"You're in the Game" participants help special children to socialize and make friends

February 18 is International Day for People with Asperger's Syndrome. Children with this autism spectrum disorder have difficulty socializing due to difficulties with non-verbal communication, limited empathy and physical awkwardness. However, support and acceptance allow them to succeed in a variety of areas, including through sports. Sports section leaders participating in the All-Russian competition "You're in the Game" make a significant contribution to this adaptation.

Two Moscow projects - "Territory without Borders" (basketball) and "Hockey without Borders" (adaptive hockey) - successfully integrate children with mental disabilities into sports. "Territory without Borders", which started with one participant, now unites about 10 young athletes and plans to expand to include volleyball, tennis and dance. Parents have noted an improvement in their children's self-esteem. "Hockey Without Borders" teaches 15 children from the age of six in an effort to show other parents the possibilities of adaptive hockey. Both projects are participating in the "You're in the Game" competition in the "Borderless Possibilities" category.

In Russia, about 12 million people (8% of the population) have limited health capabilities (LHC). Although the share of regularly practicing sports among them is 22.9% (619 thousand children with disabilities in adaptive sports), the target figure by 2030 is 30%. The Ministry of Sports develops adaptive sports, but private initiatives also contribute to active participation. For example, the Krasnoyarsk "Match of Equal Opportunities" (a soccer tournament for children with intellectual disabilities) has united 25 teams (16 children and 9 adults) since 2015. The project, implemented on a voluntary basis, contributes to the socialization of children.

In Vladivostok, the Team Power Para-championship Sapsurfing project (537 children with disabilities) goes beyond traditional adaptive sports. The unique project, participating in the jubilee competition in the category "Children in Sport", adapted sapsurfing for year-round activities in a swimming pool. The project developed methods of sports and health rehabilitation and held joint competitions with normotypic children, showing impressive results.

Applications for participation in the jubilee season of the All-Russian competition of sports projects "You're in the Game" demonstrate the rapid development of adaptive sports for children with special needs. Participation in the competition will provide projects with the support of mentors, experts and a chance to win cash prizes: 300,000 rubles in the main categories and 1,000,000 rubles for the Grand Prix.

Applications for participation in the fifth season of the All-Russian competition of sports projects "You're in the Game" will be accepted until March 14, 2025.

Detailed information about the fifth season of You in the Game is published on the official website of the contest youvigre.rf.

The All-Russian competition of sports projects "You're in the Game" is organized by ANO National Priorities with the support of the Ministry of Sports of Russia.