Volleyball at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
# Volleyball at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

Volleyball at the 2008 Summer Paralympics was held in the China Agricultural University Gymnasium from 7 September to 15 September. Two sitting volleyball team events were held, one for men and one for women.

In the men's sitting event, Bosnia and Herzegovina were the defending champions. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iran had been the finalists in both 2000 and 2004, with Iran winning in 2000 and Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2004. These two countries met once more in the final in Beijing, with Iran emerging victorious by 3 goals to nil. Egypt, the bronze medal-winners of 2008, finished fourth, beaten 2:3 by Russia, who took bronze.

The Beijing Games marked the second time the women's sitting event was held. China were the defending champions, while the Netherlands had taken silver, and the United States bronze, in 2004. In Beijing, China was again victorious, while the United States and the Netherlands switched places to ascend the podium with silver and bronze, respectively.

This was the second Summer Paralympic Games without standing volleyball events, which had been included from the introduction of volleyball in 1976 (when sitting volleyball was a demonstration event) through 2000.

## Medalists

| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| - | - | - | - |
| Men's team | Iran (IRI) Davoud Alipourian Sadegh Bigdeli Saeid Ebrahimi Jalil Imeri (captain) Mehdi Hamidzadeh Nasser Hassanpour Mohammad Hosseinifar Mohammad Khaleghi Reza Peidayesh Mohammad Reza Rahimi Ramezan Salehi (libero) Issa Zirahi Coach: Hadi Rezaei | Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) Safet Alibašić Sabahudin Delalić (captain) Mirzet Duran Esad Durmišević Ismet Godinjak Dževad Hamzić Ermin Jusufović Hidaet Jusufović (libero) Zikret Mahmić Adnan Manko Asim Medić Ejub Mehmedović Coach: Mirza Hrustemović | Russia (RUS) Alexander Baychik Tanatkan Bukin Dmitriy Gordiyenko Evgeny Kuzovnikov Andrey Lavrinovich Viktor Milenin Sergey Uporov Sergey Pozdeev Alexander Savichev Maksim Timchenko Aleksei Volkov (libero) Sergey Yakunin (captain) Coach: Victor D'Yakov |
| Women's team | China (CHN) Li Liping Liang Fen Liu Lijuan Lu Chunli Lu Hongqin (captain) Sheng Yuhong Tan Yanhua Yang Yanling Zhang Lijun Zhang Xufei Zheng Xiongying (libero) Zhong Haihong Coach: Zhang Jun | United States (USA) Allison Aldrich Heather Erickson Alexandra Gouldie Kathryn Holloway SuGui Kriss Kendra Lancaster Hope Lewellen Brenda Maymon (captain) Gina McWilliams Nichole Millage Kari Miller (libero) Lora Webster Coach: Michael Hulett | Netherlands (NED) Sanne Bakker (libero) Karin van der Haar-Kramp Karin Harmsen-Roosen Paula List Djoke van Marum Elvira Stinissen Josien Ten Thije-Voortman Rika de Vries Petra Westerhof (captain) Coach: John Bestebroer |

## Classification

Classification is an important work for Paralympic athletes, after the classification, athletes can compete in a fair situation. Athletes meeting the disability requirement can take part in this sport, but only 2 minimum requirements player can be on the team, and only 1 of them can be on the court.

## Qualification

There were 16 teams, 8 male and 8 female taking part in this sport.

### Teams

**Men**

| Bosnia and Herzegovina Safet Alibasic Sabahudin Delalic Mirzet Duran Esad Durmisevic Ismet Godinjak Dzevad Hamzic Ermin Jusufovic Hidaet Jusufovic Zikret Mahmic Adnan Manko Asim Medic Ejub Mehmedovic | Iraq Saeed Al Mimar Salah Al Shammari Hussain Al Ugbi Naser Alaibi Ahmed Dahash Muayad Hattab Hadi Juboori Majeed Kaabi Mahdi Khayoon Majeed Majeed Abdulmunem Mohmmed Ahmed Whailani | China Gao Hui Ding Xiaochao Dou Wencheng Huang Chunji Li Ji Li Lei Li Mingfa Tong Jiao Wang Haidong Wang Xiaolang Zhang Zhongmin Zhou Canming | Russia Alexander Baychik Tanatkan Bukin Dimitriy Gordiyenko Evgeny Kuzovnikov Andreu Lavrinovich Viktor Milenin Sergey Pozdeev Maksim Timchenko Sergey Uporov Alexey Volkov Sergey Yakunin |
| - | - | - | - |
| Iran Davoud Alipourian Sadegh Bigdeli Seyed Saeid Ebrahimi Baladezaei Jalil Eimery Mahdi Hamid Zageh Naser Hassanpour Alinazari Seyed Mohammad Hosseini Far Mohammad Khaleghi Reza Peidayesh Mohammad Reza Rahimi Ramzan Salehi Hajikolaei Isa Zirahi | Egypt Ashrad Zaghloul Abd Alla Abd Elaal Mohamed Abd Elaal Rezek Abd Ellatif Abdel Nabi Hassan Abdel Latif Mohamed Abouelyazeid Taher Adel Elabahaey Hesham Salah Elshwikh Mohamed Abd Elhamed Emara Salah Atta Hassanein Hossam Massoud Massoud El Saad Mossa Ahmed Soliman | Japan Shun Azuma Satoshi Kanao Susumu Kaneda Tetsuo Minakawa Kaname Nakayama Susumu Takasago Yoshihito Takeda Tsutomu Tanabe Koji Tanaka Arata Yamamoto Atsushi Yonezawa Hitoshi Yoshida | Brazil Wellington Anunciacao Samuel Arantes Giovani Freitas Guilherme Gomes Renato Leite Rodrigo Mello Wescley Oliveira Diogo Rebolcas Deivisson Santos Claudio Silva Daniel Silva Gilberto Silva |

