Sabbatical Yves Vanlandewyck: Development and implementation of the Swedish Paralympic Academy

The Swedish Paralympic Academy is a consortium of Swedish universities engaging in Para-sport research, acting as a knowledge base for the inclusion of Para-sport related topics in existing university study programs and the delivery of counseling to Para-sport organizations. The Swedish Paralympic Academy unifies national Para-sport science competence in a multi-disciplinary, multi-disability, and multi-sport approach, spanning the entire athlete’s career transiting from participation to active lifestyle to elite sport to retirement from sport. The overarching research objective of the Swedish Paralympic Academy is to understand the impact of acquired and congenital impairment on Leisure Time Physical Activity and Sport (LTPA&S) participation throughout the lifespan. To achieve this overarching objective, we outline five objectives of the Swedish Paralympic Academy, one organizational and four transition-phase-specific research objectives. Organizational Objective: To develop and consolidate the Swedish Paralympic Academy as a triangular research, education and service-delivery structure fusing the worlds of Academia, Para-sport and Business. Research objective 1 (Participation): To assess the long-term impact of engaging Healthy Movement Consultants in rehabilitation and mainstream/special schools on the transition of youngsters with impairment to LTPA&S. Research objective 2 (Active Lifestyle): Assess the relative strength of association between valid measures of impairment and sport-specific measures of performance determinants in order to identify the measures of impairment that account for a significant and independent portion of the variance in performance. Research objective 3 (Elite Sport): To install permanent lines of research, optimizing performance and safeguarding the physical and mental health of Paralympic athletes. Research objective 4 (Retirement from sport): To identify strategies of transition in active retirement from Paralympic sport.