The Athens 2004 Paralympic Games Special Initiative
  • Dutch Association for Adapted Sports (NebasNsg) in Bunnik and Recreational Sports Development and Stimulation - Disabled International (RESPO DS-DI) in Heerenveen
  • In cooperation with: the International Paralympic Comittee (IPC)
  • Project title: 'The Athens 2004 Paralympic Games Special Initiative in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Ghana en Cap Verdi'
  • Local partners: national Paralympic committees of Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Ghana en Cap Verdi
  • Support: special logistic and organisational support by DIR
  • Period: January 2004 - September 2004

The Project

Objective of the project was to enlarge the enduring possibilities and influence of persons with a disability in developing countries. This would mainly be done by stimulating development of national paralympic committees and by participation of athletes with a disability from developing countries to the Paralympic Games. Sport development by educative seminars, experimental methods of teaching, sport training and competitions was held in mind. Countries which had none or few participants to the Games in 2004 and which had a committee being developed were involved in the activities. Due to time pressure the project focused on two sports for which qualification was still possible: athletics and power lifting. Five seminars, focused on training of athletes, trainer-coaches and directors were organised of which three took place in Ethiopia in cooperation with DIR. Athletes who qualified could get extra support. The project not only prepared the sportsmen, but it also made participation in the qualifying competitions possible and it requested wildcards.

The Results

Two of these sportsmen achieved a bronze medal (in athletics and power lifting). In total, 81 persons - coaches/trainers and directors/administrators - obtained support by means of expertise enhancement. In nine countries sport for persons with a disability was given a new impulse in a special way. Moreover, new cooperation networks developed, for example in eastern Africa as the East African Development Group and in the Netherlands between DIR, and RESPO DS-DI and between RESPO DS-DI and NebasNsg. During the public meeting of the EIP in Athens a director of IPC called the project an example for the future.

About NebasNsg, RESPO DS-DI and IPC

NebasNsg is the umbrella organisation for Dutch sports for persons with a disability. In most sports NebasNsg still has an active role in competitive sports, although it tries to delegate most of the responsibility to specific sport associations. NebasNsg has a coordinating function, stimulates sports practice for persons with a disability in the Netherlands and also works for, for example, expertise development for adapted sports. RESPO DS-DI is an independent international organisation having its main office in the Netherlands. It works for development and stimulation of sports on all levels and practice for people with a handicap in developing countries, focusing on social and physical rehabilitation. In 2005 RESPO DS-DI transforms in cooperation with the CALCO-department of Professional School in Windesheim into RESPO International. IPC is the general international umbrella organisation for adapted sports.

Websites: www.nebasnsg.nl, www.respo.org en www.paralympic.org

Anecdotes:

  • At the first meeting IPC-folders with pictures of athletes with a disability were displayed. There was no answer of the participants to the question what struck them about the pictures. When they were told that there were only white athletes with a disability in the pictures, the African and Asian participants replied: 'That's the way it always is. What can we expect?'
  • A Pakistani participant said, in a reaction to the project presentation: 'I was expecting less, but it is more'.