A few weeks ago in the Toronto Sun I said that I believe in the power of sport. On a broad level, sport is one of the best ways for individuals to learn transferable skills like teamwork, healthy competition and performing under pressure. Participating in sport also brings the individual benefits of health, physical literacy and innate confidence.
Broader still, when people – especially youth – are involved in sport, they don’t have as much time to be involved in drugs, gangs or crime. Sport is education, healthcare and crime prevention. Sport forms a core part of our culture.
The United Nations has declared today as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities; it is fitting that we remember to extend the benefits, challenge and exciting risk of sport to people with disabilities today and whenever we can. Only 3% of Canadians with disabilities are active in sport.
Whether it is trying out a personal trainer at the gym, or picking up a ball with some friends, it is not necessarily about becoming a Paralympian. As the Canadian Paralympic Committee wisely shows in the video below, It’s More Than Sport:
