WHAT IS...
Originally a rehabilitation exercise for injured soldiers, sitting volleyball was created in the Netherlands in 1956 and entered Paralympic competition at the 1980 Los Angeles Games. While maintaining contact between their pelvis and the floor at all times, players in a team of six have three passes before the ball has to go over the net. The sport is played on a 10 metre long and six metre wide court, and the net measures 1.15 metres for men and 1.05 metres for women. A defensive specialist, known as a libero, wears a different coloured shirt from the rest of the team. The first team to 25 points wins a set, and the first team to win three sets is the victor.
