Sports and Hobbies

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Welcome to the Sports, Hobbies, and Activities section of the DiSA website! Here, we aim to unlock your potential by showing you just how many exciting activities are possible, no matter your impairment.

From adaptive sports like Wheelchair Basketball, Hand Cycling and Wheelchair Tennis to unique activities like Boccia and Dancing, to hobbies like art, creative writing or reading. – There is something for everyone.

On this page we will take you through the steps to getting started:
From choosing a sport or hobby, to connecting with a club, or organisation.

We introduce support networks that can help you get involved, stay active and put you on track to represent your province or country – if this interests you.
Let’s Break free of our shackles and get started!

Steps to getting started!

1. The benefits of Sport and recreational activities
2. Getting Started with Disability Sports in South Africa
3. Sports and Hobbies for people with physical impairments
4. Steps to Getting Active and Involved
i. Consider costs of equipment and adaptions you will require
ii. Organisations that can assist with support and expenses
iii. Get a Medical Clearance
iv. Get A Classification
v. Join a Local Club or Provincial Body
5. Find out more about the Sports Governing Bodies

1. The Benefits of Sport and Recreational Activities

Sports, Hobbies and Recreational Activities are not only enjoyable, but are also good for you! Offering a powerful way to stay healthy, build confidence, deal with stress and connect with others.

Sports and hobbies provide significant physical, psychological, and social benefits for people with physical challenges, including improved fitness, mood, and self-esteem, while also fostering a sense of community, inclusion, and opportunities for personal growth. Leading to greater independence in daily activities, and a stronger sense of well-being and belonging.

Whether you’re joining in or cheering from the sidelines, sport brings people together, inspires communities, and helps challenge the stigma around disability.

  • Logo of the QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA) website
  • Bidii Yetu 2023 No Limits website
  • Chaeli Sport & Recreation Club website

2. Getting Started with Disability Sports in South Africa

Choosing a Sport or Hobby best suited for you

First things first, you need to choose a sport or hobby that suits your abilities, lifestyle and pocket.
This needs to be a considered decision: Ask yourself, what are your unique abilities and interests. You would need to decide whether you are interested in high action or something slow paced, a team or individual sport. Land or water sport, etc.
Whatever your age, disability, experience level, or gender, if you are looking to get involved – there is a sport or hobby for you.
Just Follow the steps below to ensure that you consider all the alternatives before you settle on a sport or hobby.

i. Sports and Hobbies

When choosing a sport or hobby, it is important to not only consider activities that you think you would enjoy but also activities that are affordable, safe and have the support that you would require. Below is a list of Sports available, click on your area of interest.

Find a Sports or Hobby
ii. Equipment and Adaptions

When choosing a Sport or Hobby, it is important to consider the costs of the equipment and adaptions that you will needing to participate in the activity of choice, as well as the costs involved in participating an possibly traveling.

Find equipment available
iii. Who can Help

If you are not in a position to afford the equipment you require to participate in the sport of choice, consider looking for Organisations that can sponsor your equipment or costs involved in participating.

Find an Organisation

3. Sports and Hobbies for people with Physical Impairments

Take your Pick: Choose a Sport That Suits Your Interests

Adaptive sport in South Africa offers a wide and exciting range of opportunities for persons with disabilities. Depending on your interests, abilities, resources, and location, you can choose from the options below and take the first step toward getting active, connected, and confident. Let’s find the sport that fits you.

Choose a Hobby that suits your interests:

Not every form of activity has to be competitive — meaningful, adaptive hobbies can be just as empowering.
Depending on your interests, abilities, resources, and location, explore the hobby ideas below and discover new ways to stay engaged, creative, and fulfilled. Let’s find the pastime that brings you joy.

4. Steps to Getting Active and Involved

When deciding which sport to participate in, its important to consider the full range of costs involved, including specialized equipment and the expenses involved in participating. If you are not in a position to afford the equipment you require, thee are organisations that can help:

i. Consider costs of Equipment and Adaptions you will require

When planning to participate in disability sports, it’s important to consider the full range of costs involved.
Specialized equipment—such as sports wheelchairs, ParaGolfers, Hand Cycles, Sports Prosthesis as well as Rehabilitation and Exercise Equipment such as Top End Pro Basketball, Standing Frames and Stationary Hand Bikes—can be expensive. Sourcing them from reputable suppliers in South Africa such as Sitwell Technologies, and CE Mobility, is crucial to ensure quality and a proper fit.
In addition to equipment, there are often other significant expenses to factor in, such as transport to and from training or competitions, accommodation if events are held out of town, entry fees, and ongoing maintenance of the gear.
Being aware of these costs upfront can determine which sports to participate in and help with budgeting and accessing possible funding or sponsorship opportunities.

Visit our Sports Exercise and Rehab Aids page to find companies who provide this equipment and the possible costs involved.

