First ever european school Sit2Play sitting volleyball trophy awarded to Turkey

The Karaman Karmasi Institute from Turkey won the first European school sitting volleyball tournament –  Sit2Play – A tool to change the perception of disability. The Turkish selection has triumphed in the continental event funded by the Erasmus + program, which made sitting volleyball a tool for social inclusion throughout 2019 to break down the cultural and physical barriers that still separate disabled from able-bodied individuals in day to day life. The protagonists of the two days of sport and inclusion held at the Bocciodromo dell’Eur were the school delegations of the 6 European partners (Italy, Finland, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Turkey and Estonia) which, with the support of Paravolley Europe and CIP (Italian Paralympic Committee), have made Rome the capital of European sitting volleyball. A great festival of life and sport celebrated by Paravolley Europe president Branko Mihorko and federal councillor and FIPAV sitting volleyball Guido Pasciari: “I had a dream and in these two days in Rome I saw a lot of young people play and have fun in the name of inclusion – said Branko – I’m very proud and happy with such a success because Sit2Play has exceeded all expectations”.  “Sitting volleyball is life, social inclusion and fun – said Pasciari, also member of the ParaVolley Europe Board – “seeing all these guys share these values ​​in such an authentic way makes us understand how and how extraordinary is this discipline. FIPAV is proud of the organizational efforts it has made and is ready to continue supporting this discipline by working alongside Paravolley Europe in a constructive manner “. Under the watchful eye of ParaVolley Europe president Branko Mihorko and CIP Lazio president Pasquale Barone, the Karaman Karmasi Turkish high school first beat Bulgaria 2-0 in the semifinals and then won against the Calamandrei Institute from Rome with the same result closing the two days of matches with 4 wins and 0 sets lost. On the lowest step of the podium were the Slovenian boys of ŠC Ravne na Koroškem – Gimnazija who after the knockout with Italy in the semifinals won the bronze medal against Bulgaria 2-0, whilst the Finnish and Estonian students were ranked fifth and sixth respectively.

Day 1 Summary

Pool A

Bulgaria – Estonia 2-1 (30-32; 25-22; 15-12)

Italy – Bulgaria 2-1 (25-12; 21-25; 15-8)

Estonia – Italy 0-2 (14-25; 14-25)

Pool B

Turkey 2-0 Finland (25-10; 25-10)

Slovenia – Turkey 0-2 (14-25; 19-25)

Finland – Slovenia 0-2 (8-25; 12-25)

Day 2 Summary

Semi-finals

Italia – Slovenia 2-1 (25-23; 9-25; 15-10)
Turkey – Bulgaria 2-0 (25-11; 25-13)

Final 5th – 6th place

Finland – Estonia 2-0 (25-18; 25-21)

Final 3rd – 4th place

Slovenia – Bulgaria 2-0 (25-17; 25-13)

Final 1st – 2nd place

Italy-Turkey 0-2 (17-25; 13-25)

L’Istituto Karaman Karmasi si è aggiudicato il primo torneo di sitting volley europeo scolastico Sit2Play – uno strumento per cambiare la percezione della disabilità. La selezione under 18 turca ha infatti trionfato nell’evento continentale finanziato dal programma Erasmus + che ha fatto per tutto il 2019 il sitting volley uno strumento di inclusione sociale per abbattere le barriere culturali e fisiche che tuttora separano i disabili dai normodotati nella vita di tutti i giorni. Protagonisti della due giorni di sport ed inclusione svolta al Bocciodromo dell’Eur, le delegazioni scolastiche dei sei partner europei (Italia, Finlandia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Turchia ed Estonia) che, con il supporto di Paravolley Europe e Comitato Italiano Paralimpico, hanno fatto di Roma la capitale del sitting volley Europeo. Un grande evento targato Federazione Italiana Pallavolo che, come sottolineato dalle parole del Segretario Generale, Alberto Rabiti, sta fortemente puntando sul sitting volley. “Siamo felici ed orgogliosi di aver ospitato a Roma una manifestazione di questa portata – ha esordito il Segretario Generale della Fipav – vedere così tanti giovani sedersi in campo per l’inclusione ed il divertimento ci fa capire come in Italia e in Europa il sitting sia diventato un elemento aggregativo sempre più diffuso e riconosciuto. La Fipav crede fortemente in questa disciplina che la scorsa estate ci ha regalato il primo storico pass per le paralimpiadi di Tokyo 2020 a cui prenderemo parte con la nazionale femminile. Questa è la strada da percorrere e questo è il modo per rendere sempre più inclusivo il mondo dello sport”. Un sentimento condiviso dal consigliere federale e referente del settore sitting, Guido Pasciari: “Il sitting volley è vita, inclusione sociale e divertimento – ha dichiarato – vedere tutti questi ragazzi condividere in maniera così autentica questi valori ci fa capire come e quanto sia straordinaria questa disciplina. La Fipav è fiera degli sforzi organizzativi fatti e pronta a supportare questa disciplina affiancandosi in maniera costruttiva all’attività di Paravolley Europe”. Sotto lo sguardo del presidente del Paravolley Europe, Branko Mihorko, e del presidente del CIP Lazio, Pasquale Barone, il liceo Karaman Karmasi turco ha prima battuto in semifinale la Bulgaria 2-0 e poi si è imposto in finale sull’Istituto Calamandrei di Roma con lo stesso risultato chiudendo la due giorni di partite con 4 vittorie e 0 set persi. Sul gradino più basso del podio sono saliti i ragazzi sloveni del ŠC Ravne na Koroškem – Gimnazija che dopo il ko con l’Italia in semifinale si sono imposti nella finale per il bronzo contro la Bulgaria 2-0. Quinti e sesti si sono infine classificati, rispettivamente, gli studenti finlandesi e estoni.

