Group stages

Group A: Canada, Netherlands, Croatia and Rwanda

Group B: America, Russia, Japan and Hungary

Group C: China, Iran, Slovakia and Italy

Group D: Brazil, Ukraine, Finland and Egypt

The national women’s sitting volleyball team has been drawn in Group A at the forthcoming IPC World championships due July 15-22 in the Netherlands.

Debutants Rwanda have been pooled alongside Croatia, Canada and hosts The Netherlands.

Rwanda qualified for the world’s biggest sitting volleyball event after beating Egypt last September to win the African Para Volleyball Championship staged in Kigali.

Jean Marie Nsengiyumva’s side will face Canada in their first match on July 15 before taking on The Netherlands on July 16 and Croatia the following day.

The 16-team championship will see four countries playing against each other on a round-robin basis under four different groups before top two in each progress to the round of last eight.

Group B comprises the United States, Russia, Japan and Hungary.

Group C is made up of reigning world champions China, Iran, Slovakia and Italy whilst Group D will have in contest another four countries; Brazil, Ukraine, Finland and Egypt.

Two-time African champions, Rwanda, are one of the only two countries alongside Egypt, set to represent Africa at the week-long world-class tournament in Europe.

This follows the 2016 milestone when the very team became the first African team to compete in Paralympic Games in Brazil.

In the men’s category, Rwanda along with Egypt will also represent the continent after both sides reached the final of the African Championship last year. Egypt beat Rwanda in the final.

According to National Paralympic Committee (NPC) – Rwanda, both the men’s and women’s teams (15 players each) have been in non-residential training at Amahoro stadium since April and will be reporting to residential camp for intensive preparations late this month.

China (women) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (men) are the reigning champions after beating the United States and Brazil in the 2014 edition’s finals – in Poland.