One of the innovative aspects of the IDEAL Project is the involvement and cooperation between multiple European parties. The IDEAL project brings together the main intellectual disability-sport organisations with research institutions to collaborate on sports policy. Such a large scale project has never been done in the past.

 

To advance the development of intellectual disability sport, an extensive partnership between several institutions is necessary. The coordination of these involved parties is carried out by the University of Leuven, the overall COORDINATOR of the project.

 

Included in this network of European parties are distinguished academic institutions across the EU. Each of these academic institutions is responsible for one specific sport or task related to their field of expertise. The RESEARCH FOCUS SPORT  institutions of the Technical University of Madrid (Basketball), University of Gävle (Nordic Skiing), and Reyjavík University (Swimming), are responsible for specific sports. RESEARCH FACILITATORS, which includes the Canterbury Christ Church University, Northumbria University, Newcastle, and Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, offers their expertise on aspects of sport performance (athlete motivation and coaching) as well as increasing the geographic reach (network) of the project.

 

The IDEAL project is the first attempt to unite the main SPORT FEDERATIONS that are dealing with the target group of individuals with intellectual disability on an EU-level. Sport organizations such as Special Olympics, the International Federation for Para-athletes with Intellectual Disability (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), each strive, in their own specific way, to organize competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports. But more importantly, the partnership of these sport organization, along with each respective country’s ASSOCIATE REGIONAL SPORT ORGANISATIONS, would provide people with intellectual disability continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate and excel in sport.