Girone A
Bulgaria – Estonia 2-1 (30-32; 25-22; 15-12)
Italia – Bulgaria 2-1 (25-12; 21-25; 15-8)
Estonia – Italia 0-2 (14-25; 14-25)

Girone B
Turchia – Finlandia 2-0 (25-10; 25-10)
Slovenia – Turchia 0-2 (14-25; 19-25)
Finlandia – Slovenia 0-2 (8-25; 12-25)

Semifinali 
Italia – Slovenia 2-1 (25-23; 9-25; 15-10)
Turchia – Bulgaria 2-0 (25-11; 25-13)
Finale 5°- 6° posto
Finlandia – Estonia 2-0 (25-18; 25-21)

Finale 3°- 4° posto
Slovenia – Bulgaria 2-0 (25-17; 25-13)

Finale 1°- 2° posto
Italia-Turchia 0-2 (17-25; 13-25)

Sit2Play, Final Tournament in Rome Day 1

The first day of the #Sit2Play final tournament in Rome did not disappoint! The 6 partner nations’ school delegations of the European project funded by Erasmus + program took to the field at the Bocciodromo Eur for a day entirely dedicated to a session of sitting volleyball and social inclusion. Under the eyes of Paravolley Europe president, Branko Mihorko, the Fipav councillor and sitting volleyball referent Guido Pasciari as well as the legendary Italian volleyball icon, Andrea “Lucky” Lucchetta, around 90 students from Italy, Finland, Bulgaria, Turkey, Estonia and Slovenia, played sitting volleyball breaking down the cultural and physical barriers on disability. The day was a mix of fun, sport and social interaction during the competitive phase of the project which ended with Istituto Calamandrei (Italy) and Karaman Karmasi (Turkey) as well as Slovenian institute ŠC Ravne na Koroškem – Gimnazija and representative of the Bulgarian organizations Vasil Levski, Pencho Slavejkov, Georgi Angushev, qualifying for the semi-finals. The teams from Finland and Estonia will compete for 5th-6th place. During the day, the Italian nationals sitting volleyball team coaches, respectively Emanuele Fracascia (male) and Amauri Ribeiro (female) met with students and professors from all the delegations, promoting the basic principles of the discipline as a means of sporting and cultural emancipation to break down any barriers that still separate disabled and able-bodied people in everyday life.

Summary Day 1

Pool A

Bulgaria – Estonia 2-1 (30-32; 25-22; 15-12)

Italy – Bulgaria 2-1 (25-12; 21-25; 15-8)

Estonia – Italy 0-2 (14-25; 14-25)

Pool B

Turkey 2-0 Finland (25-10; 25-10)

Slovenia – Turkey 0-2 (14-25; 19-25)

Finland – Slovenia 0-2 (8-25; 12-25)

Day 2

Semi-finals 9:00 am

Italy – Slovenia

Turkey – Bulgaria

Final 5th – 6th place at 10:00 am

Finland – Estonia

Final 3rd – 4th place at 10:00 am

Final 1st – 2nd place at 11:00 am

The end of the Sit2Play tournament will be streamed live on the YouTube channel of the Italian Volleyball Federation on the following link https://bit.ly/2O2PeJJ

