Erasmus +
Launch of the EU-COLPBOL project
Sport and inclusion in a project framed in the E+ Sport 2020 program of the European Commission
In January, the kick-off meeting for EU-COLPBOL project (full title: “IMPLEMENTATION OF COLPBOL SPORT AT EUROPEAN LEVEL AS A TOOL TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE PERSONS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES”) took place, with the objective of promoting the sport of Colpbol at a European level and using it as a tool to improve the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities.
Colpbol is a new sport modality created by the Physical Education teacher Mr. Juanjo Bendicho and managed by the Colpbol Sport Association. In the last 20 years, it has established itself as a new, innovative and inclusive sport with great educational potential. Colpbol is a collective game played by teams that encourages the maximum possible participation of all the players, regardless of their physical fitness level and condition; this minimizes individual differences and requires an essential collaboration and collective communication to achieve the ultimate goal of the game; that is to say, a true and authentic TEAM GAME.
The two fundamental pillars of Colpbol which define its essence, are cooperation raised to the maximum power, as it is a mandatory first-touch game and co-education, as it is always a mixed game.
This sport has greatly developed in Spain throughout the years, especially in the school environment; currently, AEC organizes and develops different competitions at various levels, however, it is a practically unknown sport at European level.
The project is led by COPAVA along with a strong European Consortium, an entity that includes 53 occupational centres with more than 2,500 users; COPAVA has vast experience in adapting this sport to Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, organizing since 2014 a league in the Valencian Community, where 12 occupational centres participate. Every year, more than 130 players from diverse backgrounds participate, with the aim of improving the quality of their everyday life.
With this project, the European Commission gives us the opportunity to promote a sport that offers a new integrating dimension, available to everyone, beyond borders.
Besides COPAVA, to carry out the project, a transnational consortium of the following entities related to sports, education, technology and involved in the sector of PwID has been set up:
- Asociació Esportiva COLPBOL, led by the creator of Colpbol (Spain)
- Asociatia Lagndon Down Centrul Educational Teodora (ALDO-CET) (Rumania)
- UNIVERSITATEA DIN CRAIOVA (Rumania)
- KINONIKES SINETERISTIKES DRASTIRIOTITES EFPATHON OMADON “K.S.D.E.O. EDRA” (Greece)
- NATIONAL AND KAPODISTRIAN UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS (NKUA) (Greece)
- KAUNAS UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES (Lithuania)
- CENTER FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION (CSI) (Cyprus)
The first meeting of the consortium was held by videoconference on the 21st and 22nd January and it was focused on the presentation of each entity, as well as the approach to the different outputs to be developed in the next months: state-of-the-art of inclusive sports in each country, adaptation of the rules of the game, transference of Colpbol for PwID and creation of guidelines and training packages aimed to professionals, persons with disabilities and their caregivers.
The project has been launched and all the involved parts are already working enthusiastically in order to develop this innovative project and implement in EU level a true and authentic inclusive team game; the aim is to promote a sport for all, which will surely improve the quality of life, social inclusion and personal development of persons with different capabilities. The project is implemented with the support of the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.
The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.