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Researching Physical Activity and Participation in Adapted Sports for People...
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Researching Physical Activity and Participation in Adapted Sports for People with Disabilities

A special issue of Sports (ISSN 2075-4663).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 1907

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Mário André da Cunha Espada

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Guest Editor
1. Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, Escola Superior de Educação, 2914-504 Setúbal, Portugal
2. Sport Physical Activity and Health Research & INnovation Center (SPRINT), 2040-413 Rio Maior, Portugal
3. Centre for the Study of Human Performance (CIPER), Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, 1499-002 Cruz Quebrada, Portugal
4. Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), Universidade de Évora, 7004- 516 Évora, Portugal
5. Life Quality Research Centre (CIEQV-Leiria), 2040-413 Rio Maior, Portugal
Interests: sport sciences; training load monitoring; strength and conditioning; metabolic expenditure; testing; performance analysis; training; exercise physiology; biomechanics; recovery procedures; physical activity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Jesús Muñoz-Jiménez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Facultad de Ciencias del Deporte, Universidad de Extremadura, 10005 Cáceres, Spain
Interests: adapted physical activity; gymnastics and acrobatics; performance analysis in sport
Dr. José M. Gamonales

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Training Optimization and Sports Performance Research Group (GOERD), Faculty of Sport Science, University of Extremadura, 10001 Caceres, Spain
Interests: physical education; adapted sport; inclusion; performance; education; blind; football (soccer)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Physical inactivity is associated with problems in well-being and increases the causes of mortality, thus it is necessary to guarantee full access to the right to health for all through an effective approach to physical activities and sports, with particular attention paid to special populations that are more exposed to risk factors for health and well-being. Disabled people compete at high levels in several sports disciplines and, recently, daily training and competitive participation have become a high-interest area of study, despite the evidence that research in adapted sports is scarce compared to individual and team sports, where there is fundamental scientific support for everyday practices. With this Special Issue, we intend to create a space where researchers can continue developing studies in the relevant areas of physical activity and adapted sports for people with disabilities, which still lack robust scientific literature. Possible topics include, among others, the following: Typical barriers for people with disabilities; strategies and tools for inclusion in physical activity; methodological training strategies in people with disabilities; performance indicators in adapted sports; and classification system in adapted sports.

Dr. Mário André da Cunha Espada
Prof. Dr. Jesús Muñoz-Jiménez
Dr. José M. Gamonales
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sports is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sport inclusion
  • adapted physical activity
  • adapted sport
  • people with disabilities
  • functional classification
  • training strategies
  • performance in adapted sports

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2889 KiB  
Article
Objective Evaluation of Out-of-Competition Volume of Action in Wheelchair Basketball Classification
by Yuki Shimoyama, Shintaro Kasai, Hiroaki Wagatsuma, Tatsuru Ibusuki, Takumi Tsukada and Kaori Tachibana
Sports 2025, 13(2), 48; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13020048 - 8 Feb 2025
Viewed by 584
Abstract
In wheelchair basketball, classes are based on competition observations. Since 2021, out-of-competition testing has been implemented; however, research remains limited. This study aimed to determine whether the quantified volume of action (VOA) can be an indicator for classification and examined the influence of [...] Read more.
In wheelchair basketball, classes are based on competition observations. Since 2021, out-of-competition testing has been implemented; however, research remains limited. This study aimed to determine whether the quantified volume of action (VOA) can be an indicator for classification and examined the influence of a competitive wheelchair on VOA evaluation. This cross-sectional study included 47 wheelchair basketball players (21 able-bodied, 26 with physical impairments: class 1, n = 8; class 2, n = 5; class 3, n = 4; class 4, n = 9). Tests were performed in a wheelchair (wheelchair condition) and on a trainer bed (bed condition). Participants held a ball and rotated their trunks in various planes. Movements were recorded using four cameras, and position coordinates were extracted using the three-dimensional DLT method. Classes and sitting conditions were compared across five groups: classes 1, 2, 3, 4, and able-bodied. Comparisons between classes revealed significant differences in all planes, including wheelchair and bed conditions (p < 0.05). The VOA expanded in the wheelchair condition compared to the bed condition across multiple classes and planes (p < 0.05). Measuring the VOA outside the competition while sitting on a bed may effectively classify players by eliminating equipment influence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Researching Physical Activity and Participation in Adapted Sports for People with Disabilities)
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15 pages, 486 KiB  
Article
Development and Validation of a Survey on Inclusive Judo: Judo Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Including Participants with Intellectual Developmental Disorders (J-TAID)
by Gaston Descamps, Alain Massart, Terry Rizzo, Viktorija Pečnikar Oblak and Maria João Campos
Sports 2025, 13(1), 14; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13010014 - 9 Jan 2025
Viewed by 928
Abstract
This study developed and refined the Judo Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Including Participants with Intellectual Developmental Disorders (J-TAID) survey, addressing the need to assess attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention regarding inclusion, and grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior. The survey, [...] Read more.
This study developed and refined the Judo Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Including Participants with Intellectual Developmental Disorders (J-TAID) survey, addressing the need to assess attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention regarding inclusion, and grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior. The survey, translated into English, Portuguese, French, and Slovenian, was administered to 163 participants in order to assess its reliability and validity using Cronbach’s alpha, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Internal consistency regarding attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral Constructs ranged from 0,79 to 0.80, with test–retest reliability improving, demonstrating moderate to strong temporal stability (α = 0.679–0.813). The PCA and CFA identified a robust three-factor structure explaining 74% of the variance, with good model fit (RMSEA = 0.048, CFI = 0.978). Pearson correlations supported the TPB constructs. The refined J-TAID demonstrates validity and reliability for its intended purpose, although the results are still preliminary, and the limitations that were observed suggest a need for further validation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Researching Physical Activity and Participation in Adapted Sports for People with Disabilities)
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