Sit2Play, lo spettacolo dell’inclusione e del sitting volley conquista Roma

Cala il sipario sulla prima giornata dell’evento finale del Sit2Play in svolgimento a Roma. Le delegazioni scolastiche delle 6 nazioni partner del progetto europeo finanziato dal programma Erasmus + sono scese in campo al Bocciodromo dell’Eur per una giornata interamente dedicata a sitting volley e inclusione sociale. Sotto gli occhi del presidente del Paravolley Europe, Mihorko Branko, del consigliere della Fipav e referente del settore sitting, Guido Pasciari, e del testimonial ed icona del volley italiano, Andrea Lucky Lucchetta, circa 90 studenti provenienti da Italia, Finlandia, Bulgaria, Turchia, Estonia e Slovenia, si sono seduti in campo abbattendo ogni tipo di barriera culturale e fisica circa il tema della disabilità. Divertimento, schiacciate, scivolamenti e socializzazione hanno accompagnato la fase agonistica del progetto che ha anche emesso i primi verdetti. Al termine della fase a gironi, Istituto Calamandrei (Italia) e Karaman Karmasi (Turchia) hanno staccato il pass per le semifinali chiudendo in testa i rispettivi raggruppamenti a punteggio pieno. Tabellone a eliminazione diretta completato da istituto sloveno ŠC Ravne na Koroškem – Gimnazija e rappresentativa di istituti bulgari Vasil Levski, Pencho Slavejkov, Georgi Angushev, che nonostante le sconfitte con Italia e Turchia sono rimaste in gioco per la vittoria finale. Finlandia ed Estonia, infine, si sfideranno nella finalina di consolazione per 5°-6° posto. A margine del torneo, i C.T. delle nazionali italiane di sitting volley, Emanuele Fracascia (maschile) e Amauri Ribeiro (femminile) hanno incontrato studenti e docenti di tutte le delegazioni promuovendo i principi base del sitting inteso come strumento di emancipazione sportiva e culturale per abbattere ogni barriera che tuttora separa disabili e normodotati nella vita di tutti i giorni.

Risultati della prima giornata

Girone A

Bulgaria – Estonia 2-1 (30-32; 25-22; 15-12)

Italia – Bulgaria 2-1 (25-12; 21-25; 15-8)

Estonia – Italia 0-2 (14-25; 14-25)

Girone B

Turchia – Finlandia 2-0 (25-10; 25-10)

Slovenia – Turchia 0-2 (14-25; 19-25)

Finlandia – Slovenia 0-2 (8-25; 12-25)

Programma di domani

Semifinali ore 9:00

Italia – Slovenia

Turchia – Bulgaria

Finale 5°- 6° posto ore 10:00

Finlandia – Estonia

Finale 3°- 4° posto ore 10:00

Finale 1°- 2° posto ore 11:00

La finale del torneo Sit2Play sarà trasmessa in diretta streaming sul canale YouTube della Federazione Italiana Pallavolo al seguente link https://bit.ly/2O2PeJJ

Sit2Play – Rome is ready for the final leg of the inclusion and sport project

The wait is almost over. On Tuesday 19th and Wednesday 20th November, Rome will host the final event of the European Sit2Play project – Inclusive Sitting Volley: a tool to change the perception of disability.  The final tournament will take place at the Bocciodromo in Rome and will challenge the six school teams, winners of their own national tournament. The event is organised by the project’s six national partners and is co-funded by the Erasmus + program together with the support of Paravolley Europe and C.I.P (Italian Paralympic Committee). Under 18 students from Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Slovenia and Turkey will be on court to play sitting volleyball in the name of social inclusion and for a new approach to disability. In a climate of fair play and fun, Andrea “Lucky” Lucchetta, the Italian volleyball icon, will be the star of the two days event, together with the Italian national sitting volleyball men’s and women’s team coaches, Emanuele Fracascia and Amauri Ribeiro. In addition to the tournament, the organisation has scheduled a series of meetings and discussions that will involve students and teachers who will be taught the basic principles of sitting volleyball. On court, 6 competitive school selections of able-bodied and disabled boys and girls, aged from 14 to 18, will be ready to compete to lift the Sit2Play 2019 European Champion trophy.

