Captain Ihab Hassanein, member of the International Federation and President of both the Arab and African Para Sitting Volleyball Federations, attended the first Asian Sitting Volleyball Clubs Championship, held in Hangzhou, China.
His participation came at the invitation of Mr. Lu Kailiang, President of the Asian Sitting Volleyball Federation and member of the Egyptian Paralympic Committee.
The championship featured participation from eight countries in the men’s competitions, where a team from Kazakhstan won the title, and eight countries in the women’s competitions, where a Chinese team secured first place. Captain Hassanein had the honor of awarding the Iranian women’s team the silver medal for finishing second.
On the sidelines of the event, training courses and refereeing workshops were organized, attended by referees from different participating countries, including a Saudi referee, aimed at enhancing officiating expertise and knowledge exchange.
In his remarks, Hassanein emphasized that the Arab Federation for Sports of Persons with Disabilities nominated Al-Riyadh Club for Persons with Disabilities to take part in this championship. He noted that the club is considered a promising team that needs such international exposure to gain technical experience and improve performance.
Meanwhile, Captain Khalid Al-Hajri, head of the Saudi delegation and President of the Saudi Federation for Sitting and Wheelchair Sports, highlighted that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is determined to significantly develop sports for persons with disabilities in the coming period.