Parents of children with disabilities are asking to open adaptive sports school in Bashkiria

UFA, 14 March 2019. /Bashinform News Agency, Gulfiya Akulova/ translated by Tatiana Aksyutina/.

In Bashkortostan, parents of children with disabilities are asking to open an adaptive school for children and youth. Today, such families addressed with this request to Karine Khabirova, the wife of the Acting Head of the Region, at special republican competitions in alpine skiing and snowboarding in Ufa.

As the chairman of the regional department of the Special Olympics of Russia in Bashkortostan, Master of Sports of the USSR in Alpine Skiing Kristina Kovalenko, said, currently children with disabilities from all over the republic competed in republican and All-Russian competitions in 12 kinds of sports.

“Children achieve great results in alpine skiing, they swim well, ride bicycles. Thus, at the last Winter Special Olympic Games, four sportsmen represented Bashkiria. Today the World Summer Games of the Special Olympics started in Abu-Dhabi, the only representative of our republic participates in them - a trainee of the correctional school from Tuymazy, 16-year-old swimmer Oksana Pushkareva. Two years later, the Winter Games will be held in Sweden. We are preparing to participate in such sports as alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, said Kristina Kovalenko. “We need support in training athletes to participate in the Special Olympics. First of all, financial support is necessary, as we function at the expense of subsidies or presidential grants. ”

Since 2014, in Ufa, there is an adaptive club in alpine skiing and snowboarding, where about 80 children with disabilities are engaged and improve their health. The parents of these children noted tremendous progress in their development.

The guys train at the club almost for free. Earlier the "Ak Yort" complex granted them daily access to the mountain slope. This year the classes were limited to two times a week. Parents are concerned that the base for disabled children may be closed since the administration of the complex has its own plans for this territory.

“Indeed, the sport is of great importance for these children, it helps them to be more fit in life. The problems stated by the parents can be solved as it is impossible to close such school with so many children. The school where they receive support, development, hope that they can live a normal, ordinary life, like other children”, Karine Khabirova said.