The Rhino Rugby Wheelchairs

ii. Organisations that can assist with support and expenses

If you are not in a position to afford the equipment you require, consider looking for Organisations that can sponsor equipment and other expenses, such as the QASA Education and Sports Fund and Bidii Yetu – No Limits.

Bidii Yetu - No Limits

Bidii Yetu No Limits is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization registered in New Mexico and dedicated to promoting the inclusion of persons with disabilities through sports.
 
In 2023 Bidii Yetu No Limits had a Vision to create a world in which people with impairments discover the strength to overcome the barriers that hold them back, regardless of their disability.Bidi-Yetu-No-Limits
 
Their mission was exemplified by organizing adaptive and able-bodied cycling events, such as a notable journey that the organised covering over 3,000 kilometres across five countries in Southern Africa. Furthermore, Bidii Yetu showed their commitment to creating awareness and growing the sport of Adaptive Cycling by donating money raised during the cycling event, to various organisations involved in Adaptive Cycling, including DiSA.
 
In 2024, after completing this amazing event, Bidii Yetu No Limits joined our “Accessible Cities South Africa (AC – SA)” platform by providing funding to DiSA to help promote adaptive cycling and create awareness for the benefits of sport for persons with disabilities.
 
Through the funding provided by Bidii Yetu, DiSA have been able to:
 
    Create various videos to create awareness for the benefits of sports, including Adaptive Cycling for persons with disabilities.
    Provide free advertising on the DiSA website to promote various selected Sports Clubs that provide Adaptive Cycling for persons with disabilities.
 
Thereby assisting DiSA to promote the sport of Adaptive Cycling to persons with disabilities and making the information about these clubs easily accessible through our information service. Through this partnership between DiSA and Bidii Yetu, we look forward to growing the sport of Adaptive Cycling to make it truly accessible to all persons with disabilities.

Advertisement for QuadPara - Association of South Africa (QASA) Logo


QASA Education and Sports Fund – The QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA) is a non-profit organisation (NPO 000-881) of Quadriplegics and Paraplegics in South Africa. QASA’s mission is “to improve lives by securing resources to advocate, educate, capacitate, support and mobilize”.QuadPara Association of South Africa QASA’s vision is that “all quadriplegics and paraplegics will live their lives to their full potential”

QASA develops products, programmes and services for quadriplegic and paraplegic members to build their capacity and ensure opportunities for societal integration and empowerment.

These projects and services include but are not limited to the Education and Sports Fund:

Wheelchair sports are sporting activities where participants use wheelchairs – either manual or power. There are several sports that have been adapted to be played by wheelchair users in South Africa. QASA wants to give their membership a holistic development and feels that sports are a vital way of keeping fit and healthy for wheelchair users. QASA recognizes the value of sport and hobby and wants to encourage participation by Quadriplegics and Paraplegics. For this reason, QASA has a fund for wheelchair users to participate in sporting activities.

Read More about the QASA Education and Sports Fund on the QASA Website


Once you have considered the full range of costs involved, including the specialized equipment you will require,
lets have have a look at the next 3 Steps.

iii. Get a Medical Clearance

Once you have chosen a sport, you may need a doctor’s clearance, especially for competitive or high-performance sport.

Some sports also require specific assessments (e.g., heart rate, respiratory fitness, etc.).

Once you have completed your Medical Clearance and been assessed, you may also require a letter proving your level of impairment.

Contact your GP for an assessment

iv. Get a Classification

To compete formally, especially in para-sport or at Paralympic level, you must undergo functional classification based on your physical impairment.

This helps ensure fair competition.
Thanks to its classification system, athletes with similar disabilities are able to compete together in competition. Athletes who participate in Paralympic sports are grouped into ten major categories, based on their type of disability.

Find out more about Classification

v. Join a Club

After choosing a Sport or Hobby, it is important to consider Joining a sports club or provincial body in South Africa.

This offers people with physical disabilities the opportunity to stay active, build confidence, and connect with others who share similar Interests.

It’s a great way to develop skills, compete at different levels, and experience the joy of inclusive sport.

Find Clubs that are available

iv. Get a Classification

To compete formally, especially in para-sport or at Paralympic level, you must undergo functional classification based on your physical, visual, or intellectual impairment.
This helps ensure fair competition.

Classification determines which athletes are eligible to compete in a sport and how those athletes are then grouped together for competition in order to minimise the impact of the athletes’ impairments on sport performance.

This is done to safeguard the integrity of fair competition.

Athletes undergoing evaluation - Classification Process

Classification is sport-specific because an impairment affects the ability to perform in different sports to a different extent. As a consequence, an athlete may meet the criteria in one sport, but may not meet the criteria in another sport.

Having an impairment is thus not sufficient for an athlete to compete in Para sport.The groupings of athletes by the degree of activity limitation resulting from their impairments are called ‘Sport Classes’. Paralympic sports are grouped into ten major categories, based on their type of disability.

There are 10 eligible impairment types in Para Athletics: eight physical impairments as well as vision impairment and intellectual impairment. Please see the information in the Accordion menu below to find out more.

