Orienteering for the Inclusion of disadvantagEd people iN sporT

Background Trail-O is really an inclusive sport, having, in the same competition, both able-bodied and disabled athletes. It could ease inclusion, further facilitating activities in a natural environment. Practitioners of Trail-O in EU are not so many as they could be. This is because supporting and easing tools are not developed yet as in other disciplines. This lack, together with the lack of guidelines, are the main obstacles for a plain dissemination, of this inclusive sport, outside elite events. Objectives Once confirmed the relevance of Trail-O as inclusive factor, Orient main aim has been to tackle the obstacles that make difficult the organisation of open events, which are even “lower” than amateur ones. Implementation During its three years of activities Orient developed (testing them through pilots during its multiplier events) instruments and tools to facilitate the organisation of what it has been defined, playful Trail-O events. Playful sport events have seen as a way to involve people who could practice Trail-O simply with the aim of being involved and having the possibility to interact one to each-other otudoor, independently from the fact that they might become athletes (amateurs or elite). Achievements The International Orienteering Federation stated the “ToePunch Final Approval” affirming: “During 2022, the system had been tested (…) in four countries (…) fulfilled all the requirements (…) Council therefore gave final approval of the ToePunch punching system for use in Trail Orienteering”. Moreover the two developed platforms: http://torus.yq.cz/ for practicing online; https://top.yq.cz/ for guiding the organisation of an event, will both be functioning after the end of the project