The Wheelchair Billiards Competition (CBSR), the largest indoor sports event for people with musculoskeletal disabilities in Romania, takes place on September 23 in Bucharest. The special guest of the 6th CBSR, which will be held at the IDM club in the capital, is Henrik Larsson (Sweden), 6-time world champion in wheelchair billiards and 12-time European champion. Organizers: Sports Club “Always Together for People” in partnership with Bucharest Cosmopolitan Lions Club, General Directorate of Social Assistance and Child Protection Sector 2, General Directorate of Social Assistance and Child Protection Sector 4.
More than 850,000 people with disabilities live in Romania
Today, there are one billion people with disabilities in the world, more than 70 million of them in the European Union alone. In Romania, statistics provided at the end of 2021 by the National Directorate for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Children and Adoption within the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection indicate 865,573 persons with disabilities.
People with disabilities play sports much less than the rest of society. The lowest participation rates are registered among those with severe limitations: 93% of these people (and 97% if they live in rural areas) did not do sports during the year, according to the report “Diagnostics of the situation of people with disabilities in Romania” by International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank.
When a wheelchair does not stand in the way of passion
6-time world champion and 12-time European champion in wheelchair competitions, Swede Henrik Larsson managed to make a living playing billiards with demonstration matches, lessons or motivational seminars. An example of consistency and determination, Henrik Larsson he regularly dominates players without musculoskeletal disorders, finishing an impressive 3rd in the Swedish Championships. “It is a great honor to return to Romania to share the love of the sport that has played a central role in my life for more than 30 years. I will try to inspire the participants with my vision and hopefully give them the tools to help them build their own careers in the pool. The participation of people with disabilities in sporting activities increases their chances of a healthy life, helps them in their personal development, with cognitive benefits such as increased self-esteem, and stimulates their integration into society.”
Cătălin Rădulescu, CBSR member (45 years old):“For me, this competition is a blessing. For all disabled people, no matter what type they are, it is an escape from the daily routine. My slogan would be
Cornel Diaconita, member of CBSR (46 years old):“For me, it’s a burning desire to win. I love sports and always want to win, to be able to improve my record. Every year I come to participate with the hope that one day I will be able to participate in the international championship.”
Iryna Vakaryan, president of the “Always Together for People” sports club:“Official sports events for people with disabilities have existed for almost a century: the Silent Games, the first competition for disabled athletes in history, took place in 1924 in Paris. Wheelchair billiard competition is not only a sport, although the level of participants is incredible, but primarily communication. We provide people with disabilities a safe space to socialize, interact and socialize. The warmth, friendship and resilience of those who come here deserve the recognition of the whole country. They come to prove to themselves and others that you can do anything in life if you are ambitious and determined to pursue your dreams despite the obstacles. We need to expand the access of people with disabilities to sports activities from many perspectives: from planning sports policies taking into account their needs to making changes to sports legislation and organizational regulations of the relevant federations, which do not create an adequate framework to ensure the participation of people with disabilities in mass sports events (in the school system or in amateur sports clubs)”.
With free entry for both participants and the public, Billiards competition on carts open to both professional pool players and amateurs. The competition in the 9-Ball category will be played in a double pyramid, each player will have two chances (two matches) to reach the top 8 or 16 players (depending on the number of participants), from which any match will be eliminated until the end of the competition. Matches will be refereed Sonia Simionova, national billiards champion. Sonya has been at CBSR since the very first kick in the history of the competition as the official referee, the engine and soul of the event. At the end of the competition, all participants will take part in the drawing of numerous prizes. The most recent event in 2019 attracted more than 150 participants from across the country, with donations and sponsorships turning into prizes that helped improve the quality of life for people with musculoskeletal disabilities.
The Sports Club “Always Together for People” is a non-profit organization dedicated to the social integration of people with disabilities through sports with the aim of developing facilities that will allow disabled athletes to participate in national and international wheelchair billiards competitions.
Bucharest Cosmopolitan Lions Club is part of the large LIONS family, represented by the International Association of Lions Clubs – the largest organization of volunteer services worldwide. It is present in more than 220 countries and has more than 1,400,000 members. From July 2021 to May 2022, Lions Club International members served more than 275 million people, providing 5.75 million free vision screenings for children and youth, donating 2.3 million eyeglasses, providing treatment to 8.5 million people with visual impairments, providing 14.75 million people with hot meals. , helping 2.3 million children with cancer and 1.34 million children with diabetes, planting 5.76 million trees, impacting 600,000 children through the Lions Quest social/emotional learning program and 2.3 million children through the reading program , are just a few examples of Lions’ work. last year.
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Source: Hot News RO
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