After a short respite following the Paris Olympics, the city is soon jolting back to life for the Paralympics.
One of the most intense and exciting sports on the schedule is sitting volleyball, which also offers a chance to watch the not-so-secret weapon of Iran’s sitting volleyball team, Morteza Mehrzadselakjani – the tallest Paralympian in history.
What is sitting volleyball?
Sitting volleyball was invented in the Netherlands in 1956 as a rehabilitation sport for injured soldiers, but the game was introduced for men in the 1980 Paralympics – held in the Dutch city of Arnhelm – with the sport later being included in the women’s program from Athens 2004 onwards.
Sitting volleyball is a variation of the standing version of the sport, with two teams of six players. The court is smaller with a lower net when compared to a volleyball court – meaning the sport is incredibly fast paced.
Competitors use their arms and legs to slide around the court – always remaining in contact with the floor with part of the body between the buttocks and the shoulders when touching the ball – and teams play the best of five sets, trying to score points by grounding the ball on the other side of the net, much like in other forms of volleyball.
In the sitting version of volleyball, blocking a team’s serve is allowed. Each team is allowed up to three touches to launch the ball over the net, and the first team to 25 points wins in each of the first four sets; the number is reduced to 15 in a final, deciding set.
In a game, each team can have one defensive player – known as a “libero” – at the back of the court.
Classification
Sitting volleyball athletes have “a physical impairment in one or several upper or lower limbs”; for example, athletes who have orthopedic impairments, hemiplegia (paralysis on one side of the body), cerebral palsy or degenerative neurological disorders.
It’s also worth noting that participants don’t need to be unable to stand to take part – athletes categorized as VS1 and VS2 (those with a less severe impairment) can play, though only two VS2 athletes can be on the roster. However, as stated before, standing during a game is forbidden.
When can I watch it and who are the favorites?
The men’s and women’s preliminary rounds start on August 29, with semifinals set for September 5. The men’s gold medal match will take place on September 6 and the women’s on September 7.
In the men’s matches, seven-time gold medal-winning Iran is surely the favorite, and in the women’s, Team USA will be looking for a repeat of its success in Tokyo.
