Canadian women start world sitting volleyball championship with win, men drop opener

HANGZHOU — The Canadian women’s sitting volleyball team opened the world championship with a three-set win over Hungary on Friday.

The Canadians swept the Hungarians 25-9, 25-11, 25-8.

Canada’s women won Paralympic bronze in 2024 and are currently ranked No. 2 in the world. They face No. 5 Slovenia on Saturday.

Canada’s men had a tougher start in a straight-sets loss to Germany (25-13, 27-25, 25-21).

The world No. 8 Canadian men face Thailand on Saturday.

Heidi Peters led the Canadian women with 25 points.

“The team’s performance was exactly what we expected,” the captain said in a statement.

“We came into the game knowing that it would be about our side and putting the ball in play and being really tough with what our side of the play is. We executed that very well from the service line and attacking as well. I am really proud of our serve game today.”

The Canadian women took the silver medal in the 2022 world championship in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. The men seek a first podium in the quadrennial championship.

Canadian men’s team captain Douglas Learoyd compiled 16 points, including six on blocks, in the loss to the Germans.

“The first set kind of got away from us with a little bit of a nervy start with being in a new tournament and getting used to a new venue,” Learoyd.

“But we had a good pushback in the second and third. It was just a little bit of execution at times with unforced errors and ultimately, we couldn’t pull it out in those key moments. We are looking ahead to our next match and looking forward to keeping it rolling.”

The 2026 championship featuring 16 men’s teams and 16 women’s teams is the first qualifying tournament for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. The finals are July 17.

The top two men’s and women’s countries earn direct qualification to 2028. The United States is already in the field as the host country.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 10, 2026.

The Canadian Press