Special meeting
On initiatives of Mr Pieter Joon (NED) the international representatives of participating nations had a meeting during the 1980 Games.
A provisional group of enthusiastic leaders sat together.
with: Mr I. Barlund SWE), Mr H. Haep (GER), Mr K. Aga (NOR), Mr R. Vute (YUG) and Mr P. Joon (NED) and representatives from Luxembourg and Finland, with one Agenda item: to discuss the future of international Sitting Volleyball for disabled .
Mr H. Natvig MD (NOR) will be the responsible ISOD classifier who should control the international classification and eligibility of the players.
The pioneer nations will be those who entered the Paralympics in 1980 Volleyball in Arnhem (NED). ISOD will be the
international governing body. An agreement was reached to formalize, next year, an International Committee who could streamline the activities, the rules and develop the Sitting and Standing |Volleyball game.
Germany offered to organize in 1981 the next international Sitting Tournament were things can be finalized and decided by the participating Nations .A classification system for Standing Volleyball developed in Great Britain, by Mr Len Softley, has been adopted by the International Sports Organization for Disabled (ISOD). The Sitting nations stated that they wish to compete only with a "minimal disability" and no further classification or point-system.
Pieter Joon meets mr Harald Natvig MD (NOR) every day to discuss the classification problems. The ISOD has a classification system based on amputation. Other disabilities who enters the international competition have to be compatible to an amputation. This create a lot of problems for the ISOD classifiers in Volleyball. A mayor problem was that the ISOD has for all Sports the same strict ” minimal disability” and only one classification system. All athletes in all sports have to meet that criteria. During the Arnhem Games ,
Joon wishes was a “minimal disability” per Sport based on a “ functional limintation” per Sport and per Event. Volleyball should have its own minimal disability and classification different from b.e. Athletics or Swimming. The participating Nations in a specific sport should have a casting vote on that and not the “medical committee” of ISOD or IPC.
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