Disabled sports: Steps towards a reduced exclusion and a new value paradigm of the Serbian society

Over the last decade, the sport for persons with disabilities (Disabled Sports DS) in Serbia has been experiencing its development, which is reflected not only by achieving significant sports results on an international scale, but primarily by creating a favorable environment for a greater inclusion of persons with disabilities in sports activities. The ongoing changes also occur as the organizational re-composition of the Paralympic sports system, which is today characterized by a more precisely regulated system, organizational and technological relations established between all the actors involved in the movement itself and the society, as well as more efficient functioning of sports clubs and associations. The fact that the central government has undertaken to fund the achievements of top sports results is especially important for the enhancement and further development of sport of persons with disabilities. On the other hand, the conditions for mass and recreational sports participation should be provided to disabled persons by the units of local self-government. The recovery and rehabilitation of the sports in Serbia, including the sport of persons with disabilities, have coincided with the adoption of the Constitution (2006), the adoption of the Law on Sports (2009 and 2016), as well as the realization of two cycles of the National Strategy for Sports Development (2009-2013 and 2014-2018). The decision to prepare the Sports Development Strategy for a period of 4 years has allowed for the changes which are not too invasive, ensuring a consensus of all the actors relevant for its implementation, as well as a continuous supervision of its effects including the corrective measures for remedying everything that has been determined as a problem during the implementation and practical application thereof. Based on monitoring the indicators of the Strategy implementation, it can be stated that it has been effectively implemented in the area of adaptive, i.e. disabled sports, and most of the activities envisaged by the action plan have been successfully implemented.