Lisbon, Portugal – October 22-24, 2024
The project consortium of the Inclusive Swimming Competition – Beyond Handicaps (ISC-Beyond Handicaps) convened in Lisbon, Portugal, to showcase the program developed by Lusofona University and the Portuguese Swimming Federation. This marked the second meeting of the Erasmus+ Sports Project, following the first transnational meeting in April 2024 in Athens, Greece.
ISC-Beyond Handicaps, an Erasmus+ Sports initiative co-funded by the EU, unites partners from Turkey, Italy, Portugal, Bulgaria, and Greece. The project aims to promote inclusive swimming by encouraging physically disabled and non-disabled children to participate together. By fostering social inclusion, increasing physical activity, and introducing a competitive format integrating both groups, the project pioneers a new approach to sports inclusivity.
During the first meeting in Athens, the consortium reviewed a comprehensive survey conducted with children, families, coaches, and sports clubs to identify the specific needs of an Inclusive Swimming Competition Program. In Lisbon, swimming coaches and project managers from the partner countries received specialized training covering:
- Physical impairment classification
- Teaching swimming and para-swimming: differences and similarities
- Safety and best practices in para-swimming training and events
- Implementation of the Inclusive Swimming Competition Program
The next phase of the project involves implementing the program at the local, national, and international levels. Sports clubs have begun defining their target groups, pairing children with and without disabilities to compete together under the inclusive competition framework.