**Women**

| United States Allison Aldrich Heather Erickson Alexandra Gouldie Katie Holloway Sugui Kriss Kendra Lancaster Hope Lewellen Brenda Maymon Gina McWilliams Nichole Millage Kari Miller Lora Webster | China Li Liping Liang Fen Liu Lijuan Lu Chunli Lu Hongqin Sheng Yuhong Tan Yanhua Yang Yanling Zhang Lijun Zhang Xufei Zheng Xiongying Zhong Haihong | Lithuania Malda Baumgarde Liudmila Budiniene Ruta Cvirkiene Virginija Dmitrijeva Rita Latauskaite Karolina Lingyte Neringa Susinskyte Jolita Urbutiene Jurate Verbuviene Virginija Ziltye | Latvia Inara Barkane Una Dzalba Ivonna Gailite Oksana Gromova Diana Ivanova Olga Jegorova Irina Jermolenko Liga Karliete Nellija Rusina Linda Sila Zanna Skutane |
| - | - | - | - |
| Netherlands Sanne Bakker Rika de Vries Karin Harmsen-Roosen Paula List Elvira Stinissen Josien Ten Thije-Voortman Karin van der Haar-Kramp Djoke van Marum Petra Westerhof | Slovenia Marinka Cencelj Danica Gosnak Emilie Gradisek Bogomira Jakin Ana Justin Sasa Kotnik Boza Kovacic Suzana Ocepek Alenka Sart Stefaka Tomic Anita Urnaut | Japan Sachie Awano Junko Fujii Noriko Kaneda Emi Kaneki Yukari Okahira Shiori Omura Mamiko Osada Yoko Saito Haruni Sakamoto Tomoko Sakamoto Kiyoko Tomiya | Ukraine Anzhelika Churkina Oleksandra Granovska Larysa Klochkova Galyna Kuznetsova Liubov Lomakina Alla Lysenko Inna Osetynska Margaryta Pryvalykhina Ilona Yudina |

## Men's tournament

### Preliminary round

**Group A**

| Team | P | W | L | Sets | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9:1 | 6 |
| Russia (RUS) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7:3 | 4 |
| China (CHN) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3:6 | 2 |
| Iraq (IRQ) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0:9 | 0 |

**Group B**

| Team | P | W | L | Sets | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Iran (IRI) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9:0 | 6 |
| Egypt (EGY) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6:3 | 4 |
| Brazil (BRA) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3:6 | 2 |
| Japan (JPN) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0:9 | 0 |

### Final Round

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Gold medal game | Gold medal game | Gold medal game |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| A1 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3 | | | |
| B2 | Egypt | 0 | | | |
| B2 | Egypt | 0 | A1 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0 |
| | | | B1 | Iran | 3 |
| B1 | Iran | 3 | B1 | Iran | 3 |
| A2 | Russia | 0 | Bronze medal game | Bronze medal game | Bronze medal game |
| | | | B2 | Egypt | 2 |
| | | | A2 | Russia | 3 |

### 5-8 Classification

| 5-8 Semifinals | 5-8 Semifinals | 5-8 Semifinals | 5-6 game | 5-6 game | 5-6 game |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| A3 | China | 3 | | | |
| B4 | Japan | 0 | | | |
| B4 | Japan | 0 | A3 | China | 3 |
| | | | B3 | Brazil | 1 |
| B3 | Brazil | 3 | B3 | Brazil | 1 |
| A4 | Iraq | 1 | 7-8 game | 7-8 game | 7-8 game |
| | | | B4 | Japan | 0 |
| | | | A4 | Iraq | 3 |

## Women's tournament

### Preliminary round

**Group A**

| Team | P | W | L | Sets | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Netherlands (NED) | 3 | 9 | 3 | 9:3 | 6 |
| Slovenia (SLO) | 3 | 8 | 5 | 8:5 | 4 |
| Ukraine (UKR) | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5:6 | 2 |
| Japan (JPN) | 3 | 1 | 9 | 1:9 | 0 |

**Group B**

| Team | P | W | L | Sets | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| China (CHN) | 3 | 9 | 0 | 9:0 | 6 |
| United States (USA) | 3 | 6 | 3 | 6:3 | 4 |
| Lithuania (LTU) | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3:4 | 2 |
| Latvia (LAT) | 3 | 1 | 9 | 1:9 | 0 |

### Final Round

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Gold medal game | Gold medal game | Gold medal game |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| A1 | Netherlands | 2 | | | |
| B2 | United States | 3 | | | |
| B2 | United States | 3 | B2 | United States | 0 |
| | | | A2 | China | 3 |
| B1 | Slovenia | 0 | A2 | China | 3 |
| A2 | China | 3 | Bronze medal game | Bronze medal game | Bronze medal game |
| | | | A1 | Netherlands | 3 |
| | | | B1 | Slovenia | 0 |

### 5-8th Classification

| 5-8 Semifinals | 5-8 Semifinals | 5-8 Semifinals | 5-6 game | 5-6 game | 5-6 game |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| A3 | Ukraine | 3 | | | |
| B4 | Latvia | 0 | | | |
| B4 | Latvia | 0 | A3 | Ukraine | 3 |
| | | | B3 | Lithuania | 0 |
| B3 | Lithuania | 3 | B3 | Lithuania | 0 |
| A4 | Japan | 1 | 7-8 game | 7-8 game | 7-8 game |
| | | | B4 | Latvia | 3 |
| | | | A4 | Japan | 2 |
