Accessibility of Inclusive Sports Facilities for Training and Competition in Indonesia and Malaysia

Abstract

Although the right to participate in sports is recognized in international conventions, accessibility to sports facilities has been cited as barriers to participation. Managers of sports facilities must know the standards that refer to the rules and accessibility to meet the needs of persons with disabilities to participate in sports and to attend sporting events. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the accessibility of sports facilities for training and competition in Indonesia and Malaysia. This study used a qualitative method through focus group discussions. Fifteen focus group discussions were conducted with 90 athletes from eight sports (boccia, goalball, basketball, badminton, ping-pong, swimming, powerlifting and blind football) who trained and competed in inclusive sports facilities. There were five major themes that we identified: access to training facilities, access inside training facilities, access during matches and athletes’ expectations of training and competition facilities.