Classification Process

1. Impaired muscle power – With impairments in this category, the force generated by muscles, such as the muscles of one limb, one side of the body or the lower half of the body is reduced, e.g. due to spinal-cord injury, spina bifida or polio.
2. Impaired passive range of movement – Range of movement in one or more joints is reduced in a systematic way. Acute conditions such as arthritis are not included.
3. Loss of limb or limb deficiency – A total or partial absence of bones or joints from partial or total loss due to illness, trauma, or congenital limb deficiency (e.g. dysmelia).
4. Leg-length difference – Significant bone shortening occurs in one leg due to congenital deficiency or trauma.
5. Short stature – Standing height is reduced due to shortened legs, arms and trunk, which are due to a musculoskeletal deficit of bone or cartilage structures.
6. Hypertonia – Hypertonia is marked by an abnormal increase in muscle tension and reduced ability of a muscle to stretch. Hypertonia may result from injury, disease, or conditions which involve damage to the central nervous system (e.g. cerebral palsy).
7. Ataxia – Ataxia is an impairment that consists of a lack of coordination of muscle movements (e.g. cerebral palsy, Friedreich’s ataxia).
8. Athetosis – Athetosis is generally characterized by unbalanced, involuntary movements and a difficulty maintaining a symmetrical posture (e.g. cerebral palsy, choreoathetosis).

v. Join a Local Club or Provincial Body

There are a variety of sports clubs within South Africa, that cater for people with Physical impairments, depending on your province.
These clubs and organisations offer either a single or a variety of sports in a particular province or city in South Africa.

Please click on these clubs or organisations listed below to find out more about the sports they provide and which cities they are located in.

5. Sports Organisations that govern and promote Disability Sports

There are also a variety of Sports Organisations which govern and promote Disability Sports and promote opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in sports. They can include national governing bodies, international federations, professional leagues, amateur leagues, and grassroots organisations.
These Sports Organisations are categorised as per below.
Should you require more information about these organisations, and how they can assist you, please visit the appropriate links to their websites below.

1. Provincial Disability Sports
Organisations

There are various provincial sports organisations that provide and promote sports for people with disabilities, including The Free State Sport Association for the Physically Disabled and Visually Impaired (FFSAPD), which provides the following sports for persons with Physical and Visual Impairments: athletics, boccia, CP soccer, para cycling, goalball, and swimming.
Read More about FFSAPD and the benefits of the services that they provide

Double chevron arrow indicating a click action is required should the reader wish to learn more about The Free State Sport Association for the Physically Disabled and Visually Impaired (FFSAPD)

2. National Disability Sports
Organisations

There are various National sports organisations that provide and promote sports for people with disabilities, including: South African Sports Association for Physically Disabled (SASAPD). SASAPD is a federation that promotes and develops sports for athletes with physical disabilities and visual impairments, like boccia, goalball, para-athletics, para-cycling, para powerlifting, and para-swimming.
Read More about SASAPD and the services that they provide

Double chevron arrow indicating a click action is required should the reader wish to learn more about The Free State Sport Association for the Physically Disabled and Visually Impaired (FFSAPD)

3. International Disability Sports Organisations

There are various International sports organisations such as The International Paralympic Committee, which works to organise the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games and act as the International Federation which regulates 9 sports, supervising and coordinating World Championships and other competitions.
These sports include: Athletics, Swimming, Shooting, Powerlifting, Para-alpine skiing, Biathlon, Cross-country skiing, Ice sledge hockey and Wheelchair Dance Sport.
Read More about the International Paralympic Committee

Double chevron arrow indicating a click action is required should the reader wish to learn more about The Free State Sport Association for the Physically Disabled and Visually Impaired (FFSAPD)

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In addition, we feature authentic images and videos of actual instances, events, circumstances that have occurred, as well as products and services supplied by companies who advertise with us.

These authentic visuals are intended to accurately depict our content or the offerings of our advertising partners.
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While we strive for accuracy and clarity, AI-generated visuals may not always reflect real-life conditions or representations.
In addition, we feature authentic images and videos of actual instances, events, circumstances that have occurred, as well as products and services supplied by companies who advertise with us.

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While we strive for accuracy and clarity, AI-generated visuals may not always reflect real-life conditions or representations.
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While we strive for accuracy and clarity, AI-generated visuals may not always reflect real-life conditions or representations.
In addition, we feature authentic images and videos of actual instances, events, circumstances that have occurred, as well as products and services supplied by companies who advertise with us.

These authentic visuals are intended to accurately depict our content or the offerings of our advertising partners.
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1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheelchair_basketball
2. www.sasapd.org.za
3. www.sascoc.co.za
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paralympic_Games
5. www.hsa-sa.co.za
6. www.extremeabilities.co.za
7. www.martialartssa.co.za
8.https//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheelchair_racing
9. www.martialartssa.co.za

Simplified Summary

Sports and Hobbies Page: This page includes the sports and Hobbies available for people with disabilities and the sports clubs and organisations that can support them.