Unlimited possibilities: what conditions do paraathletes need to train and win

Sport is one of the most important tools for the rehabilitation of disabled people. For some, this is an opportunity to improve their health, for others – a chance to master sports skills and even take part in the Paralympic Games, the program of which, by the way, includes more than 20 disciplines in total. Of course, such an event requires careful preparation. For example, a lot of modern sports complexes are being built now, taking into account the needs of many, if not all. Our experts told us about what functionality they should have to make it convenient for athletes with disabilities to train.

It is worth saying that in Russia there are 24,101 institutions where people with disabilities work. Of these, 16 thousand are educational. There are 1307 sports schools. According to Elena Istyagina-Eliseeva, Deputy Chairman of the Commission of the RF OP on Physical Culture and Healthy Lifestyle Promotion and Scientific Director of the Institute of Sports Management and Law of the Higher School of Economics, 215 thousand people with disabilities are involved in sports, of which 90 thousand – from six up to 18 years old. The interest of young people is one of the indicators of the work of the state program “Accessible Environment”, thanks to which conditions appear that contribute to the integration of disabled people into society and improve their standard of living.

“At the moment there are 348,000 sports facilities in Russia. Of these, 108 thousand are adapted for people with disabilities. On 14 thousand people with limited mobility can move without outside help. And people with limited vision and hearing can navigate on 5 thousand. In total, 37 thousand assistants are currently involved in sports facilities,” — such statistics were given by our interlocutor.

A few more numbers. In 2011, the proportion of people with disabilities involved in sports was 13%, by 2021 this figure has increased to 76%. Swimming (24.6 thousand people), athletics (22.5 thousand), table tennis (15 thousand), chess (14 thousand), checkers (12 thousand), as well as boccia – a Paralympic sport are especially popular among people with disabilities. sport, which is of interest to 6 thousand athletes. Among them is the master of sports, a member of the Rossi boccia team and a ward of the League of Kind Hearts project Denis Bartosh.

On a note

Boccia is a precision ball sport similar to bowling, petanque and bowls. For the first time it was included in the program of the VII Paralympic Games in 1984. It is an actively developing sport for players with severe forms of damage to the central nervous system and spinal injuries. Regular exercises develop dexterity, accuracy, endurance, coordination of movements, help to think tactically. In Russia, boccia began to gain popularity since 2009, at the same time the first national championship was held, in which 63 athletes from 18 regions of the country took part. The game is played on a court measuring 6 x 12.5 m. 12 leather balls (weight 275 g and circumference 270 mm) are used, plus one starting one – “Jack”.

“In addition to the well-known requirements such as a ramp, gentle slopes, widened doorways without thresholds and doors that open, sports facilities and sports complexes must have facilities for storing sports equipment, since almost all types of Paralympic sports involve a large amount of sports equipment, which needs careful storage in assembled form for the duration of the competition. Many complexes are deprived of this, — shared our interlocutor.

It is also important that in hard-surface halls it is easy and quick to change flooring with markings for different sports. The latter, the athlete says, is absent almost everywhere, and applying it for a long time and is problematic. So far, Denis knows only two suitable sports facilities – the Republican training base “OKA” in the Tula region and the branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Center for Sports Training of Russian National Teams” International Luge and Bobsleigh Complex “Paramonovo” in the Moscow Region.

There are no uniform requirements for what exactly a stadium or sports complex should be equipped with, for example, from the Ministry of Construction, says Ekaterina Kosareva, managing partner of the WMT Consult analytical agency. It all depends on the tasks, size and features of the structure itself. However, within the framework of the “Accessible Environment” there are a number of recommendations, including the presence of ramps and lifts, signs and signs with large letters and Braille, tactile strips, as well as help services, and so on. The necessary minimum should also include a sufficient number of parking spaces, and closer to the entrance, equipped bathrooms with handrails and special plumbing installed at a comfortable height, serviceable buttons for calling the operator, places where you can stay with a guide dog and much more.

“There are also factors that cannot be corrected by the institution without the support of local authorities., – our interlocutor is sure. — Availability of public transport and cars, a decent salary for staff, lighting on the bordering streets and, for example, pedestrian crossings equipped with a sound signal. There are not so many sports complexes where there is at least half of the above”.

An example of the most convenient and accessible environment for people with disabilities to play sports, according to Ekaterina, can be a specialized sports complex in Kazan, where you can arrange wheelchair competitions in floorball, football, mini-football, volleyball and other sports, there are exercise equipment, massage an office and a staff of qualified rehabilitation specialists and trainers was selected.

Now a multifunctional sports complex “SKA Arena” is being built in St. Petersburg. It is designed for 21.5 thousand hockey fans and 23 thousand fans of pop singers; 1076 places are intended for people with limited mobility.

The new sports facility, also designed for training and comprehensive training of athletes, including those with disabilities, will host competitions in more than 20 sports, including, for example, sledge hockey. It is already known that the main and training grounds will be able to transform into a number of sizes: 61 x 26, 61 x 28, 61 x 30, 60 x 30, 60 x 28, 60 x 26, 58 x 28, 56 x 26.

A park is being developed around the stadium. Its size, which is no less than 12 hectares, divided into zones – sports, festival, walking and family – will allow absolutely all visitors to feel comfortable.

SKA Arena is already 86.5% ready. The opening is expected in spring 2023.