This project first began in 2005 when the FGDA (Handicapped Sports Basque Federation) was starting to look at making a wider choice of sports available to its members. The aim was to provide more opportunities to people who wanted to take part in team sports such as basketball. The FGDA then proposed to Club Bera Bera the creation of a new section, the Handicapped Sports section.
With help from the provincial council and from the Kutxa foundation, the first playing chairs were bought. In September 2005 the team started to train with the first 12 players, who were soon joined by two trainers, a delegate, a coach and a group manager. The first year was spent just training, not competing, since most of the players had never played basketball before, and some had no sports experience at all.
The following year the team began competing in the Wheelchair Basketball National First Division. Initial results were not good, as everyone expected, but it was all good experience and the team just aimed to complete all their games in the league. This they did and the more games they played the better they became, although this is not yet reflected on the scoreboard.
The main objective is to help people with a disability to find easily accessible locations anywhere, in any city. The map will also provide information on facilities that feature barrier-free environments by providing aids such as ramps, hand-rails and non-slip surfaces.
Thanks to this new tool, everyone across the world who joins free2move.org on Facebook, will have the chance to join “FREE2MOVE GUIDE” and help to create and shape a world that’s easily accessible for all, setting a personal example by supporting the handicapped communities’ values of courage, equality, determination and inspiration.
The "FREE2MOVE GUIDE” accessibility map project is unique. It’s the first world wide map to disability friendly locations and barrier-free facilities compiled from data supplied from people everywhere. It’s a tool that can help to ensure everyone can support handicapped people and help change society's attitude towards people with a disability in their country, allowing them to lead a full life, free from barriers or stereotyping.
Athletes with disabilities have found success in many winter sports, including downhill skiing, nordic skiing and hockey. Now, kids and adults with disabilities are also experiencing the joys of snowboarding. Urko Egea, believes that "snowboarding is a live experience for disabled people. Snowboarding feeds the freedom on the mountains”.
One person that’s taken up this challenge is Urko Egea who at the age of 25 lost the lower part of his right leg in an accident but now, with encouragement from free2move.org, has returned to active snowboarding. Urko, a former student at Deusto University now working for the KUTXA bank group, always loved the mountains and snowboarding was his favorite sport but he thought the activity was lost to him forever.
With the help and encouragement of free2move.org Urko joined a snowboarding club and with training soon made rapid progress. Now he can once again enjoy the freedom of the mountains and earlier this year competed in the world championships in the French Alps coming in a respectable 11th out of 27 competitors.
Mikel Garmendia free2move.org paratriathlete describes the freedom that she feels while swimming, cycling and running.
At Free2move.org we are confident Paratriathlon will contribute to the Paralympic Movement and inspire people and youth worldwide. It has been a long road to reach this milestone but we know the real work begins now for Mikel to dedicate his efforts to delivering spectacular Paratriathlon competitions in Rio 2016.
