Sport for everyone
Sport belongs to everyone. A clear, respectful, educational introduction to adaptive and para sport — what it is, the many ways activities are adapted to be inclusive, and how people find a way in — connected to the sports, equipment and facilities across the platform.
Understanding adaptive sport
What adaptive, para and inclusive sport are — and why access to sport matters for everyone.
Adaptive sports
Sport adjusted in its equipment, rules or format so that people with disabilities can take part, compete and enjoy it.
Para sports
The competitive branch of adaptive sport, where athletes with disabilities train and compete, often within organised classification systems.
Inclusive sports
Sport designed or delivered so that disabled and non-disabled people can play together, side by side, in the same activity.
Accessibility in sport
How sport removes barriers — physical, sensory, social and informational — so that disabled people can take part on equal terms.
Disability and sport
An overview of how disabled people take part in sport — for health, enjoyment, community and competition — and the ideas that support inclusion.
Forms of adaptive sport
The broad ways sport is adapted — wheelchair, seated, and sport for blind, deaf and other athletes.
Wheelchair Sports
Sports played from a wheelchair — often a specialised sports chair — so that wheelchair users can take part, train and compete.
Sports for Blind and Visually Impaired Athletes
Sports adapted with sound, touch and guiding support so that athletes who are blind or have low vision can take part and compete.
Sports for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Athletes
Mainstream sports made accessible by replacing sound-based signals with visual cues so that deaf and hard of hearing athletes can take part and compete.
Seated Sports
Sports played from a seated position — on the floor, on a bench or in a chair — so that people who benefit from a stable seated base can take part.
Ambulant Para Sports
Para sports for athletes who compete standing or on foot — walking or running — rather than from a wheelchair or seated position.
How sport is adapted
The tools of inclusion — adaptive equipment, rules, classification, techniques and coaching.
Adaptive equipment
Purpose-built or adjusted gear — from sport wheelchairs to sound-adapted balls — that helps make a sport accessible to play.
Adaptive rules
Adjustments to a sport's rules — such as how a ball may bounce or how play is signalled — that keep the game fair and playable for everyone.
Classification in para sport
The system used in para sport to group athletes so that competition is fair — decided by how much an impairment affects a specific sport.
Adaptive techniques
The adjusted skills and movement patterns — a different grip, stroke or stance — that let people play a sport in the way that works for them.
Adaptive coaching
Coaching that adjusts how it teaches — communication, planning and pace — so that people with a disability can learn, improve and enjoy a sport.
Getting involved
Finding a way in — inclusive facilities, competitions, organisations and first steps.
Getting started in adaptive sport
A gentle, practical introduction to finding a first adaptive or inclusive sport, a welcoming session and a way in that suits you.
Inclusive facilities
Sports venues designed or adapted so that disabled and non-disabled people can arrive, take part and feel welcome on equal terms.
Adaptive competitions
Organised events where athletes with disabilities compete, from local grassroots fixtures up to major international championships.
Adaptive sport organisations
The bodies and groups — international, national and local — that organise, govern and support adaptive and para sport.
Adaptive sport terminology
A plain-language guide to common, respectful terms used in adaptive and para sport — and why inclusive language matters.
Educational & inclusive
An active life is for everyone
Adaptive sport opens the same benefits — health, enjoyment, challenge and community — to all.