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Benefits of Sport

The benefits of participation in sport and physical activity for people with disability are consistent with those experienced by the broader population, including benefits to physical, mental, and social wellbeing, education, workforce outcomes, and more. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Sports organisations can also gain from including people with disability, including greater diversity in viewpoints, decision making, and leadership; new ideas for strategies and programs; and increased membership, volunteer, and fan bases. 7

It is important to recognise that there are limitations to the type and amount of research available to identify benefits and/or good practice policies and programs for people with different disabilities. 1, 8, 9

Traditionally, research has tended to focus on a medicalised understanding of disability (i.e. as a condition to be treated). However, disability can be seen as part of a continuum, something that can and will, affect many of us across the life course with impacts depending on personal, social, and environmental factors. 10, 11, 12

There remains a need for more high-quality research using different models and frameworks to better understand and maximise the benefits of sport for all. 1, 12, 13, 14

Impact

  • Role of sport

    Role of sport

    The benefits of sport are maximised when participants find the experience enjoyable and the outcomes meaningful.
  • Physical, mental, and social wellbeing

    Physical, mental, and social wellbeing

    Participating in sport can help people with disability to improve their physical, mental, and social wellbeing.
  • Education and employment

    Education and employment

    Sport can offer a value-added proposition for education and employment, with benefits to individuals and society.

