We openly ask for nominations of people to be featured as a World ParaVolley Mover & Shaker and for the player highlighted here we received a high number of e-mails. Ramezan Zandi Nezami, more commonly known as “Mohsen”, was born in I.R. Iran and became a resident of Turkey in 2009 when he started to grow sitting volleyball among the disabled community in Turkey. Then in 2011, with his support, the Turkish national team was formed for the first time and participated in the international competitions in Isfahan. Still as active on the court as he was off it, in 2017 he was decided as the most valuable player in the Turkish league. A true mover & shaker doing his bit to grow the game.
1 – How did you get involved in Sitting Volleyball?
I have been involved with sitting volleyball with Tehran (IRAN) team since 1992. As a player in the Iran Sitting Volleyball League I played with lots of different players winning 6 Iranian championships between 1992-1998.
2 – What is it that motivates you each day to further develop our sport?
As I myself have a disability, I love the beautiful sport of sitting volleyball, because I feel a good and unique feeling in my body while doing or teaching it.
3 – What has been your biggest achievement in Sitting Volleyball to date?
More recently I have been playing and pushing the sport in Turkey. A real highlight was winning the runner-up position in the European Silver League in 2022 with the Turkish men’s national volleyball team and advancing to the European Golden League as the head coach of the Turkish national team. Off the court I feel great pride at writing the first sitting volleyball training book in Turkish language and seeing the sport grow in my new home country.
4 – How would you explain Sitting Volleyball to someone in 12 words or less?
The most cheerful & the cheapest sport for the physically disabled.
5 – Where/how do you see Sitting Volleyball in 10 years time?
I hope that with proper planning and new training and the expansion of this sport in five continents, sitting volleyball will be the most popular sport in the 2032 Paralympics.
The ‘Movers & Shakers’ initiative is aimed at giving more recognition to those that are developing Sitting Volleyball around the globe.
It can be anyone working in the sport, whether they have excelled at promoting it, ran a successful competition, started a new club/activity, organised events to increase awareness, influenced people for the greater benefit of the sport or a combination of the above.
Please do let us know if you know of someone who deserves to be highlighted by e-mailing
volleyslide@worldparavolley.org with the following:
- Full name
- e-mail address
- Country in which they mainly work
- A short justification of why you are putting them forward
Their story will also offer others a chance for others to learn from their good practise and use what works in their area for even greater benefit. This is your chance to give recognition to those who promote and build the sport of sitting volleyball. We look forward to hearing from you.