This is a dedicated site to preserve the history of disability sport of sitting volleyball at the Paralympic Games. Since 1980, Sitting Volleyball has been part of the Summer Paralympic Games programme. It has evolved since the first games, with different teams, qualification processes and with the inclusion of women in the 2004 games.
Sport historians would say, that we need to learn from the past to live in the present and plan for the future. This so true with regards to the way disability sports develop and change with the times. Moreover, as the Paralympic Games are a platform for emancipation of disability rights through sports, there is much to celebrate and this is a site that shares the history of the competitions.
Volleyball is an important sport for so many people. It is a fantastic team sport that is played in many formats. In the Olympics, there is the indoor 6 v 6 game, and the 2 v 2 game on the sand called Beach Volleyball. In other regions around the world, there is also 9 v 9 volleyball and snow volleyball, played with beach rules. For people with physical impairments, there are versions of the sports that include, sitting volleyball, beach standing, beach sitting and standing volleyball. Sitting Volleyball can be played by all kinds of players, whether they have physical impairments, are injuried, or simply want to play while sitting on the follow. It is the most inclusive version of volleyball and this has been celebrated over the years from around the world. Yet, at the Paralympic level, all athletes must meet disability classification criteria. As such, this site is solely dedicated to sitting volleyball at the Paralympic Games.
“Volleyball anchored me at a time in my life when I needed it.” Gabrielle Reece
Sitting volleyball has so much documented history, but yet so little of it has been collected in one place. The purpose of this site is to focus on the Paralympic Games history from 1980 to 2024, to educate people interested in the history of Sitting Volleyball at the Paralympic Games. There are no advertisements on the site, no costs to access materials, and no selling of any products. The site is designed to use crowdsourcing materials, to share them so others can experience what sitting volleyball was like across the years, see how the sport has developed, and recognise the successes and failures of the events at the games. Although we have tried our best to ensure the information is as accurate as possible, there may be some misreports or inaccuracies from the past that appear on these pages. If you believe some information is inaccurate and requires updating, feel free to contact us.
We are constantly looking for more people with the same passion to work with us. If you are interested in getting involved in this project, feel free to contact us.