December 3 is the day that marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, with EUSA continuously increasing its efforts to including sports competitions for student-athletes with disabilities at its events.

Commemorated since 1992, this day is about promoting the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities at every level of society and development, and to raise awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of political, social, economic, and cultural life. 

Since 1998 the United Nations, have been putting a theme around which this day is commemorated. The theme for this year is "Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future.”

For many years in a row, EUSA is actively making marked efforts into commemorating this international day, and promoting disability inclusion in sports, with the first official time being with the introduction of  Para Swimming and Para Table Tennis for the very first time at the third edition of the European Universities Games in Zagreb/Rijeka in 2016.

Forming part of the programme at the European Universities Games in Coimbra in 2018, 2022 and 2024, Table Tennis maintained to be offered to para-athletes to compete.

Present as promo sports for people with disabilities, in different editions of the games, were also sitting volleyball and para powerlifting.

EUSA has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with both the European Paralympic Committee as well as Para Volley Europe, collaborating with both organisations to pursue various efforts to promote sports for students with disabilities.

Alongside the sports competitions, like in the previous editions, at this year's Games, part of the program was also focused on educational and social aspects of university sports in Europe, featuring various conferences and workshops where the topic of disability inclusion in sports was discussed. EUSA has been empowering and supporting, the engagement of volunteers with disabilities, at EUSA sports events, as well.

EUSA’s increased involvement in the field of disability inclusion in sport, was also shown through being a partner and leader organisation in different projects, funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, such as: Inclusion in Sport (iSport), Youth Integrity Ambassadors Project (YIAP), Work for a Cause, Serve for Sport (W4C) and more. 

EUSA is proud to continuously be engaged in various topics, actions and to keep improving the conditions and opportunities for greater involvement of young people with disabilities in sport. We will keep increasing our efforts into including sport competitions for student-athletes with disabilities at our events and continue to actively take part in projects aiming for bigger and better inclusivity and visibility of people with disabilities, as well as to participate in designing and delivering solutions based on equal rights and opportunities in sport.

For more information about the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, please visit https://www.un.org/en/observances/day-of-persons-with-disabilities and https://www.who.int/campaigns/international-day-of-persons-with-disabilities