International collaboration is crucial to promote adaptive sports, according to Oleg Sergeyevich Kulkov, Director of the Rodnik Adaptive Sports Centre in the Sverdlovsk Region in Russia.
‘Our centre is focused on giving people with disabilities the chance to participate in sports,’ Kulkov said in an interview with WAM at the 2024 World Rehabilitation Congress, currently taking place in Abu Dhabi.
Talking about the Congress, he said this was his first experience at an event of this scale. ‘It’s an incredible forum, bringing together distinguished speakers and experts from all over the world.’
The official also emphasised the impact of international exchanges. ‘Our participation here stems from a reciprocal visit by a UAE delegation that previously visited Yekaterinburg. During that visit, we organised friendly matches in sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball. That event sparked the growth of wheelchair basketball in our region, where it hadn’t been developed before.’
Kulkov expressed his optimism a
bout the future, believing the Congress would serve as a catalyst for further advancements in adaptive sports in the Sverdlovsk region. ‘I’m hopeful that today’s event will provide fresh momentum for our ongoing efforts,’ he concluded.
Source: Emirates News Agency