Itanagar, May 15: A unique sporting initiative focused on inclusivity in athletics concluded successfully in Arunachal Pradesh with the second edition of the world’s first-ever “Short Height Men’s Volleyball Tournament with Short Net Height” being organised at Rasing Village in Siang district.
The tournament, held from May 3 to May 14, was organised by the North Eastern Sports and Cultural Organization (NESCO) and exclusively featured players with heights between 5 feet 4 inches and 5 feet 7 inches. To create a more balanced competition environment, organisers introduced a specially designed volleyball net height of 7 feet 2 inches, significantly lower than the international standard of 7 feet 11 inches.
Around 20 teams from Siang, East Siang, West Siang and Upper Siang districts participated in the competition, which organisers described as a first-of-its-kind effort to provide fairer opportunities for shorter athletes in volleyball.
The final match, played on May 14, saw Friends IX Team defeat Generation Z Team by 3-1 sets to lift the championship trophy.
Prizes and trophies were distributed during the closing ceremony by Ibrahim Pajing and Dina Tatak.
Speaking at the event, Ibrahim Pajing, the initiator of the “IP Height Classification” (IPHC) system, said the tournament was part of a broader effort to promote fairness in sports through height-based classification.
Pajing noted that while sports such as boxing, wrestling and weightlifting use weight divisions to ensure balanced competition, several other disciplines including volleyball, basketball, athletics and swimming do not have separate categories for athletes of different heights.
According to him, this often places shorter athletes at a disadvantage against taller competitors, reducing their opportunities to compete effectively at higher levels.
Drawing comparisons with combat sports, Pajing said many globally celebrated athletes such as Mary Kom, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Sugar Ray Leonard may not have achieved international success without weight-category systems.
Under the proposed IP Height Classification model, athletes are grouped into categories including Very Short Height, Short Height, Medium Height, Tall Height, Very Tall Height and Super Tall Height divisions.
Pajing appealed to sports authorities to consider officially recognising height-based classifications in suitable sporting disciplines, arguing that such systems could improve equality and create greater opportunities for shorter athletes.
The tournament has attracted attention for its innovative approach towards inclusivity in sports and its attempt to rethink competitive structures by accounting for physical height differences in a manner similar to weight categories used in combat sports.