The tournament will be structured in a group stage and a knockout phase. The group stage will take place on Tuesday 19th November starting at 9:00. In Group A, the Italien Istituto Calamandrei, a selection of Institutes from Bulgaria (Vasil Levski, Pencho Slavejkov, Georgi Angushev) and the Estonian Palusalu Sports School, will compete for a place in the semi finals. In Group B, the players of Karaman Karmasi (Turkey) will face other students of ŠC Ravne na Koroškem – Gimnazija (Slovenia) and Oriveden yhteiskoulu ja lukio (Finland). The first two runners-up in each group will enter in the knockout board with the semi finals scheduled for Wednesday 20^th November starting at 9:00 am. The last of Group A and Group B, again on the same day at 10:00 am, will give way to the 5^th / 6^th place at the same time as the 3^rd / 4^th  place games. The final of the tournament is planned to take place at 11:00 am. Promoting the fundamental principles of social inclusion through a healthy and pleasant sporting practice will be the main objective of the two-day event entirely dedicated to the first sitting volleyball project aimed at schools on a European scale. The project, promoted by the Italian Volleyball Federation, is carried out thanks to the collaboration of 7 partner organisations from 6 different countries (ParaVolley Europe, the Italian Paralympic Committee, the Bulgarian Ministry of Youth and Sport, the Finnish Sports Association of People with Disabilities, the Estonian Volleyball Federation, the Volleyball Federation of Slovenia and the Turkish Volleyball Federation).

Sit2Play, a Roma l’atto finale del progetto europeo di inclusione sociale

Tutto pronto per il gran finale del Sit2Play “Inclusive Sitting Volley – Uno strumento per cambiare la percezione della disabilità”. Il progetto europeo finanziato dal Programma Erasmus+ e che ha visto scendere in campo 6 partner nazionali (Italia, Estonia, Turchia, Finlandia, Bulgaria e Slovenia) oltre a Paravolley Europe e Comitato Italiano Paralimpico, farà tappa al Bocciodromo di Roma per vivere una due giorni interamente dedicata all’inclusione sociale attraverso la sana e divertente pratica del sitting volley. Martedì 19, e mercoledì 20 novembre, Roma diventerà la capitale europea dell’inclusione sociale celebrata dalle selezioni dei 6 istituti scolastici europei rispettivamente vincitrici degli eventi nazionali organizzati da ciascun partner negli ultimi mesi. Una vera e propria festa senza confini e barriere che, oltre al torneo, consterà di momenti di confronto tecnico e seminari che avranno come obiettivo quello di diffondere e promuovere il sitting volley come strumento di crescita sociale e sportiva tra i più giovani. “Il Sitting Volley è un prezioso alleato per promuovere soprattutto tra i più giovani il concetto dell’inclusione sociale – ha dichiarato il presidente della Fipav, Pietro Bruno Cattaneo –. Siamo felici ed orgogliosi di ospitare a Roma l’evento finale del progetto Sit2Play concepito proprio per diffondere un messaggio inclusivo per aprire una nuova era europea di approccio alla disabilità. Ai ragazzi di tutte le scuole che parteciperanno a questa grande festa faccio un grosso in bocca al lupo augurando loro di tornare a casa, oltre che con una bella esperienza, con un nuovo modo di intendere lo sport in generale e la pallavolo nello specifico stando seduti in nome dell’inclusione, dell’uguaglianza e della solidarietà”. Testimonial dell’ultimo appuntamento del progetto Sit2Play sarà Andrea “Lucky” Lucchetta, icona e campione del volley italiano che siederà con i ragazzi presenti “schiacciando” i pregiudizi circa il tema della disabilità. Il torneo sarà strutturato in una fase a gironi ed una ad eliminazione diretta. La fase a gironi si svolgerà domani, martedì 19 novembre a partire dalle ore 9:00. Nel Girone A si giocheranno il pass per le semifinali Istituto Calamandrei (Italia), una selezione di Istituti provenienti dalla Bulgaria (Vasil Levski, Pencho Slavejkov, Georgi Angushev) e la Palusalu Sports School estone. Nel Girone B si affronteranno i ragazzi del Karaman Karmasi (Turchia) con quelli di ŠC Ravne na Koroškem – Gimnazija (Slovenia) e Oriveden yhteiskoulu ja lukio (Finlandia). Le prime due classificate di ciascun girone accederanno al tabellone ad eliminazione diretta con le semifinali in programma mercoledì 20 novembre alle ore 9:00. Le ultime di Girone A e Girone B, sempre mercoledì 20 novembre, alle ore 10:00, daranno vita alla finale 5°-6° in contemporanea a quella 3°-4° posto. La finale del torneo è invece fissata per le ore 11:00. Nel corso della manifestazione studenti e docenti si ritroveranno in un meeting a cui parteciperanno anche i C.T. delle nazionali di sitting azzurre, Emanuele Fracascia ed Amauri Ribeiro. Un momento di confronto per diffondere la cultura del sitting volley a livello scolastico.

