The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) have hailed the remarkable impact of En Sus Marcas, Listos…Inclusion (ELI) for using Para sport to change the lives of thousands of people in vulnerable communities across the Americas.

The groundbreaking ELI initiative was launched in 2017 as a transformative partnership between the IDB and IPC to use Para sport as the key tool in delivering socio-economic inclusion for people with disabilities across the region.

The initiative takes place in communities that have had high rates of poverty and where there are high percentages of people with impairments who have no access to sport. Over the past six years three editions of the ELI partnership have been delivered, and its impact across the Americas has been nothing short of remarkable.

• ELI has provided over 800 people with access to Para sport in their communities, a right they were previously denied. This has not only changed their lives but has also had a profoundly positive impact on their families and communities.
• 2,000 local leaders in vulnerable communities have been trained and exposed to the Paralympic Movement, breaking down barriers and changing perceptions of disability.
• By the end of 2024, ELI will have provided access to Para sport in 41 vulnerable communities in 11 countries and strength the institutional capacity of a third of the Americas National Paralympic Committees: El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago have already witnessed the positive impact of ELI.

IPC President Andrew Parsons said: “At the IPC we firmly believe that Change Starts With Sport, and all the evidence shows that En Sus Marcas, Listos…Inclusion is a powerful force for good. ELI is more than a project, in the vulnerable communities in which it’s being delivered it’s having a hugely positive impact for athletes and their families.

“If the Parapan American Games are the most important sporting event in the Americas to drive social inclusion, ELI is the most important project to build inclusion in the region by helping create more inclusive communities.

“The IPC expresses gratitude to the Inter-American Development Bank, and its Japanese Fund for Poverty Reduction, for partnering in the delivery of the groundbreaking work of ELI. As the largest donor in the Americas, the IDB plays a pivotal role in making the region more inclusive.

“The IPC looks forward to continuing its work with the IDB, expanding ELI to more countries in the Americas, and building a more inclusive society while supporting National Paralympic Committees to produce top Para athletes.”

Florencia Attademo-Hirt, General Manager Southern Cone Country Department, and IDB Group Country Representative Chile, added: “In Latin America and the Caribbean approximately 88 million people were living with some form of disability in 2020, and disparities in wellbeing and inclusion persist between people with and without disabilities.

“Sports are an instrument to promote inclusion. Therefore, the IDB, in partnership with National Paralympic Committees, is supporting the expansion of Paralympic sports in 11 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Chile, in 41 communities with high poverty rates and a significant percentage of people with disabilities.”