INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE IN ORGANISING INCLUSIVE PHYSICAL CULTURE AND SPORTS ACTIVITIES FOR VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/spectrum/2025-4-7Keywords:
war veterans, physical education and sports activities, adaptive sports, inclusiveness, family, countries, modelAbstract
Adaptive sports for war veterans have been developing since the mid-20th century, evolving from therapeutic initiatives to systematic state rehabilitation models. After world wars and regional conflicts, states have created programs to support veterans, where adaptive sports became a key element in the rehabilitation of veterans with disabilities and their family members, which makes it relevant to study international experience for Ukraine. The purpose of the study is to substantiate key models and conditions (features) for organizing inclusive physical education and sports activities for war veterans and their family members in different countries around the world in order to develop recommendations for Ukraine. Materials and methods of research: analysis of scientific literature; bibliometric analysis; comparative analysis; deductive method; synthesis and generalization, systematic approach. Results. A bibliometric analysis of publications in the Web of Science Core Collection database (2016–2025) in the field of “veterans’ sports” has revealed 2,969 publications, distributed quantitatively by year, country and affiliation. The selection of nine countries for comparative analysis has been justified. Based on the characteristics of the organization of inclusive physical education and sports activities for war veterans and their families in these countries according to selected criteria (components of the institutional model of organizing physical education and sports activities; integration of adaptive sports into the rehabilitation process of war veterans; involvement of war veterans’ families in adaptive sports) three models have been substantiated and recommendations for Ukraine have been proposed. Conclusions. Bibliometric analysis of publications in the Web of Science Core Collection database (2016–2025) on the involvement of war veterans in physical culture and sports activities has confirmed the stable relevance of the issue and the undisputed leadership of the United States, which indicates the systematic nature of scientific support for the state policy of rehabilitation of veterans through adaptive sports. The systematization of the experience of organizing inclusive physical education and sports activities for war veterans and their families in nine selected countries (the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, Croatia, Israel, Japan, Germany, and the Republic of Poland) has made it possible to identify three basic models: public-private (USA, Great Britain, Canada, Australia), medical-social (Israel, Germany), historical-contextual (Croatia, Japan, Republic of Poland). The critical importance of systematically involving veterans’ families in physical education and sports activities to restore social ties, overcome isolation, adapt families, and support caregivers has been substantiated. For Ukraine, a combined approach that combines the three models with the mandatory involvement of veterans’ families is optimal.
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