Successfully conducted Sit2Play seminar in Slovenia

The Volleyball Federation of Slovenia hosted a sitting volleyball seminar in cooperation with Prof. Tjaša Filipčič at the Faculty of Education in Ljubljana as part of the Erasmus Sit2Play project.

The students of the Faculty got acquainted with the project itself and the idea of including kids and youngsters into sitting volleyball activities. There was a great deal of interest in the seminar, and the participants were particularly curious about the specifics of the game and the possibilities to use sitting volleyball as an activity in their future work with special needs children.

To gain more insight, the participants tested their volleyball skills, thus gaining important practical experience.

Sit2Play, in Bulgaria the celebration of inclusion and sport

Sofia, Bulgaria, 25 September 2019

The Bulgarian Ministry of Youth and Sports as one of the partner institutions for theErasmus + Sit2Play Project organised the National Sit2Play Tournament on 25 September 2019 at the Arena Armeets Sports Hall. The sitting volleyball tournament was a special event included in the programme of the European Week of Sport in Bulgaria. Three teams made up of students aged from 13 to 17 years old participated in the tournament.  The teams were composed of students from different schools, some of them with mental and physical disabilities.

27 students from 11 schools played sitting volleyball with great enthusiasm and passion trying to win the final game, excited by the opportunity given to them to participate in the International inclusive sitting volleyball tournament which will be held in Rome in November.The Secretary General of the Ministry of Youth and Sports awarded medals and cups to the players of the winning team. After the official ceremony, many students from the public joined the players on the court and experienced the game. Some of them shared their first feelings and stated that they were really pleased with the possibility to try something new and to experience the excitement of playing sitting volleyball.

Sit2Play – Great show in Finnish national tournament

Finnish Sports Association of Persons with Disabilities (VAU) and Finnish Volleyball Association organized national SIT2PLAY tournament on September 11, 2019, in Liikuntakeskus Pajulahti. There were three participating teams, which composed of disabled and able-bodied players aged between 14 and 18 years. The teams competed for the first place of the tournament, but also for the opportunity to be qualified to the finals of the SIT2PLAY project, which will be held in Rome, Italy on November 2019. The main concept of the SIT2PLAY project, the social inclusion, was presented throughout the whole tournament and it was admirable to see how disabled and able-bodied players played inclusive sitting volleyball together. It was also great to see how players, who had earlier experience from volleyball or sitting volleyball, guided the disabled players to take part in the game and to understand the rules of sitting volleyball. The able-bodied players, for instance, helped disabled players act as the team captains, which was remarkable and important experience for the disabled players. For all the players the most important thing was being able to take part in the tournament and to have fun on the court. During the matches, other players and crowd cheered for the teams and the players were rewarded for the stunning performances with applause. The players gave really positive feedback after the tournament and in their opinion sitting volleyball can be used to integrate disabled and able-bodied adolescents together. Many of them were also interested to continue playing sitting volleyball in the future.

Sit2Play – Karaman Karması team wins the Turkish national tournament

The Karaman Mixted team won the Turkish national tournament organized by the Turkish volleyball Federation as part of the Sit2Play project, the European project that promotes the concept of social inclusion and a correct approach to disability among young people through sport. The event was held in the splendid TVF Başkent Volleyball Hall of Ankara, where the Serçev’s Technical Institute arrived in the second place, preceeding Zonguldak Karadeniz Ereğli on the podium. MEV Gökkuşağı closed in fourth place. Thanks to this success, the Karaman Karması team qualified for the international tournament that will be held on 19-20 November in Rome. Prior to the start of the tournament, the Turkish Volleyball Federation (TVF) organized a seminar where sitting volleyball experts from the Turkish Federation met with the participating teams, coaches and parents. In his opening speech, Alper Sedat Aslandaş, TVF vice president, and Yusuf Kenan Kök, national sitting volleyball team coach, explained the details of the Sit2Play project.

