2015-10-12:
ParaVolley Europe General Assembly

The GA took place in Warendorf, Germany on the 4^th of October 2015.

The agenda for the meeting and all documents we delivered to the member nations before the GA. We received 16 mandates. We have 19 member nations in the European zone. One nation has B-status and therefore not able to vote at the assembly.

The board presented their activity report and financial report from the years 2013 and 2014. At the assembly, the board members presented and described their work for the last two years. After their presentation, we had some good discussions about the future of our sport in Europe. The minutes will give more information on these discussions. The GA adapted the activity reports and financial report.

After the reports, the Board presented the Model Calendar for the next 4 years and the budget for 2016 and 2017. We had also here positive discussions on the coming year’s program. The Ga adapted the program and budget.

The board proposed two changes to the constitution. The first was to change the name of the organisation to ParaVolley Europe. The other was to change the number of meetings the board must have from one to two per year and that all meetings may be by electronic means. The GA adopted the proposed revised constitution.

The board have not received any bids for any Championship in the coming years. The GA gave the Board the task to award the Championships when bids arrive.

We had three positions for election.

The present Vice President Steve Walton did not run for re-election. Slovenia sent a nomination for Mihorko Branko (SLO) as Vice President. The GA elected him.

 

The present Sport Director, Maciej Chodzko-Zajko went for re-election and GA elected him.

For Marketing Director we had two candidates. Andras Mihalyi (HUN) and Andris Ulmanis (LAT). The GA elected Andris Ulmanis (LAT) as the Marketing Director.

JOIN US & GROW ParaVolley!

 

 

 

2015-10-01:
The ParaVolley Europe Development Department are now offering start-up VolleySLIDE ‘Level 0’ workshops in a further effort to grow the number of people playing Sitting Volleyball across Europe.

These workshops are aimed at offering a viable and attractive option to new countries, regions, areas or clubs to further their knowledge and understanding of Sitting Volleyball. From here, people and countries can progress to World ParaVolley Level 1 Courses for Coaches, Classifiers, Referees and Technical Officials.

VolleySLIDE is the World ParaVolley Sitting Volleyball Educational Programme dedicated at providing a resource for developing programmes that focuses on the inclusive and accessible nature of the sport. Through its online presence and wide range of resources it aims at driving and supporting the growth of Sitting Volleyball worldwide.

While the aim of the Development Department of ParaVolley Europe is to provide a clear development pathway within Europe for people or organisations who are looking to progress their knowledge and understanding of all forms of ParaVolley. It is charged with raising awareness through continuous education and development events, specifically including working with new countries and youth development projects.

For more information about the proposed content please see:

http://www.volleyslide.net/workshop/4577645605

While the workshop has been produced in a format that it can be self led by anyone, VolleySLIDE and ParaVolley Europe have together established a network of tutors who are available to deliver workshops where there is no-one suitable locally to do so.

If you are interested in running a ‘Level 0’ VolleySLIDE workshop in Europe, please contact suvi@paravolley.eu.

2015-08-18:
The first ever Sitting Volleyball tournament in Malta was held lately during the training programme for the 40 players taking part in this year’s edition of the Volleyball Marathon, which is organised annually to collect funds for the Dar tal-Providenza. This tournament was held on the initiative of Mr. Silvan Gauci, Technical Director for this year’s Volleyball Marathon, together with ParaVolley Malta, the national Association promoting volleyball for persons with different abilities.

The five teams which will be participating in this year’s Marathon, together with another team made up from coaches and other ParaVolley Malta members, took part in this friendly Sitting Volleyball Tournament. Sitting Volleyball is an adapted version of volleyball, with participants sitting on the ground to play, with a lower net and in a more confined space.

Mr. Jesmond Saliba, Chairperson of the Volleyball Marathon organising committee and newly elected President of the Malta Volleyball Association, thanked all the participants and encouraged everyone to support the Dar tal-Providenza’s work which has been going on for the last 50 years thanks to the generosity of the local population.

