The third meeting of the EU Join Us project, an EU-funded initiative developed to create a model for inclusive sports practices with a focus on individuals with Down syndrome, was hosted by the Federação Portuguesa de Hóquei in Porto. 

The project, led by Down España, was attended by Türkiye Down Syndrome Association, Associazione Italiana Persone Down, Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Capitolina Onlus, Federação Portuguesa de Hóquei, PAIS 21, and Kırıkkale University. 

During the meeting, the current status of inclusive sports activities in each partner’s country was evaluated, and steps for the remainder of the project were planned. The next goals of the project include the following: 

In each partner country:  

• Completing webinars that will present the benefits and success stories of inclusive sports model implementations for individuals with Down syndrome and their families. 
• Ensuring that sports clubs, federations, sports coaches, and NGOs complete the training modules titled “How to Promote Inclusive Sports Programs?” via the EU Join Us website. 
• Organizing sports events: Sports trainers and coaches who have completed the training, along with social service experts, will implement one or two-day pilot inclusive sports practices. 

The final meeting of the EU Join Us project will take place in Madrid, Spain. The success of this project, which aims to increase the participation of individuals with Down syndrome in sports and contribute to the spread of an inclusive sports culture, will be celebrated at the closing meeting with all project partners.