IDI4Sport - Inclusion and Disabilities in and through Sport

Context of the IDI4Sport project

The low level of participation in sport by young people with disabilities in schools and sports clubs is a complex and multifaceted problem. This situation affects all EU countries, whether they have recently implemented improvement measures or not. The need for a collective and coherent transnational response has been recognised, notably by the European Commission's Disability Rights Strategy 2021-2030, which calls for cooperation between Member States to exchange best practice and learn from each other in the fields of education and sport.

The EU project IDI4Sport "Inclusion and Disability in and through Sport" aims to develop sport participation of children with disabilities against the backdrop of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games (OPG). It is designed to promote social inclusion, increase the participation of children with disabilities aged 10-20 in sport activities within and outside schools and reduce the difficulties they face. It also seeks to create inclusive environments that promote equity and equality. It is aimed at teachers, sports educators, students and young people within and outside schools.

Objectives 

The project aims to:

• help the formal and non-formal sectors to work together and promote collaboration between schools, youth workers, health professionals and sports organisations
• increase the participation of adults and young people in sport and improve their health and well-being
• improve the accessibility and attractiveness of health facilities for young people;
• to make young people aware that sport can foster teamwork, intercultural learning and a sense of responsibility;
• to develop a common sense of belonging to the European Union among young people.

All the results of the project will be regularly transmitted to the European Commission, to support the actions carried out in favour of the practice of young people with disabilities in sport.
Particular attention will be paid to the evolution of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in each European country and to the development strategy of the EU sports ministries. One of the objectives is to work on the legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and its dissemination over time. The fact that the Olympic and Paralympic Games will take place for the first time in history at the same time in 2024 will help the dissemination of the project.

Project activities

The main idea of the project is to observe and compare, at European level, the practice of sport for young people with disabilities and the practical adaptations put in place. The best experiences will be modelled to create an adapted training pathway, which will aim at raising awareness and training teachers and sport educators. The project will bring together actors from formal and non-formal education: teachers, within the school, sports educators, sports clubs and associations. European qualitative and quantitative indicators will then be created on the accessibility and development of sports for the young people concerned.

In addition, the pupils will be made aware of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which form the backdrop to the project. The young people will work in class but also in physical education and sports classes, in their sports clubs outside the school and through the implementation of original activities around the Games:

• A "relay race" by all the young participants: as the project starts on 1 January 2023, there will be approximately 500 days left until the 2024 Olympic Games, during which the young people will run in sections until the marathon deadline. The kilometres will be added up to reach the 500 kilometres corresponding to the 500 days until the marathon;
• This achievement will be identified by the award of a "Generation 2030" label, created as part of the project. This achievement will be identified by the award of a "Generation 2030" label, created within the framework of the project, which will enhance the value of young people's sporting activities within the project and thus contribute to the construction of the legacy of the Games.

Reports and deliverables

Reports will be produced in each country on existing national resources. Based on these reports, a database will be used to examine the situation in each country and to create a training pathway, which will be tested with teachers and sports coaches with pupils and young people in a selected sample of schools or sports clubs.

The experimentation consists of:

• the drafting of a protocol defining the parameters under which each phase of the experimentation is most likely to succeed, from the recruitment of participants and the training of teachers and sports educators to its implementation in schools and sports clubs. The protocol is linked to the training pathway and evaluation. The protocol can and will be adapted to the different facilities and national specificities of each country.
• Training of teachers and sports educators. Several training sessions will be organised in each partner country.
• Implementation of the activities in the participating schools and sports clubs. Several activities will be carried out with students in connection with the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, including the "relay race" of all participants.

The project partners

The partnership brings together five European Union countries and North Macedonia, an Erasmus+ associated country.

• France Education International (FEI), France, Project Coordinator 
• The Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth (IPDJ), Portugal 
• The University of Macedonia (UoM), Greece 
• The Olympic Committee of North Macedonia (OCNM), North Macedonia 
• The International Sports and Culture Association (ISCA), Denmark
• The Spanish Institute "España se Mueve" (IEsM), Spain
• The Institut National Supérieur de Formation et de Recherche pour l'Education des jeunes Handicapés et les Enseignements Inclusifs (INSHEI), France 

The project also benefits from the support of several Olympic and Paralympic athletes, the Greek Paralympic Committee, the Spanish Superior Council of Sports, and Mr Thierry Terret, former rector, ministerial delegate for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and now vice-rector of French Polynesia.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.