FROM EDUCATION TO SPORT: INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE IN ADVANCING INCLUSIVITY

Abstract

Inclusion across various spheres of life is not a special regime for specific groups, but rather a systemic approach aimed at ensuring meaningful participation for everyone, regardless of individual characteristics. The educational experience and methodological approaches developed within the field of inclusive education possess strong potential for extrapolation into the context of sports. Objective: to analyze international experience in the implementation of inclusive education in order to establish a foundation for developing conceptual frameworks for the professional advancement of coaches working in inclusive environments. Materials and Methods: Analysis and systematization of data from literature sources; methods of induction and deduction, comparison and juxtaposition, as well as methods of systemic and logical analysis, synthesis, and generalization. Results: The experience of European educational systems, as reflected in a series of strategic documents by the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education, demonstrates a consistent evolution of approaches to inclusive practice – from the development of educators’ basic competencies to the creation of multi-level professional development frameworks that encompass all education professionals. An inclusive educator must not only possess specialized knowledge and methodologies but also be guided by values of diversity, support, collaboration, and continuous professional development – values identified as fundamental in the Profile of Inclusive Teachers (2012) and further detailed in its updated 2022 version, which outlines ten areas of competencies for all educators. Subsequent research has confirmed that the competencies of an inclusive educator should not be viewed as a static skillset. They must be formed and refined throughout one’s professional career and implemented at various levels: individual (personal values and coaching skills), team (collaboration with colleagues, families, and professionals from other fields), and systemic (involvement in shaping inclusive sports policy). It is precisely this multi- level approach that ensures the sustainability of inclusive change and its integration into the broader social and cultural context. For the field of sports, this experience is extremely valuable. It allows for the transfer of proven models from the educational paradigm into coaching practice, the justification of inclusive coach competencies, their alignment with international legal and policy documents, and the integration of inclusion as an essential component of the development of physical education and sport.