Sitting volleyball
Sitting volleyball is the most widely practised form of ParaVolley and has featured at the Paralympic Games since Arnhem 1980. It is governed internationally by World ParaVolley, and follows the FIVB rules of volleyball with a small number of modifications. The game is fast, physical and inclusive.
Because players cannot leave the floor and the court is compact, rallies are quicker than in the standing game. The premium is on hand speed, reading the play and lateral movement rather than on vertical reach.
Key characteristics
| Element | Specification |
|---|---|
| Court | 10 m × 6 m, divided by a centre line into two 5 m × 6 m courts |
| Net height | 1.15 m (men) · 1.05 m (women) |
| Attack line | 2 m from the centre line |
| Players | Six per team on court at a time |
| Sets | Best of five — sets to 25 points, fifth set to 15, winning by two |
| Contact rule | A part of the player's pelvis or torso must stay in contact with the floor when the ball is played |
| Blocking | Blocking the serve is permitted; brief loss of floor contact is allowed only on defensive plays |
| Governing body | World ParaVolley (WPV) |
Sport classification
Sitting volleyball is open to athletes with an eligible physical impairment as defined by World ParaVolley. Athletes are allocated a sport class and class status by trained classifiers.
- VS1 — more significant impairment.
- VS2 — minimal impairment. The number of VS2 players allowed on court at any one time is limited by the rules.
All athletes must hold a valid WPV sport class and status, or be classified at the on-site classification session held before competition. Athletes attending classification must bring complete medical and diagnostic documentation.
The classification schedule and venue, the required documents and the classification request deadline will be circulated by the Organising Committee.
How the Championship is decided
Every nation plays every other once. A 3–0 or 3–1 win pays three match points to the winner and none to the loser; a 3–2 win pays two to the winner and one to the loser. Nations level on match points are separated in turn by matches won, then set ratio, then point ratio, and finally by the results among the tied nations alone.
The top four of the round robin go through to the semi-finals on Sunday 15 November: first plays fourth, and second plays third. The winners contest the final and the losers the bronze-medal match, both on Monday 16 November.