Dis+Abled European Summer Games – Workshop

During the Dis+Abled European Summer Games in Wągrowiec, the athletes, in addition to competing in the sports arenas, had the opportunity to participate in workshops on anti-doping education prepared by POLADA and the so-called Green Practices, where, under the guidance of experts from the Ministry of Climate and Environment, they could learn how, in a few simple steps, we can protect our environment.

Anti-doping and clean sport compliance workshops are an increasingly common sight at competitions. POLADA, the legal successor to the Commission against Doping in Sport, was established in mid-2017. Since then, the agency has evolved and activities related to the fight against doping in sport have gained new momentum. An important factor in this process has been the actions of the Minister of Sport and Tourism, Witold Bańko, who has played a key role in promoting Polish anti-doping initiatives. 

During the Dis+Abled European Summer Games in Wągrowiec, anti-doping education was discussed by Grzegorz Borkowski, Head of the Information and Education Department of the Polish Anti-Doping Agency.

“Through our workshops we wanted to get athletes interested in the issues of combating doping in sport. During them, we presented the most important rules that athletes and especially those with disabilities, who often take drugs for health reasons, must bear in mind. To avoid the possibility of them being unnecessarily disqualified, they need to have knowledge of what is and what is not doping. During the workshop, participants were able to solve a quiz from the world anti-doping organisation and the best ones received small gadgets.”

The workshop prepared by experts from the Ministry of Climate and Environment, on the other hand, aimed to raise environmental awareness among participants, athletes and coaches. The organiser set itself the task of presenting practical and innovative solutions that can help protect the environment and reduce the negative impact on ecosystems. Participants were able to make their own eco-friendly bags and learn how to properly segregate waste.

Katarzyna Urbańska 
The organisers of the Dis+Abled European Summer Games.

“The whole Dis+Abled European Summer Games competition was kept in the spirit of ecology. Our meals were served on paper plates and our athletes, were transported to the various arenas by eco-friendly hybrid and electric buses. During the environmental workshops of the Ministry of Climate and Environment, we painted eco-friendly bags, ideal for reuse when shopping, for example. We also learned how to segregate rubbish properly, how not to waste food and at the end, each participant was given a bottle with a filter so as not to create completely unnecessary plastic rubbish. We are all responsible for our planet and we need to take care of it.”

The Dis+Abled European Summer Games were organised by the Polish Paralympic Committee. The event was co-financed by the European Union’s Erasmus + programme. The event was held under the honorary patronage of the Ministry of the Environment and Climate and the Minister of Sport and Tourism Kamil Bortniczuk. Media patrons of the event include TVP Sport, TVP 3 Poznań, Polish Radio and the portal niepelnosprawni.pl.