Also present for this activity were Mr. Oliver Scicluna, Chairperson of the National Commission for People with a Disability, Mr. Noel Aquilina from Breaking Limits, an NGO promoting an active lifestyle for people with different abilities, as well as members of ParaVolley Malta. They all stressed the importance of sport as an integrating factor for people suffering from a disability, and encouraged these persons to contact associations like ParaVolley Malta and take part in their activities.

ParaVolley Malta may be contacted through email at paravolleymalta@gmail.com.

 

Tournament tas-Sitting Volley gewwa d-Dar tal-Providenza

L-ewwel tournament tas-Sitting Volleyball li qatt gie organizzat gewwa Malta sar dan l-ahhar bhala parti mill-preparazzjoni teknika u fizika ghall-erbghin player li din is-sena se jkunu qed jiehdu sehem fil-Maratona tal-volleyball b’rizq id-Dar tal-Providenza. Dan it-tournament sar fuq inizjattiva ta’ Silvan Gauci, Direttur Tekniku tal-Maratona ta’ din is-sena, flimkien ma’ ParaVolley Malta, l-Assocjazzjoni nazzjonali li torganizza attivitajiet ta’ volleyball ghal persuni b’abilitajiet differenti.

L-erbghin player, maqsuma fil-hames teams li din is-sena se jkunu qed jiehdu sehem fil-Maratona tal-Volleyball, kif ukoll team iehor maghmul minn coaches u memberi ohra ta’ ParaVolley Malta, hadu sehem f’dan it-tournament ta’ Sitting Volleyball. F’din id-dixxiplina, l-atleti joqoghdu bil-qieghda ma’ l-art biex jilaghbu l-Volleyball, f’court izghar u b’xibka aktar baxxa minn dawk uzati fil-Volleyball.

Mr. Jesmond Saliba, Chairperson tal-Kumitat Organizzativ tal-Maratona tal-Volleyball u President tal-Malta Volleyball Association, irringrazzja lill-partecipanti kollha u talab lil kulhadd biex juri s-sapport tieghu ghax-xoghol li jsir gewwa d-Dar tal-Providenza li din is-sena qed ticcelebra l-hamsin anniversarju taghha. Mr. Saliba semma l-fatt li tul dawn is-snin kollha dan ix-xoghol kien possibbli biss grazzi ghall-generozita’ tal-Maltin u l-Ghawdxin.

Mr. Oliver Scicluna, Chairperson tal-Kummissjoni Nazzjonali Persuni b’Dizabilita’, Mr. Noel Aquilina minn Breaking Limits, NGO li tippromwovi hajja aktar b’sahhitha ghal persuni b’abilitajiet differenti, kif ukoll membri ta’ ParaVolley Malta tkellmu dwar l-importanza li l-isport ghandu biex jghaqqad flimkien persuni ta’ kull tip ta’ abilita’ fl-istess attivita’, u heggu lill-persuni li jsofru minn xi tip ta’ dizabilita’ biex jiehdu sehem f’dawn l-attivitajiet organizzati minn assocjazzjoniet bhal ParaVolley Malta.

Wiehed jista’ jaghmel kuntatt ma’ ParaVolley Malta permezz ta’ l-email paravolleymalta@gmail.com.

2015-06-24:
Obituary
Maria Theresia Gertrudis Scholtens (1948-2015)
(Marie-Thérèse)

If we wanted to find a definition of dedication and commitment, we would only need to look at the activities undertaken and services provided by Marie-Thérèse to the ParaVolley movement over several decades.

Marie-Thérèse has been one of the longest-serving members of the movement. She got acquainted with paralympic volleyball by working as a volunteer within a team of hostesses during the Paralympic Games of 1980 in Arnhem (The Netherlands), and after holding various other positions within the Dutch paralympic volleyball community she became in 1993 the first Secretary-General of ParaVolley Europe (ECVD at the time) and in more recent years, the Hon. Treasurer of both ParaVolley Europe and World ParaVolley.

After serving ParaVolley Europe from 1993 to 2013, Marie-Thérèse was awarded a special and well-deserved Gold Medal from the organization upon “retirement” at the 2013 European Championships in Poland. This Medal is rarely awarded, but after attending all European events and all Board meetings for over two decades, ParaVolley Europe had no hesitation in doing so.

