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universidade lusófona
Projects

Inclusive Swimming Competition - Beyond Handicaps

This project is not under CIDEFES Leadership.

Timeline

01/10/2023 to 30/09/2025

Partners

  • Kargenc Club (Turkey) (coordinator)
  • CIDEFES – Universidade Lusófona (Portugal)
  • Federação Portuguesa de Natação (Portugal)
  • Sakarya Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sport (Turkey)
  • L’ORMA (Italy), BGSA Sports for All (Bulgaria)
  • Kinitiko Ergastiri (Greece)

From CIDEFES

José Morgado, Catarina Matias and Lúcia Gomes

Summary

The project “Inclusive Swimming Competition – Beyond Handicaps” generally aims to encourage the integration of children with and without disabilities into sports clubs, promoting the active and inclusive participation of children with physical disabilities in social life through swimming activities. This project also proposes the creation of innovative competitions that encompass both realities.

People with disabilities face social barriers, discrimination, and stigma, leading to exclusion in education, employment, and community activities. In the EU, children with disabilities encounter limited opportunities in inclusive education, facing segregation and unsuitable conditions. Sport is a potent tool to break down these barriers, and the EU plans to implement an “Inclusive Swimming Competition Programme” to promote inclusion by focusing on abilities, aligning with UNICEF’s motto.

In this project three target groups will be established: children with and without a disability aged between 10 and 14; swimming teachers/coaches and sports clubs.

Firstly, a search will be conducted about the local situation and analyses with surveys on target groups will be addressed to develop the Inclusive Swimming Competition Program, scrutinizing the way to meet the needs. This Program will include acquisition/target, activities, rules, learning-training process, approaches and methodologies, and mental/psychological support. It will be converted in digital content to reach the sports clubs/NGOs quickly. This project is funded by the Erasmus + Sport programme of the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).