National approaches to promote sports and physical activity in adults with disabilities: examples from the Netherlands and Canada

Figures & data

Figure 1. The key steps of the web-based search strategy to identify and select relevant information about the Dutch and Canadian governmental approaches.

Figure 2. National programs and organizations involved in promoting high performance sports, recreational sports, and physical activity among people with disabilities in the Netherlands.

Figure 3. National programs and organizations involved in promoting high performance sports, recreational sports, and physical activity among people with disabilities in Canada.

Table 1. Similarities and differences between the Dutch and Canadian approach.

	Similarities	Differences
Legislation		In contrast to NL, Canada has a sport and PA act.
		Canada has a ministry dedicated to sport and disability, while NL has a Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports.
Organizations  Government organizations		Canada has an organization within the bureaucracy to govern the national sport system, whereas the Dutch governing body is non-governmental.
Non-governmental organizations	Both countries have several national sport federations governing both mainstream sports and disability sports.	The view on the extent to which disability sports should be integrated into mainstream sports differs between countries.
		In contrast to Canada, the Dutch government does not financially support disability-specific sport organizations (e.g., Special Olympics, the Deaf Sport Federations).
Programs  HP sports	Both governments support HP athletes with disabilities via several on-going programs (e.g., athletes’ salary, sporting facilities).	The Dutch national government outsources the development and execution of HP sport programs to a non-governmental organization (NOC*NSF).
	Support and facilities for Olympic athletes are the same for Paralympic athletes.
	Both governments provide funding for organization of (inter)national sport events with the potential benefits on recreational sports as one of the main reasons.
Recreational sports and PA	Both governments provide funding to local governments for sports and PA promotion among disabled populations (i.e., decentralized approach).	In NL, the municipalities are assigned with major responsibilities regarding PA promotion, while in Canada these responsibilities are assigned to the provincial and territorial governments.
	Both governments establish standards and commitments to the development of sport and recreational opportunities for people with disabilities.	In contrast to the Canadian bilateral agreements, the Dutch national programs are time-limited.
		While the Canadian government aims to increase PA levels among citizens, the Dutch government focuses more on improving the sport infrastructure.
		The Canadian bilateral agreements are broad-formulated. The Dutch programs have a specific focus on improving inter-sectoral collaboration and knowledge sharing/development.
		In contrast to Canada, the Dutch government provides funding to individuals with disabilities participating in teams sports at recreational level.
HP sports, recreational sports and PA	Both governments invest in research and innovation projects about (disability) sports and PA.
Sport policy documents	Both governments are committed to promote and support sports and PA among disabled populations	Reports of the Canadian government about the role of sports and PA tend to explicitly translate general population guidelines specifically for application with disabled populations.
	National governments declare an emphasis on the importance of sport for national identity	The Canadian system has a “Sport Funding Accountability Framework” to ensure responsible spending and outcome effectiveness.
	Both national ministries aim to achieve a high-ranking on Paralympic games.	The Canadian Ministry has specific targets on sport participation among Canadian population.
	Both governments aim to use best available evidence as basis for their national approaches.	The Dutch Ministry developed their disability sports policies based on previous monitoring and evaluation reports.

HP: high performance; PA: physical activity; NL: the Netherlands.