Sitting Volleyball

Great Paralympic moments: Rwanda sitting volleyball team compete at London 2012

Wescley Oliveira of Brazil and teammate Wellington Platini block during the Men's Sitting Volleyball Preliminaries Pool B match against Rwanda at the London 2012 Paralympic Games (Photo by Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Images)
Wescley Oliveira of Brazil and teammate Wellington Platini block during the Men's Sitting Volleyball Preliminaries Pool B match against Rwanda at the London 2012 Paralympic Games (Photo by Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Images)
2012 Getty Images

With Tokyo 2020 now just one year away, it’s time to relive some of the greatest Paralympic moments of the decade. Today, 3 September 2020, the inspiring story of the first sub-Saharan African volleyball team to qualify for the Paralympics.

The schedule for Tokyo 2020 has been confirmed, venues announced and while athletes around the world are busy gearing up to qualify for the greatest show on Earth, it's time to enjoy 13 days full of the most unforgettable, inspiring and exciting moments from the past as preparations for Tokyo 2020 gather pace!

Rwanda sitting volleyball team defy the odds

Out of the tragedy of civil war, 11 men showed sport’s great power to cast aside differences and unite former enemies into one common cause.

Formed by two amputees from opposite sides of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the group became the first sub-Saharan African volleyball team to qualify for the Paralympic Games.

Despite the difficulties in training ahead of London 2012, the team made it to London. Although they would lose all but one of their matches, their endeavours provided one of the most inspirational stories of the Games.

Greatest Paralympic Moments: Rwanda Sitting Volleyball, London 2012

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