After losing to hosts Egypt on Saturday night, Iraq started their Sunday morning right in the 2023 World ParaVolley Sitting Volleyball World Cup with a sensational victory over African rivals Rwanda 3-2 (25-22, 16-25, 25-20, 24-26, 15-13) in men’s Group A.
Asian side Japan also faced an African squad in Group B, escaping with a 3-1 (26-28, 25-18, 25-21, 25-13) victory over Algeria, while their East Asian neighbours China triumphed 3-0 (25-4, 25-8, 25-12) against India in Group C.
In Group D, Germany edged Great Britain 3-0 (25-9, 25-6, 25-8) and Ukraine outplayed France 3-0 (25-19, 25-10, 25-21).
Meanwhile, China, Germany and Brazil opened the women’s tournament with straight-set wins.
Asian champions China faced Mongolia and recorded a convincing victory against Mongolia 3-0 (25-3, 25-7, 25-4), then Germany beat Rwanda 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-22) in Group E.
The Rwandans bounced back, playing the last match of the day and beating Mongolia 3-0 (25-11, 25-7, 25-10)
In Group F, world champions Brazil registered a 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-15) win over the Netherlands. Slovenia needed five sets (25-20, 19-25, 25-16, 21-25, 15-9) to overcome continental rivals Ukraine.
The World Cup is a Paris 2024 Paralympic qualifier, where one berth per gender is available for the winner or the highest placed non-qualified team of the tournament.
Ten teams have qualified so far for the Paris 2024 Paralympics, including France (M and W) as hosts, world champions Iran (M) and Brazil (W), Asian champions Kazakhstan (M) and China (W), European champions Bosnia and Herzegovina (M) and Italy (W), and Pan American champions Brazil (M) and United States (W).
World Cup Information
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