, four years on from the previous competition in Malmö in Sweden which crowned Brazil and Russia as the men and women's champions respectively.

At the Championships there are 16 men's and 16 women's teams expected to line-up.

The return of goalball will take place in Târgu Mureș in Romania when the city hosts the 2021 European C Championships from April 11 to 18 with promotion to Group B at stake.

IBSA also said it is close to securing a host for the European B Championships that were originally scheduled to be held in Afula in Israel from October 15 to 22 this year.

Sao Paulo in Brazil will host the 2021 Goalball World Youth Championships from July 27 to 31, featuring between eight and 10 boys and girls teams with the city later holding the Americas Championships the same year from November 6 to 13.

Brazil are the reigning world goalball champions ©Getty Images
Brazil are the reigning world goalball champions ©Getty Images

Dates for the 2021 European A and African Championships will be announced soon with IBSA Goalball working closely with organisers to put on safe events.

Kari Räsänen, chairperson of the IBSA Goalball Committee, said: "After a challenging year so far for athletes and teams, we are delighted to be able to make the first careful steps into the future.

"As the qualification process for Tokyo 2020 was completed before the coronavirus pandemic took hold, we decided that on balance it would be best to keep the following cycle the same. 

"We are therefore excited to announce the dates and locations of some of our biggest competitions taking place over the next three years.

"We hope this will offer countries some stability and reassurance, as well as providing Organising Committees the time to prepare and build excitement.

"My thanks go to all organisers for their interest and energy in staging top quality competitions to mark the return of goalball in the best possible way."

The 2023 IBSA World Games will also be hosted in Birmingham in the United Kingdom with the 2022 Asian Para Games being hosted in Hangzhou in China.