Sitting volleyball teams to vie for European titles

Last time out, at the 2011 European Championships, Bosnia and Herzegovina defeated Russia in the gold-medal men’s final.

The 2013 European ParaVolley Championships kick off on Monday (16 September) in Elblag, Poland, where the top 13 men’s and top nine women’s sitting volleyball teams will vie for qualification spots at next year’s World Championships.

The Group stages will take place through Wednesday, with the first day of playoff action taking place on Thursday. The gold-medal matches will be decided on Saturday.

The top two finishers from the men’s competition and the top women’s finisher will qualify for next year’s World Championships, which will also take place in Elblag, Poland.

Men’s groups

Group A includes Paralympic champions Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with Serbia and Croatia, while Group B consists of Ukraine, Hungary, Latvia.

London 2012 bronze medallists Germany highlight Group C, which also includes host nation Poland and Azerbaijan, with Russia, fourth-place finishers at last year’s Paralympics, headlining the final Group that also includes Lithuania and Great Britain.

Last time out, at the 2011 European Championships, Bosnia and Herzegovina defeated Russia in the gold-medal men’s final.

Women groups

On the women’s side, Group A consists of Paralympic bronze medallists Ukraine, as well as a team from the Slovenia that finished sixth at London 2012. Germany and Croatia round out the group.

Group B includes London 2012 fourth-place finishers the Netherlands, along with Russia, Hungary, Poland and Finland.