Disability undefeated: Sisu Team embodies sporting joy
Many social barriers limit sports activities for people with intellectual disabilities, but personal assistants can help overcome them. The Sisu Team heading to the Turin Winter World Games inspires many – and 9Lives stands proudly among its supporters, writes CEO Markus Ulfstedt.
This week, an important national team, Sisu Team, will depart from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. The plane is heading to Turin, where the Special Olympics World Winter Games for people with intellectual disabilities will be held from March 8-15. Finland’s national team, the Sisu Team, includes 34 athletes with intellectual disabilities. They will participate in six sports: alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowboarding, floorball, and figure skating.
The Sisu Team athletes have “sisu” (determination) in their name, and for good reason. While athletes generally demonstrate perseverance in their performances, for an athlete with intellectual disabilities, just accessing the sport and recreational activities can be an achievement.
Many obstacles to overcome
People with intellectual disabilities are less physically active than the general population and have fewer opportunities to participate in sports and physical activities. The support needed for recreational activities varies by individual, with severely and profoundly intellectually disabled young people being in an especially disadvantaged position.
The causes of physical inactivity among people with disabilities have been mapped in studies such as the Restricted Activities report (in Finnish) published by the Finnish Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in 2024 and the VAIKOS project that researched sports opportunities for young people with disabilities between 2019-2022. According to these studies, many factors restrict participation.
To access physical activities, one often needs to navigate the scarce, sometimes non-existent recreational opportunities in their area, ensure accessibility, and explore transportation and assistive device options. One may need to overcome oneself, often prejudices and attitudes as well. The financial threshold can also be high, as tickets and competition expenses may need to cover a second person accompanying them – an assistant.
An assistant enables many possibilities
Personal assistance is a free service regulated by the Disability Services Act. However, its implementation still varies by municipality: finding a suitable assistant can be difficult, and the number of assisted hours per month may be insufficient for recreational activities.
At 9Lives, we strive to secure personal assistance for everyone who needs it. We employ over 1,000 personal assistants who assist our more than 900 clients with disabilities or functional limitations in their daily activities. Our assistants enable many to experience the joy of sports and physical activity: they transport them to training, help them put on equipment, and walk alongside them during the athletic performance if needed.
An assistant can be a crucial key for a young person with intellectual disabilities to access sports activities and a more active life. They are an important person whose support can help realize the right to physical activity – and open doors all the way to international arenas.
Eyes on Turin
The rights of people with disabilities, their inclusion in society, and their opportunity for an active life are important matters for us at 9Lives. Although the new disability services law better secures the position of disabled people in society, much work remains to be done.
We must support access to sports activities for people with intellectual disabilities and make it easier to obtain personal assistance. The goal must be complete equality, even if the work never fully ends. In this, we can draw inspiration from the Special Olympics athlete oath: Please let me win – but if I don’t win, let me be brave in the attempt.
We have begun a partnership with the Paralympic Committee, which is responsible for Special Olympics activities in Finland. We help build an open and equal, sporting and active Finland by offering our expertise to support activities and by visiting Paralympic Committee events.
We stand proudly as a partner in the Sisu Team’s support network, #InTheSameTeam. We support those who have not let their disability stand in the way of the joy of sports – and who demonstrate how sport unites and inspires us all.
Are your eyes on Turin too? Follow the Paralympic Committee and Special Olympics Finland social media channels – let’s cheer together!
Markus Ulfstedt
CEO
9Lives
You can follow the Special Olympics competitions in March through Special Olympics Finland channels: at www.specialolympics.fi and on Instagram (@so_finland) and Facebook (Special Olympics Finland).