REFERENCES
  1. Optimising health equity through para sport, opens in a new tab, Kristina Fagher, Stephanie DeLuca, Wayne Derman, et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, Volume 57(3), pp.131-132, (2023).
  2. Well-Being, Resilience and Social Support of Athletes with Disabilities: A Systematic Review, opens in a new tab, Tânia Mira, Aldo Costa, Miguel Jacinto, et al., Behavioral Sciences, Volume 13(5), 389, (May 2023).
  3. Exploring Direct and Indirect Associations of Exercise and Sport Participation with Employment among Individuals with Disabilities: A Scoping Review, opens in a new tab, Azar Varahra, Hiba Ahmed, Sally Lindsay, Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, Volume 32, pp.44-54, (2022).
  4. The First Global Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Guidelines for People Living With Disability, opens in a new tab, Catherine Carty, Hidde van der Ploeg, Stuart Biddle, Journal of Physical Activity and Health, Volume 18(1), pp.86-93, (2021).
  5. Impact of Adaptive Sports Participation on Quality of Life, opens in a new tab, Diaz R; Miller EK; Kraus E; et al., Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy Review, Volume 27(2), pp.73-82, (June 2019).
  6. Impact of Organized Sports on Activity, Participation, and Quality of Life in People With Neurologic Disabilities, opens in a new tab, Sahlin KB; Lexell J, PM&R: the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation, Volume 7(10), pp.1081-1088, (October 2015).
  7. Benefits of Inclusion in Sport, Australian Sports Commission, (accessed 10 July 2025).
  8. Disability Sport Review, opens in a new tab, R.C. Richard Davidson, Gayle McPherson, Observatory for Sport in Scotland, (August 2021).
  9. Perceived barriers and facilitators to participation in physical activity for children with disability: a qualitative study, opens in a new tab, Nora Shields, Anneliese Synnot, BMC Pediatrics, (January 2016).
  10. World Report on Disability, opens in a new tab, World Health Organisation (WHO), (2011).
  11. Disability Models: Explaining and Understanding Disability Sport in Different Ways, opens in a new tab, Brett Smith, Andrea Bundon, in ’The Palgrave Handbook of Paralympic Studies’, Ian Brittain, Aaron Beacom (eds), Springer, pp.15-34, (2018).
  12. Participation of people living with disabilities in physical activity: a global perspective, opens in a new tab, Kathleen Martin Ginis, Hidde P van der Ploeg, Charlie Foster, et al., The Lancet, Volume 398(10298), pp.443-455, (July 2021).
  13. How is the participation of individuals with disabilities studied and understood in current research within the sport context? A systematic literature review, opens in a new tab, Linn Engdahl-Høgåsen, Marte Bentzen, International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, (28 September 2023).
  14. Moving together is better: a systematic review with meta-analysis of sports-focused interventions aiming to improve physical activity participation in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy, opens in a new tab, Ricardo Rodrigues de Sousa Junior, Deisiane Oliveira Souto, Ana Cristina Resende Camargos, et al., Disability and Rehabilitation, Volume 45(15), pp.2398-2408, (2023).
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  18. Adaptive Sports in Spinal Cord Injury: a Systematic Review, opens in a new tab, Ramsey Rayes, Charlotte Ball, Kenneth Lee, et al., Current Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Reports, Volume 10, pp.145-153, (2022).
  19. SPORTS STARS: a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsy. Parent and physiotherapist perspectives, opens in a new tab, Georgina Clutterbuck, Megan Auld, Leanne Johnston, Disability and Rehabilitation, Volume 44(6), pp.956-965, (2022).
  20. Parents’ Perspectives on Adaptive Sports in Children with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities, opens in a new tab, Marion Neyroud and Christopher Newman, children, Volume 8(9), (September 2021).
  21. Sports Participation, Physical Activity, and Health-Related Fitness in Youth With Chronic Diseases or Physical Disabilities: The Health in Adapted Youth Sports Study, opens in a new tab, Lankhorst, Kristel; Takken, Tim; Zwinkels, Maremka, et al., Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Volume 35(8), pp.2327-2337, (August 2021).
  22. Sport Intervention Programs (SIPs) to Improve Health and Social Inclusion in People with Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review, opens in a new tab, Lidia Scifo, Carla Chicau Borrego, Diogo Monteiro, et al., Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, Volume 4(3), (August 2019).
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  24. Enhancing sport and physical activity participation for Canadians with disabilities, opens in a new tab, Veronica Allan, SIRCuit, (25 July 2022).
  25. Relationships between sport and exercise participation and subjective well-being among adults with physical disabilities: Is participation quality more important than participation quantity? , opens in a new tabKathleen Martin Ginis, Cameron Gee, Adrienne Sinden, et al., Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Volume 70, 102535, (January 2024).
  26. Understanding sport as a vehicle to promote positive development among youth with physical disabilities, opens in a new tab, Amanda McKinnon, Rebecca Bassett-Gunter, Jessica Fraser-Thomas, et al., Journal of Sport for Development, Volume 10(2), (October 2022).
  27. Mastery and Belonging or Inspiration Porn and Bullying: Special Populations in Youth Sport, opens in a new tab, Jeffrey Martin, Kinesiology Review, Volume 8(3), pp.195-203, (2019).
  28. Badminton Improves Executive Function in Adults Living with Mild Intellectual Disability, opens in a new tab, Yifan Wang, Xueping Wu, Huawei Chen, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Volume 29(4), 3673, (February 2023).
  29. Dream team – team sports in a community of adults with intellectual disability: How can participation in team sports develop the social competencies of people with intellectual disability?, opens in a new tab Rosita Olvhøj, Tobias Knudgaard Jensen, Jacob Wienecke, et al., Sport in Society, Volume 25(10), pp.2162-2177, (2022).
  30. Meta-Analysis on Intervention Effects of Physical Activities on Children and Adolescents with Autism, opens in a new tab, Jinfeng Huang, Chunjie Du, Jianjin Liu, et al., International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Volume 17(6), 1950, (March 2020).
  31. Barriers to Physical Activity for Women with Physical Disabilities: A Systematic Review, opens in a new tab, Jurgi Olasagasti-Ibargoien, Arkaitz Castañeda-Babarro, Patxi León-Guereño, et al., Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, Volume 8(2), 82, (June 2023).
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  42. “We’re All the Same and We Love Football.” Experiences of Players and Facilitators Regarding a Collaborative, Inclusive Football Program Between Academy and Special Olympics Footballers, opens in a new tab, Melissa Fothergill, Danna Baik, Hannah M. Slater, et al., Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, Volume 40(4), pp.687-706, (2023).
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