The Possibility of Taking the First Step
When you talk about exercise, you tend to assume that everyone starts from the same starting line. But that’s not the case at all. For some, exercise is a natural part of everyday life, while others must overcome obstacles that you often don’t even notice from the outside.
As a Sports Ambassador and head of the inclusion division for the Veszprém–Balaton European Region of Sport 2026 program, I believe physical activity truly becomes a force for community building only when we make it accessible to everyone. That is why our work focuses not only on promoting physical activity, but also on identifying and breaking down those and invisible barriers that keep people from experiencing the joy of sports.
People with Special Needs and Recreational Sports
One of the key areas of our program is the involvement of people with health issues or disabilities in recreational sports. Even in our very first steps, we realized that inclusion is not a matter of a single measure or investment, but rather a long learning process.
The more deeply we explore this topic, the more we realize just how complex the task before us is. It is not enough for a sports facility to be accessible or for a coach to be open to inclusion. Inclusion must be underpinned by professional knowledge, mutual acceptance, and trust— not only on the part of the coaches, but also on the part of the existing sports communities.
We often encounter barriers we hadn’t even considered before. It can happen that a facility is accessible in every respect, yet it is virtually inaccessible to a blind person, for example, because public transportation does not provide safe access. These are the details that only become apparent when we actually sit down to talk with those who live with these challenges day in and day out.
Thanks to our support, more and more locations are becoming accessible to people with various disabilities. In addition, more and more coaches are participating in our awareness-raising programs, where they not only gain knowledge but also learn from people with disabilities through personal encounters. These experiences help them welcome their new athletes with confidence and preparedness, and truly build inclusive communities.
People Living in Small Towns – When Proximity Is the Greatest Asset
Equal opportunity is not just about people with disabilities. Geographic accessibility is an equally important issue.
For people living in small towns, the question is often not whether they want to be physically active, but whether they have the opportunity to do so. If a sports class is only available several towns away, that is an insurmountable obstacle for many people.
That is why we created the VitalPoint program, which aims to provide high-quality exercise opportunities locally, with professional support and a community-oriented approach. We’ve already seen numerous inspiring examples of how quickly a new recreational space or regular activity can bring communities together. In many cases, the greatest achievement was not the development itself, but rather the local collaboration it sparked.
Women and Recreational Physical Activity
For women, the path to physical activity often involves overcoming obstacles related to life circumstances rather than physical ones.
Every stage of life can bring new challenges. During adolescence, many people feel insecure due to changes in their bodies. Before, during, and after having kids, family roles come to the forefront. The years with little kids, single parenting, menopause, or simply older age are all periods when physical activity may take a back seat, even though that is precisely when it is needed most.
I believe that in these life situations, exercise does more than just support physical health. An accepting community, a safe environment, and a supportive coach often mean just as much as the workout itself. That is why it is important to create opportunities for physical activity where women are met not with expectations, but with understanding.
The Possibility of Taking the First Step
We do not believe that any single program can solve all of society’s problems. But we do believe that every barrier we break down brings us closer to helping someone discover the joy of movement.
For me, equal opportunity is not a separate professional field, but a natural part of movement. Because movement only truly becomes a shared concern when we give everyone the opportunity to take that first step.
That is why we are working on the Veszprém–Balaton European Region of Sport 2026 program. And that is why, as a sports ambassador, I would also like to show that: the real measure of success isn’t how many people participate in sports, but how many people we succeed in inspiring to become active.