The Current Model of Sports Organization for People with Disabilities in Spain: Challenges and Opportunities

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first_pagesettingsOrder Article Reprints Open AccessArticle The Current Model of Sports Organization for People with Disabilities in Spain: Challenges and Opportunities by Berta Benito-Colio 1,*ORCID,María Zapata-Vila 2ORCID andCarmen Ocete 3ORCID 1 SER Research Group, Physical Activity and Sport Sciences Department, Centro Enseñanza Superior Alberta Giménez (CESAG), Comillas Pontifical University, 07013 Palma de Mallorca, Spain 2 Institut Nacional d’Educació Física de Catalunya (INEFC), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), 08038 Barcelona, Spain 3 GICAF, Research Group Physical Activity and Sports Science, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Comillas Pontifical University, 28049 Madrid, Spain * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Disabilities 2026, 6(1), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities6010017 Submission received: 14 September 2025 / Revised: 12 January 2026 / Accepted: 5 February 2026 / Published: 10 February 2026 Downloadkeyboard_arrow_down Browse Figures Versions Notes Abstract In the current paradigm of adapted sport in Spain, national sports federations play a crucial role. This study aims to map and characterize the public visibility of the current situation of Spanish sports federations in relation to the integration and development of Sports for People with Disabilities on their official websites, and to interpret these publicly reported indicators in relation to federation-level integration practices discussed in the international literature and legislative changes promoted by Sports Law 39/2022. To this end, through an exploratory and descriptive cross-sectional study, a systematic survey of the published digital resources of the 61 national single-sport federations recognized by the Higher Sports Council has been carried out. The results show that federations present initiatives related to the integration of people with disabilities in sport: 21 have a Paralympic category, 42 present themselves as inclusive entities, 13 of the federative regulations specifically address the issue, and in 38 cases, specialized personnel can be found or linked to sport for people with disabilities. In conclusion, this research shows the degree of integration and development of Spanish sports federations in relation to sport for people with disabilities.