Story by Mthokozisi Dube
FOUR teams are participating in a two-day sitting volleyball tournament organised by the Zimbabwe Para-Volleyball Association at King George VI School in Bulawayo.
Sitting volleyball is a variation of traditional volleyball for athletes with disabilities, where players compete in a seated position, using both their arms and legs to manoeuvre across the court. The sport employs the same skills and techniques as standing volleyball, with a few key rule adaptations to accommodate seated play.
The Zimbabwe Para-Volleyball Association has organised this selection tournament to scout and prepare players to represent the country at an upcoming invitational event in Kenya,
“It is interesting to have these tournaments. We think by having more of these, our sport is headed somewhere,” a player said.
“It is my first time to play but I felt at home today,” another player added.
Midlands Province youth representative for people with disabilities, Honourable Nyashadzashe Shonhe implored other sporting institutions to take a leaf from the association to accommodate people living with disabilities.
“We are happy to be mingling in this tournament, but we want this initiative to spread to other sporting disciplines,” Honourable Shonhe said.
The association is seized with rotating the sitting volleyball tournament as part of efforts to promote the sport.
“Sitting volleyball can be played by anyone but when it comes to international tournaments it requires people living with disabilities. We are faced with financial constraints. We would have loved to have more teams but because of funding, we ended up having four in our quest to select national team players,” Para Volleyball Association president, Oripa Mubika said.
Meanwhile, the government is walking the talk on inclusivity, with sporting facilities expected to accommodate people with disabilities.
