Paralympics 2024: A guide to sitting volleyball at the Paris Games
Iran and Bosnia-Herzegovina will be hoping to be in the medal shake-up in Paris
- Published
Key information
Dates: 29 August-7 September
Venue: North Paris Arena
Gold medals on offer: Two
What are the rules of sitting volleyball?
Sitting volleyball is played under similar rules to the standing game but with a few alterations.
The court is smaller and the net is lower as the players hit the ball over the net sitting down. For a hit to be legal, all players must keep their pelvis in contact with the floor.
Teams are made up of six players and all physical impairments are included in this game. Players are either classed as 'Minimally Disabled' or 'Disabled'. Two MD players can be on a team roster but only one is allowed on court at any time.
Unlike Olympic volleyball, blocking of the serve is allowed and teams can hit the ball no more than three times in succession.
The first team to 25 points wins a set, but they must win by two clear points. The first team to win three sets is the winner. A maximum of five sets are played. If a match goes to a deciding fifth set, the first team to 15 points and with a two-point advantage wins.
Will GB be competing in Paris?
Great Britain will not be competing in the sport in Paris - the last time they were represented was at London 2012.
The women's team were eighth at the 2023 European Championships while the men's team did not qualify for the Euros.
Who are the challengers?
Iran are the defending men's Paralympic champions having beaten Russia in the final in Tokyo for their third title out of the past four and a seventh overall.
They are also current world champions from 2022 after beating Bosnia-Herzegovina in the final with Brazil taking bronze.
The USA women won their second Paralympic title in a row in 2021 with victory over China while the reigning world champions are Brazil, who got the better of Canada.
Did you know?
One player on court is known as the 'libero' and they wear a different colour shirt to the rest of the team because they specialise in defensive tactics.
ParalympicsGB Tokyo 2020 medals
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