Norwegian bands Vettche and Need music took care of creating a great atmosphere both for the teams and for the fans who came to enjoy sitting volleyball in Stavanger Idrettshall.

PVE President Branko Mihorko, Norwegian Volleyball Federation Eirik Sordahl and Stavanger Mayer Tormod Losnedahl addressed the guests of the Opening Ceremony.

“I can happily say that after 25 years, we are again back in Norway. The ‘93 European Champions, who have also bronze and silver in their records - we were missing you, Norwegian paravolley friends!

We are very happy that you decided to restart the paravolley movement.

3 years ago, we held the first #EuroSittingVolley Div. B Men, and we are fast developing this nice sport that is meant for everybody.

We wish to our athletes to show what they can do on the court in the next days!”

Branko Mihorko

“Thank you for being here. I am usually proud of our Federation, but I feel this pride extremely tonight. This is a historical event. We started discussing hosting an European Championship 4-5 years ago. And here we are now, looking forward to the first referee whistle.

Equal opportunities are very important to our federation.

I cannot imagine how hard the paravolley athletes are working, so the big round of applause goes for them.

This all couldn’t have been possible without the support without our partners, so thanks goes to them as well.”

Eirik Sordahl

“Dear all,

It is a great pleasure to welcome you to Stavanger, the fourth-biggest city in Norway.

Stavanger is an international and a diverse city, and more than 180 nationalities live here.

We move into the future by celebrating our history, and we are a significant sports region.

There is no doubt that this has been the right thing to do.

We have commitment to volleyball, to beach volleyball, and we expect to become also strong in sitting volleyball.

Congrats to the Norwegian Volleyball Federation - thank you to all that are connected in making this event a reality.

I hope this will be an exciting and challenging tournament. Enjoy your days and all the good moments together. The European Championships are hereby officially opened.“

Tormod Losnedahl

A windy weather in the western Norwegian city welcomed the participants from Czechia, Estonia, Denmark, Türkiye and, of course, host country Norway, who entered the gym accompanied by the music delivered by Stavanger symphony orchestra.

Keep updated on the competition website: https://tournaments.paravolley.eu/ecbc2025

Photo credit: Trine Nessler Wichmann