The Minister of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare, María Luisa Carcedo, inaugurated this Sunday the XXVI edition of the Adapted Sella Descent, a pioneering event in Spain in which a total of 95 athletes with disabilities participated in the modality of adapted canoeing, and that has taken place in the Asturian town of Arriondas.
The activity has been organized thanks to the collaboration agreement signed by the Spanish Federation of Sports of People with Physical Disabilities (FEDDF) and the Royal Board of Disability, an agency under the Ministry of Health, Consumption and Social Welfare, whose mission is to promote rights and the social inclusion of people with disabilities.
The objective is to facilitate the social integration of people with disabilities, in this case favoring inclusion in sport and betting on the rehabilitation and social reintegration of this group.
Carcedo has thus shown the commitment of the Ministry of Health, Consumption and Social Welfare in matters of disability to build a more participatory and inclusive society through sport. "Our abilities don't matter. Our illusion, our energy and our will matter," he said.
The Acting Minister has also recalled that, one year after the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, "it is time to enhance the preparation of high-level Spanish Paralympic athletes who will attend this next event."
Carcedo has linked the sports level with the development of a country. "In disability policies, it has been a very fruitful year, it was necessary to advance in rights," he said. In this regard, he has cited the reform of the Electoral Law, which has allowed 100,000 people with disabilities to vote on equal terms. He also recalled the constitution of May 3 as the National Day of the International Convention in Spain.
Finally, he has emphasized the Queen Letizia Program for Inclusion, which grants scholarships to people with disabilities through the Royal Disability Board.
The descent of the adapted Sella, promoted by the Sports Federation of People with Physical Disabilities of the Principality of Asturias (Fedema), has consisted of two sections: one non-competitive, 11 kilometers, and another 5 km competitive, which has ended in Ribadesella
In addition, depending on the level of injury of each of the athletes, two competition categories have been established: the A, which groups those participants with milder injuries (70 athletes); and the B, with the presence of wheelchair users, especially people with spinal cord injury (25 athletes).
All participants have used K-2 canoes, boats specially designed by the Asturian School of Canoeing that incorporate specific backups to facilitate the descent to people with spinal cord injury.
Each year, at the end of the test, an institution, association or sports entity is recognized in recognition of its work. During this edition the special mention has fallen to the Emergency Service of the Principality of Asturias for its involvement in the security operation since the activity was born.
About the Royal Disability Board
The Royal Board of Disability is an autonomous body of the General State Administration, which is entrusted, among other functions included in article 3 of its Statute, to promote the application of human rights, humanistic ideals, scientific knowledge and developments Disability actions technicians, facilitate collaboration between different institutions, provide support to organizations in studies, research and development, information, documentation and training, issue technical opinions and recommendations and develop activities as a technical meeting, reflection, debate and proposal, as well as disseminate and promote the broadest knowledge of disability.