Foundation for Global Sports Development expands support

The Agitos Foundation and The Foundation for Global Sports Development (GSD) have announced a new five-year partnership which aims to raise awareness and knowledge of Para sport around the world.

As well as education for young people on everything to do with the Paralympic Movement, from its vision and values to Para athletes and the Paralympic Games, the support also extends to Para athletes themselves.

GSD will support three areas of education in the important build-up to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

The International Paralympic Committee’s athlete education programme, Proud Paralympian, will be at the centre of the partnership. Set to relaunch at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, Proud Paralympian will provide education for Para athletes and Paralympians from the beginning of their sporting careers through their transition after sport.

The Paralympic School Programme will also be a beneficiary of this partnership. In collaboration with the Nippon Foundation, the Agitos Foundation will create a global toolkit promoting inclusion through the Paralympic values and Para sport for young people aged between 6-12, due to be piloted in Japan in October.

Thirdly, GSD will also support selected projects, such as festivals, school programmes, and Para sport exhibitions to promote Para sport awareness and inclusion around the world.

Georg Schlachtenberger, Director of the Agitos Foundation, explained the importance of promoting inclusion and changing perceptions of people with impairments:

“Striving to reach our aspiration of a more inclusive society, we want to reach out to the next generation to help them understand what can be achieved through the Paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality.

“By combining our inclusion efforts with education for Para athletes, supporting them to have successful careers both on and off the field of play and therefore living and promoting the values, we believe we can make a huge difference to changing perceptions. I am grateful to GSD for their continued support of this important work and welcome them to #TeamAgitos.”

GSD executive board members, Steven Ungerleider and David Ulich, shared why GSD has chosen to support The Agitos Foundation’s efforts:

”Over the years The Agitos Foundation and their excellent programmes have made significant advancements for Para athletes all over the world. We are excited about our partnership and this opportunity to globally support Para sport education, awareness, and inclusion.”

The Agitos Foundation also called on other potential partners to join them and #TeamAgitos in helping the educational activities to achieve the greatest reach, by contributing to the roll-out in as many countries as possible.

GSD has provided support to various projects since 2011, including a youth training camp in El Salvador; the IPC European Para Snow Sport Youth Circuit; young athlete education; promotion of the IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships A Pool and awareness and education projects in Benin, Guinea, Tanzania and through IPC Powerlifting.

#TeamAgitos is the hashtag being used to highlight all Para sport development activities. Anyone can use #TeamAgitos on social media to show they are part of the team for developing Para sport, whether they are fans, athletes, coaches, part of the Paralympic Movement or a partner organisation.