Davoud Alipourian

Started: He began playing sitting volleyball at age 14 with the Zob Ahan club in Esfahan, Islamic Republic of Iran. (Athlete, 22 Aug 2021, 22 Apr 2012) Reason: After his accident he wanted to take up a sport for health reasons. "When I was age 13 I was sitting waiting to get a prosthesis and a man came and sat next to me. He told me, 'Why don't you participate in sports?' My first coach, Tabatabai, introduced me to four sports, but he told me to start with sitting volleyball. The first and second sessions I went with my uncle. I gradually became interested in sitting volleyball and came to love it." (isna.ir, 15 Feb 2023; Athlete, 22 Aug 2021, 22 Apr 2012) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (isna.ir, 15 Feb 2023) Milestones: He is one of five Iranian sitting volleyball players [along with Sadegh Beigdeli, Isa Zirahi, Jalil Eimeri, and Ramzan Salehi Hajikolaei] to have won five career Paralympic medals in the sport. (SportsDeskOnline, 01 Jul 2024) Awards: He was named both Most Valuable Player [MVP] and Best Setter at the 2023 World Cup in Cairo, Egypt. (english.news.cn, 19 Nov 2023) He was named Best Setter at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (World ParaVolley Facebook page, 06 Sep 2021) He was named Most Valuable Player [MVP] at the 2016 World Intercontinental Championships in Huzhou, People's Republic of China. (paralympic.org, 05 Jun 2016) He was named Best Setter at the 2014 World Championships in Elblag, Poland. (paravolley.pl, 03 Jul 2014) Additional Info: VETERAN AND LEADER He participated in five consecutive editions of the Paralympic Games from Athens 2004 to Tokyo 2020, collecting three gold medals and two silver medals. He has been captain of the Iranian national team since 2014. "After Tokyo 2020, I originally didn't want to be active in sitting volleyball anymore, but at the insistence of my wife, I started my activity in this field again. I will definitely be with the team for Paris 2024. After Paris, I have to see if I still can continue or not. If I can't, I will say goodbye with pride. After I stop playing sitting volleyball, I will work in the field of coaching." (isna.ir, 15 Feb 2023)