Not only did Marie-Thérèse provide efficient and effective management services to ParaVolley, but also she did this in such a way that endeared all athletes and Officials to her – comments about her were always positive and she justifiably earned an excellent reputation. She has been a wonderful volunteer.

The ParaVolley movement sincerely thanks her – we will miss her greatly.

Barry Couzner OAM Toralv Thorkildsen
President President
World ParaVolley ParaVolley Europé

 

2015-05-30:
On the 25^th of April 2015 the Lisbon Volleyball Association – AVL (Associação de Voleibol de Lisboa) organized the clinic entitled “From volleyball to sitting volleyball” with the partnership of ParaVolley Europe and FMH (Faculdade de Motricidade Humana – Sport Faculty).

Besides the fact the clinic was included in the official continuous training program for volleyball coaches in Portugal, useful and required for their careers, coaches were in touch with a different kind of volleyball, the sitting volleyball, where they were encouraged to create a sport with the values of inclusion and equality.

The clinic was given by the german teacher and volleyball coach, Martin Blechschmidt, expert in sitting volleyball and ParaVolley Europe Coaching Commissioner and tutor, former head coach of national team Germany. The session was splitted in a practical and theoretical part.

The theoretical session, in the morning, was focused on the basics of sitting volleyball (rules, regulations, differences from regular volleyball and teams funcionalities) and gave an overview of sitting volleyball within Europe and the world as well as the specific case of Germany. Also made some suggestions in order to launch a sitting volleyball program.

Still in the theoretical session, the participants were motivated to the practical session later in the afternoon. Martin Blechschmidt focused his presentation in the practical issues of a training session such as technical issues and the development of tactics in sitting volleyball, with videos and inviting all to visit the internet site Volley Slide Program (http://www.volleyslide.net), very interesting for the training within this area.

The practical session allowed all the participants to a living experience of sitting volleyball practice with the learning of basic movement and playfull games adapted for warm up with technical and tactical components until the desired game.

Within the sessions the involvement of all the 41 trainees was remarkable, revealing motivation and learning for the development of sitting volleyball.

We should highlight and thank all the identities involved and their representatives who support this event and enriched the inaugural session, formal but incentive, allowing the audience to a knowledge about the development of the Adapted Portuguese Sport and, in particular, the sitting volleyball.

So AVL wants to thank FMH involvement and his president, PHD José Alves Dinis, for all the cooperation as partner providing the facilities as promoting the event. We should highlight also the precious cooperation of the teachers, PHD Leonor Moniz Pereira, PHD Jorge Infante and PHD Rui Damas.

We would like also to thank the Portuguese Paralympic Commitee, and his president Humberto Santos, the Portuguese Volleyball Federation, represented by Prof. Daniel Lacerda who is now in charge of the newly created department of sitting volleyball.

And a final special thank to Martin Blechschmidt and ParaVolley Europe for the excellent clinic and all the involvement and cooperation during the sessions and for the future of sitting volleyball in AVL.

2015-04-23:
ParaVolley Europe goes to… Portugal!

The first ParaVolley Europe Coaching Clinic will be organised on the 25th April in Lisbon, Portugal!

ParaVolley Europe wishes to thank Mrs Carolina Mendonca, the President of the Board of the Lisbon Volleyball Association (AVL), for her initiative and help for organising this momentous clinic.

The goal is to start to raise the awareness of Sitting Volleyball as an inclusive sport to all licensed coaches, physical education teachers and university students. There is a close cooperation with the Paralympic Committee of Portugal and the Lisbon University (FMH) in order to put the strategic developing plan into action.

“ParaVolley Europe’s have been providing input on some ideas and plans for Sitting Volleyball in Lisbon where we wish to start in Portugal. We see that there is a good opportunity for a clinic like this because the national law has recently changed regarding all adapted sports and the responsibility for national development is now in the hands of all sport federations.” continues Mendonca.

The ParaVolley Europe Coaching Clinic in Lisbon will be run by Martin Blechschmidt, the head of ParaVolley Europe Coaching Commission.

For more information about Coach Education for disability volleyball in Europe please contact Martin on martin@paravolley.eu

(Picture: Martin in action coaching the German Men’s National Team)