Tournament results:

1st game | Zonguldak Black Sea Eregli Mix – Karaman Mix: 0-2

2.Match | MEV Gökkuşağı Special secondary education school – Serçev Engelsiz Professional high school and anatolian technique: 0-2

Final Third place| MEV Gökkuşağı Special secondary education school – Zonguldak Karadeniz Ereğli Mix: 0-2

Final | Serçev Engelsiz Professional and Anatolian High School – Karaman Mix: 0-2

SIT2PLAY, young sitting volleyball players in the spotlight of Monday’s afternoon match in Ljubljana

Ljubljana, Slovenia, September 16, 2019

Sport is not just about wins and medals, it is also an important player in society as integral part of social inclusion. With this in mind Erasmus+ project SIT2PLAY was developed to promote and help change the perception of disability through sports.

Volleyball Federation of Slovenia organised the first and test tournament for young players between the ages 14 and 18 in Braslovče, country’s sitting volleyball national centre, and the second one in Ljubljana during the Men’s EuroVolley in Ljubljana.

Young participants from nine Slovenian schools were thrilled with an opportunity to take part in the sitting volley tournament. “I have played it for the first time. It is very interesting, different from actual volleyball. I like it. It is a little bit different, but it is not hard once you get into it,” said Tina.

On the other side of the net was Ela, who is more experienced player and already participated in some international tournaments, including one in Vienna: “I have played sitting volleyball on a weekly basis for a few years now. It is a lot of fun and what I like the most is that everyone who wishes so can play sitting volleyball”.

And the sitting volleyball rules? Žan, one of the participants of the tournament, says everyting is very easy, “One can quickly get sucked into the match. The rules are simple and I think this is an advantage of sitting volleyball”.

What is more, a very positive feedback came from the mentors in different schools, too. Tomaž Urbančič from Šiška Grammar School could not find enough superlatives for the project, “Considering the players come from schools I am enthusiastic and I immediately supported the idea when one of our former pupils invited us to participate in the sitting volleyball tournament. The rules are simplified and even allow the second serve, which is usually the biggest problem for less skilled players, so I think they are very good and well developed. I fully supoort the programme”.

Medallists of today’s sitting volleyball tournament in Ljubljana received their trophies and recognition during the first match of the day at the CEV European Championship between Russia and Finland in front of loud Finnish fans. The winner of the tournament was the team of Ravne na Koroškem Grammar School, Celje School centre took the second place, while Šiška Grammar School finished third.

Winners of the tournament will have an opportunity to take part in the International Inclusive Sitting Volleyball Tournament which will be held this November in Rome, Italy.

SIT2PLAY activities in Slovenia in full swing

Ljubljana, Slovenia, July 4, 2019

The Volleyball Federation of Slovenia sitting volleyball national teams are getting ready for the international Inclusive Sitting Volleyball tournament to be held in Rome in November. They are no strangers to that type of event as they have already organised the first national tournament with 18 participants from the whole country. Young players aged between 14 and 18 years old gathered in Braslovče, Slovenia’s sitting volleyball national center, where they had the chance to be coached by the national team players. They started by ensuring they had a proper warm up before moving on to the playing part. This event proved to be a successful rehearsal before the second tournament which will take place in Ljubljana during the Men’s EuroVolley2019. The results of both tournaments will determine Slovenia’s participants in the international tournament hosted by Italy in the late autumn.

Tallin plays host to the second Sit2Play project meeting – promoting Sitting Volleyball in European schools

Tallinn hosted the second meeting of the “Sit2Play -Inclusive Sitting Volley: a tool to change the perception of disability” Erasmus+ project.  Four months after the kick-off meeting in Rome, the representatives of Paravolley Europe, the Italian Paralympic Committee and the six other partner countries (Italy, Bulgaria, Turkey, Finland, Slovenia and Estonia) gathered in the Estonian capital to discuss the organisational details  of the first European project dedicated to the promotion of sitting volleyball in schools. During the two days of meetings and seminars, the Sit2Play project partners analysed the first set of data collected during the national events already organised in view of the upcoming national competitions and the final tournament that will take place in Italy in November.  CEV President Aleksandar Boricic attending the European League Final Four tournament in Tallinn took the opportunity to briefly join the meeting to show his support and wish good luck to the Sit2Play stakeholders: “The CEV takes notice and applauds such initiatives as this one – Boricic explained – from projects involving the youngest starting schools to those aimed at the world of disability as Sit2Play does, and we are prepared to give it our maximum support”. In November, the Sit2Play project will culminate with the organisation of the Continental tournament that will involve the winning schools of the Sit2Play partners’ national tournaments.