Increase the number of people with adisability practicing physical activity and sport

Athletes are the essence of the Paralympic Movement and it is the Agitos Foundation’s goal to increase the number of people with an impairment participating in sport from the grassroots through to the elite level and the Paralympic Games.

To achieve this, the Agitos Foundation implements Sport Development programmes at all levels. These boost athlete participation and career development, increase competition opportunities, develop athlete pathways, improve organizational capability, provide accessible venues and affordable solutions to sport participation.

Case Study: Low Cost Wheelchairs

The cost of equipment can be a barrier to sports participation.

The Agitos Foundation and Motivationan - an international development charity supporting people with mobility disabilities - have already developed low-cost sports chairs for use in Wheelchair Basketball and Wheelchair Tennis, in partnership with the International Tennis Federation and the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation. Over 4,000 are now in circulation in 50 countries, and the chairs have had a dramatic impact on grass roots sports for low-income athletes.

To coincide with London 2012, Motivation has designed and engineered the Flying Start racing wheelchair which will cost less than US$1,000, which is considerably less than other racing chairs on the market.

To keep costs to a minimum, the chair will be available in four different sizes. The wheels have been strengthened and the front tyre can be replaced easily and at low cost.

The Agitos Foundation hopes that the greatest legacy of the Paralympic Games will be more opportunities for all people to play sport.