Online, April 2025 – United Through Sports proudly continues its innovative initiative to inspire and prepare the next generation of sports professionals through the Play It Forward: Choose to Include global webinar series. In collaboration with universities worldwide, this series is designed to provide future sport leaders with practical tools and real-world insights to create inclusive environments within their communities and beyond.
Following a successful launch on April 23rd with the inaugural webinar in the series revolving around the realities of working with adaptive athletes, the second webinar built on its momentum attracting a motivated audience of students and sport professionals from across Europe and beyond. With over 250 participants across the two webinars so far, the series is already making waves in academic and sporting communities committed to inclusion.
Designing Inclusive Events: How to Implement Accessibility
Once again, UTS welcomed a panel of distinguished experts. Returning from the first webinar were Ben Haack, an athlete, coach, and Board Member of Special Olympics International, who has spent over a decade advocating for inclusion through sport, and Janice Lyn, Sports Director at IFMA and Education Ambassador for the International Testing Agency (ITA), who has long championed adaptive sports.
Joining as a new voice in the conversation was Marina Drašković, Head of the Adapted Judo Program within the European Judo Union (EJU), a former Judo champion and passionate advocate for inclusive sport, known for her work with athletes with disabilities.
Marina Drašković said:
Being part of the ‘Play It Forward’ webinar series was truly inspiring. It’s crucial that the next generation of sports professionals are equipped not only with technical knowledge, but with empathy, adaptability, and a deep understanding of inclusion. Initiatives like this create space for real change – by connecting personal stories, field experience, and broader strategies. Sharing Fuji’s journey and the work we do through the European Judo Union reminded me just how powerful sport can be when no one is left behind. I’m grateful to contribute to a movement that prioritizes dignity, opportunity, and growth for all. Personally, I’ve learned the most from people who can authentically share their own success stories – I take pieces from each and build my own puzzle of knowledge. I hope my experience can help these students shape their own vision too.
The session explored how inclusion in sport begins with mindset and intention, then takes shape through adaptive and persistent action. Our experts shared real-life strategies and experiences, emphasizing that fostering inclusion is not about ideal conditions, but about progress, creativity, and collaboration.
Marina Drašković highlighted the importance of seeing potential in every athlete and acting boldly to close existing gaps. Her message was simple but powerful: small actions change lives. She shared how social media and personal outreach, seeking support locally, is paramount and can lead to real impact.
Janice Lyn focused on the importance of collaboration with caregivers, and adapting combat sports like Muaythai to non-combative forms that emphasize technique, self-regulation, and focus. To create a truly inclusive environment also means considering every detail, from lighting and space to emotional readiness, and building events that allow athletes to feel safe.
Closing this second webinar, Ben Haack urged the students to shift away from rigid classifications and elite-centered formats, advocating instead for grassroots accessibility and creativity in sport design, such as the use of sound-based balls for visually impaired players in ball sports.
A Collective Step Toward Change
Each session of the Play It Forward series connects students with internationally respected experts in inclusion and adaptive sport, bridging the gap between theory and real-life practice. It’s an opportunity for students to ask direct questions, challenge their own perspectives, and begin shaping their professional futures with inclusion at the core.
Michael Greiner, UTS Project Manager said regarding the Play it Forward Webinar Series:
“This initiative is truly close to our hearts at United Through Sports. We’re directly targeting the next generation of sports professionals, equipping them early on with the tools and insights they need to create inclusive events in their own communities. It’s about planting the seeds of inclusion before they even enter the field. Thanks to the incredible network UTS has built over the years, with over 157 organizations standing united through sports, we’re fortunate to collaborate with some of the leading experts in adaptive sports and inclusion, who generously share their knowledge and experiences with the students. We’re proud of what this series has already achieved and excited to continue bringing it to more universities and passionate young minds around the globe.”
Bringing The Series To More Across The Globe
Both webinars are available as Video on Demand (VOD) on the official United Through Sports YouTube Channel, ensuring the content is accessible to all. UTS is now actively working to expand the series to additional universities around the world, with upcoming sessions already in development.
UTS CEO Julia Govinden declared:
This fantastic partnership with Lutsk National Technical University is a prime example of the growing need among the next generation to better understand inclusion and adaptive sport. UTS is now ready and open to partnering with other universities around the world, something we’ve already seen strong interest in, as we continue to share knowledge, invite experts to share their experiences, and build together a more empathetic, compassionate, kind, and considerate future where everyone can thrive. A huge thank you to the Dean professor Herasymchuk, Pro-Rector professor Kovalchuk, Dean Herasymchuk, and especially Associate Professor Anastasiia Konovalchuk for thinking big and initiating this partnership. We are truly excited to continue this journey. Our efforts don’t stop here, this is just the beginning.
Together, we’re playing it forward!
