Paralympic sitting volleyball, a game which dates back to the Netherlands in the 1950's, is a fast-paced game designed for amputee and polio-stricken athletes. It's played with a meter-high net, and quick hands are an absolute necessity. Above, a moment from a classification match between Latvia and Ukraine in the women's tournament, in the first round of the fifth through eighth place pool. The Ukranian side won in straight sets.
A total of 272 events have been completed, with 831 medals awarded. On Day 6, podiums will be set out for athletics, cycling, shooting and swimming. It's also the last day of the boccia tournament, a gentle game of balls and jacks that may seem out of place with all the physicality going on in Beijing.
Especially when compared to a sport making its 2008 start on Day 6: wheelchair rugby. Open to quadriplegics, it's colloquially called "murderball" and inspired a documentary of that same name three years ago after Athens. The United States team featured in the film is expected to reclaim its Paralympic title after finishing third in 2004, and opened the eight-team, five-day tournament with a 65-30 rout of host nation China.
"There's a lot of shock and awe because people aren't used to seeing athletes in wheelchairs running into one another," U.S. coach James Gumbert said. "It goes against everything we are taught — we're frail, we can break easily."
BASKETBALL: Wheelchair basketball, like murderball, not only challenges common preconceptions about what's possible in a chair -- it redefines the hoops map of developed nations. While the able-bodied Great Britain side is just getting over its struggles with getting out of European qualifications, the wheelchair team won bronze in Athens and ended the round-robin in Beijing at 4-1, including a four-point win over the United States. Canada, whose national team fell apart in qualifying earlier this summer, has a Paralympic team to be proud of. Defending gold medalists, the Canadians roared into the medal round with a perfect 5-0 record and the tournament's hottest offense. They'll play Israel in the quarterfinals today.
SWIMMING: One of the more recognizable names of the Paralympics, South African swimmer Natalie du Toit (right), won her fourth gold medal of the 2008 Beijing games on Day 6, a 4:43.81 world record in the 400m freestyle. She has one more race to go on Sunday, the 50m free.
ATHLETICS: In the do-over race after a spectacular crash wiped out half the field in the women's T54 5000m event, more excitement. A photo finish put American Amanda McGrory in first this time, as two athletes injured in the wipeout did not take part and crash-causer Edith Hunkeler of Switzerland was not allowed to take part. McGrory won by one-hundredth of a second, or in her words, an inch. "I didn’t even see the finish line," she told reporters afterwards "I was going to just push as long and hard as I could."
Here's the complete medal table after six full days of competition. China has maintained its overall 40-medal lead, and is staving off a strong challenge from Great Britain in the gold column. While Ukraine won't medal in women's volleyball, the nation has leapfrogged over Australia for fourth in championships.| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  China |
37 | 42 | 30 | 109 |
| 2 |  Great Britain |
33 | 20 | 16 | 69 |
| 3 |  United States |
23 | 16 | 17 | 56 |
| 4 |  Ukraine |
15 | 10 | 17 | 42 |
| 5 |  Australia |
14 | 18 | 17 | 49 |
| 6 |  Russia |
13 | 14 | 14 | 41 |
| 7 |  Spain |
12 | 17 | 14 | 43 |
| 8 |  South Africa |
12 | 1 | 4 | 17 |
| 9 |  Brazil |
10 | 8 | 10 | 28 |
| 10 |  Germany |
9 | 17 | 14 | 40 |
| 11 |  Canada |
9 | 7 | 13 | 29 |
| 12 |  South Korea |
7 | 6 | 9 | 22 |
| 13 |  France |
6 | 12 | 8 | 26 |
| 14 |  Tunisia |
5 | 4 | 2 | 11 |
| 15 |  Czech Republic |
5 | 2 | 11 | 18 |
| 16 |  Cuba |
5 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
| 16 |  Mexico |
5 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
| 18 |  Sweden |
4 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 19 |  Algeria |
4 | 0 | 5 | 9 |
| 20 |  Japan |
3 | 6 | 3 | 12 |
| 21 |  Belarus |
3 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| 22 |  New Zealand |
3 | 2 | 4 | 9 |
| 23 |  Austria |
3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 23 |  Nigeria |
3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 25 |  Poland |
2 | 7 | 9 | 18 |
| 26 |  Netherlands |
2 | 4 | 5 | 11 |
| 27 |  Italy |
2 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| 28 |  Kenya |
2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 29 |  Denmark |
2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 29 |  Egypt |
2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 31 |  Greece |
1 | 6 | 4 | 11 |
| 32 |  Azerbaijan |
1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 33 |  Iran |
1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 33 |  Portugal |
1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 35 |  Cyprus |
1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 35 |  Slovakia |
1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 37 |  Thailand |
1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| 38 |  Switzerland |
1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 39 |  Hong Kong |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 40 |  Croatia |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 40 |  Latvia |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 40 |  Morocco |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 43 |  Hungary |
1 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| 44 |  Venezuela |
1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 45 |  Finland |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 45 |  Ireland |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 47 |  Saudi Arabia |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 48 |  Israel |
0 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 49 |  Norway |
0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 50 |  Jordan |
0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 51 |  Slovenia |
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 52 |  Angola |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 52 |  Iraq |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 52 |  Lithuania |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 52 |  Pakistan |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 52 |  Romania |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 52 |  Serbia |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 58 |  Argentina |
0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 59 |  Singapore |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 60 |  Belgium |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 60 |  Colombia |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 60 |  Jamaica |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 60 |  Laos |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 60 |  Lebanon |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 60 |  Malaysia |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 60 |  Namibia |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 60 |  Puerto Rico |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 60 |  Turkey |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Photo credits: Reuters, AP
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