Adaptive Sports, Disability Rights, and Inclusion: A Sports Visitor Program for Angola, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe
As part of the U.S. Department of State’s Sports Diplomacy exchange programs, 13 coaches and administrators from Angola, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe will spend May 13th-29th exploring effective models for the development of adaptive sports and promotion of participation in sports for those with disabilities. Funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented by FHI 360, the Sports Visitor Program brings non-elite youth athletes, coaches, and administrators to the United States for a fast-paced short-term sports cultural exchange with American peers and sports practitioners. In addition to learning about inclusion and sport-based youth development, the delegation will participate in clinics and sessions on leadership, action planning, disability rights, and adaptive sports, among other themes.
The U.S. Department of State Sports Visitor Program creates a network of leaders around the world who have firsthand experience and understanding of U.S. culture, society, and values, through exploring America’s athletic landscape – from community-based programs to professional sports. While on the program, delegates build relationships with their peers in the United States and create important opportunities for Americans to engage with individuals from other countries, thereby deepening trust and understanding between the United States and other countries and cultures.
The Sports Visitor participants from Angola, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe are joined by FHI 360 staff for the entirety of their visit. Together, U.S. Department of State personnel and FHI 360 staff ensure the program is adapted to U.S. foreign policy goals and participant interests.
The Sports Visitor Program helps to shape participant’s future educational and employment goals and aspirations. Using the knowledge, skills, and networks gained while on the program in the United States, participants will continue to be leaders in their communities to create sporting opportunities for coaches and administrators while promoting the benefits of organized recreation and community involvement.
While in Louisville, the coaches will attend the Move United Education Conference where they will convene with U.S. sport professionals, sport providers and athletes for informative education and awareness sessions and hands-on skills-based learning workshops. While in Birmingham, the group will be hosted by the Lakeshore Foundation where they will engage in workshops, recreational activities, and discussions on accessibility, inclusiveness, and disability rights. In Birmingham, participants will gain insight on how sports can empower emerging leaders to promote disability rights and inclusiveness in Angola, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe. In Huntsville, the group will attend the Union Cycliste Internationale Para-Cycling Road World Cup.
Through cultural and community-based activities, participants will experience American life and get to immerse themselves in American culture, which includes a visit to the Muhammad Ali Center, visiting the University of Alabama, attending a minor league baseball game in Huntsville, and meeting with local experts on adaptive sports and inclusion in the United States.
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Sports Visitor Program has brought more than 2,000 current and future leaders from all over the world to the United States. Participants have come from every world region and more than 100 different countries and growing.
The program was arranged in a partnership with Move United and the World Affairs Council of Kentucky & Southern Indiana in Louisville, KY and the Lakeshore Foundation in Birmingham, AL.
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