The second edition of PADIS will bring together more than 1,300 people through inclusive sports activities

The Tenerife Island Council has launched the second edition of the Physical Activity and Sports Plan for Social Inclusion (PADIS), which will benefit more than 1,300 people at 64 centers across the island.

This time, the project includes new activities designed with a universal format to promote the effective inclusion of people with disabilities through sports.

The island’s Councilor for Sports, Concepción Rivero, emphasizes that “the Island Council wants to provide the necessary tools to move toward normalization and gradually achieve the joint participation of people with and without disabilities in sports activities that contribute to improving their physical, mental, and social health.”

Rivero explains that “this year we’ve added 17 new centers to the program, which is also introducing new activities such as relaxation through yoga, Pilates, and stretching, adapted hiking, and new water sports.”

The program kicked off today, November 27, at the Tenerife Athletics Center (CIAT) with the participation of 130 people from the Echeyde, Don Bosco, IES Las Veredillas, Los Naranjos Occupational Center, and La Victoria Occupational Center, who took part in a multisport activity featuring seven different stations.

PADIS, which has a budget of 250,000 euros, includes 16 physical and sports activities such as Latin aerobics, hockey, swimming, soccer, alternative sports, basketball, and Canarian ball, among others, which will be led by about twenty instructors.

The plan will once again place special emphasis on the continuing education of coaches in inclusive sports practices in order to update their skills, an initiative carried out in collaboration with the University of La Laguna (ULL).

In addition, this year we will continue to conduct the study on disability in each municipality, which serves as the basis for moving forward with the design of adapted and inclusive municipal sports programs.

The Physical Activity and Sports Plan for Social Inclusion, which the Cabildo is implementing through the public company Ideco, is based on an assessment conducted by the Research and Teaching Innovation Group on Physical Activity and Sports (IIDAFD) at the University of La Laguna, which involved nearly 150 people from various organizations and entities, including representatives from 26 municipal governments, nearly 80 facility managers, and 35 instructors.