World ParaVolley President Barry Couzner was suitably impressed with the “teamwork, enthusiasm and dedication” shown by the Sitting Volleyball competitors at the Invictus Games held in Sydney, Australia last month.
World ParaVolley supported the event by donating Molten volleyballs and providing staff expertise in the planning and delivery of the Sitting Volleyball competition and Couzner said the event “reminded us all of the sacrifice our respective Defence Forces played and continue to play in the world and how dedication to sport can assist with recovery and rehabilitation from injury.
“The teamwork and enthusiasm of the competitors was extraordinary – they played with enthusiasm in front of nearly full houses for all matches, with their family and friends in attendance. With a professional Sport Presentation Company providing the music and commentary, and high levels of crowd support and noise, the competitors responded with great passion.”
Couzner took on the role of Competition Manager, while World ParaVolley Deputy Sports Director Stephen Giugni was Referee Delegate while World ParaVolley ITOs Wei Ping Tu and Glenn Stewart were Jury Member and Equipment Manager respectively. As a special appointment, ParaVolley Pan-America President Joe Campbell was the guest International Referee. All other volunteer Officials were from all States of Australia and these included qualified FIVB International Referees who competently refereed Sitting Volleyball for the first time.
The Sitting Volleyball was the largest of the team sports at the Invictus Games with 12 teams participating (and another 2 teams played an exhibition match) out of the total of 18 nations. The results were:
Gold – Georgia
Silver – United Kingdom
Bronze – Estonia
The next Invictus Games will be held in The Hague, Netherlands in 2020.
Quick Links
World ParaVolley Sitting Volleyball page for the Invictus Games