Bucharest, the Special Meeting
From 11 to 17 October, Terrès en Melèe, France, the Club Korfbal Badalona, and the association La Rotllana, were welcomed by Special Olympics of Romania. During the training “Sport for all begins” around 40 volunteers and sports professionals enjoyed this activity; many of them experienced a new version of the sport based on the overcoming and inclusion without limits.
The program of activities had a social, pedagogical, and procedural foundation offered by the sports faculty of Bucharest, and experiential experimentation thanks to the immersion in the community of Special Olympics, Romania. A theoretical and practical combination that aimed not only to sensitize participants about the social inclusion of people with disabilities, but also allowed deep reflection on the values of sport, its ultimate purpose, and the impact that sport currently has on society. The meeting also served to verify differences and points in common that unite three Mediterranean and Latin countries such as Spain, Romania, and France, seen from the perspective of sport as an instrument for social inclusion.
The feed-back, given by the participants, has been very satisfactory from the beginning, increasing progressively as the meeting progressed. The majority of participants have agreed to express their discovery of the Special Olympics movement, and how they have been fascinated by the experiential approach based on contact with Romanian athletes. The most widespread conclusion on the part of the participants has been that once again the sport has shown that individual barriers are in the will of each one, and that through effort, perseverance, and enthusiasm personal goals are accessible. While the group barriers are not based on the language, the personal background, but on the ability to know how to enjoy the moment and the present place, leaving parked what we think we know to truly learn as children, and also leaving aside the stereotypes that limit our growth so much.
The project “Sport4all begins” advances and we have gone from planning to training. The training is not going to stop here, since the participating entities have put the resources to maintain an e-learning process, and now from a distance continue to deepen the fundamentals of the sport. Before arriving at the next stop in Badalona, during June of next year, the participants of the training will develop various skills such as the use of digital tools for communication, didactic planning, or training in group management among others.
Certainly sport for all has begun.
