ICSSPE’s PRIME Project in all Ranks a Great Success

The ICSSPE led PRIME Project which focused on the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the martial arts, has been given an extraordinarily high grade – 94% - by the European Union.

The 94% grade was given in response to a three-year programme of research, workshops, field-testing, and conferences, all head towards a model designed to increase participation in martial arts, through upskilling both existing and new coaches. The central element of the PRIME Project is the Handbook. It offers the guiding framework for a unifying model of coach education.

The developed model draws on a number of guiding concepts such as The Martial Arts as a Way; An Adaptive Application of Models of Disability; and The Inclusion Spectrum.

The PRIME Handbook, and support materials, were an attempt to integrate these concepts and clarify these distinctions in a way that will support coaches in their ambitions for a genuinely inclusive martial arts environment.

A large part of the strength of the PRIME Project came from its partners which were drawn from some leading sport and martial organisations: Disability Karate Federation (UK), International Taekwon-Do Federation (Global), Hayashi Karatecenter e.V. (Germany), Wadokai Karatedo Shin-Gi-Tai (Italy), International Council for Coaching Excellence, UNESCO Chair Transforming the Lives of People with Disabilities, their Families and Communities, Through Physical Education, Sport, Recreation and Fitness at IT Tralee (Ireland), and The Association For International Sport for All (Germany).

Among the various resources for associations, clubs and coaches are a specialist website, the PRIME Handbook, Activity Cards, and research-based reports. The resources are available in English, German, French and Italian.

Please contact the ICSSPE Office at icsspeicsspe.org for further information.