VELOAKTIV ASSOCIATION
One of the accomplishments of the VeloAktiv association was organising the Małopolska Handbike Cup – an international Paralympian race for professionals and amateurs. There are plans of including the race in the UCI calendar. The founder and the core of the association, Rafal Szumiec, has been a part of the Paralympian sports and active rehabilitation since 2004. However, he began his sporting career in mountain biking way before. After his accident he has undertaken many Paralympian sports such as wheelchair basketball or skiing, however, it was hand biking that became his main focus. A few of his achievements:
- Participant of the Winter Paralympic Games VANCOUVER 2010, SOCHI 2014 (skiing),
- Participant of the Summer Paralympic Games TOKIO 2020 (handbike),
- World Cup winner in category MH3 in 2022,
- Member of the Paracycling National Team.
Association VeloAktiv – a group of sports enthusiasts working on the development and popularization of Paralympic sports, their main focus lays two spheres:
- Extreme sport – VeloAktiv Handbike Team – supported by the association para-cycling team, taking part in the most important international sporting events such as the Paralympic Games, World Championships, World Cups, European Championships, European Cups and others. The association provides players with the best possible conditions for development and raises their level of advancement to allow them to compete among the best worldwide. At the moment, the group consists of 5 athletes, of which 3 are members of the National Representation.
- Amateur sport and active recreation – association supports cyclical classes and sports camps for disabled children and adults. They create an environment to practice sports, active recreation and rehabilitation through sports in disciplines such as para-cycling, paraskiing and swimming as well as general development classes.
The Zero Załamki Club
The Zero Załamki is a sports club dedicated to female and male athletes with disabilities. The club’s primary sports discipline is para-cycling, however, athletes of other disciplines such as paratriathlon or long-distance running are also kindly welcomed at the club. The club was founded in 2018 and since day one it has been guided by the “Say No To A Downer” Slogan [Zero Załamki], which promotes the idea of not giving up in adversities, recovering from tougher moments of life as well as fighting for one’s dreams.
Each year male and female athletes of the Zero Załamki Team compete in several dozen competitions, ranging from local and nationwide races to international competitions, i.e., World Championships, European Championships, and cup competitions, winning numerous trophies on the way. Our team includes both champions and medallists of the Polish Championships, as well as less experienced sports enthusiasts who also do pour their heart into what they do, simply enjoying the very sports itself.
As a result of working together with the [Polish Sports Association of Hearing-Impaired Individuals] PZSN “Start”, the club has been able to organise every year a nearly 2-week para-cycling camp in the mountains for 40 participants, which, besides its superb effects on health, has also a positive effect on good terms within the team. At the club, we believe that the key in sport is passion to take up action and determination to pursue the goals. We are convinced that our actions will have a lasting effect on the community of individuals with disabilities in Poland!
PSONI Association in Działdowo
The Polish Association for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PSONI) Branch in Działdowo is a non-governmental, non-profit, self-help organization with the status of a public benefit organization. The association has been operating since 1994, bringing together parents, professionals and friends involved in activities aimed at the full inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in the mainstream of social life. PSONI Koło in Działdowo is one of the largest non-governmental organizations in Działdowo County. He is an animator of many cultural, social and sports events – including Spartakiad with the participation of other PSONI groups from all over Poland. The club’s activities involve approximately 350 people – mainly children and teenagers.
Currently, the Association runs: Occupational Therapy Workshop, Rehabilitation, Education and Upbringing Center, Private Special Work Training School, rehabilitation of children with developmental age disorders, speech therapy clinic, Special Olympics Club, Parents’ Club, theater and dance groups, publishes the magazine “Orewiaczek Szkolniaczek” . In 2018, PSONI came up with the idea of conquering the Crown of Polish Mountains with people with disabilities – climbing 28 peaks of the highest peaks in all mountain ranges in our country, and above all, showing that we are all equal and have the right to fulfill our dreams – even if it seems unrealistic to achieve.
Four expeditions took place, fantastic project partners appeared, the team from Działdowo was accompanied on the route by Ambassadors and friends, including: Justyna Kowalczyk-Tekieli, Kinga Baranowska, Krzysztof Wielicki, to the last peak, Rysy, children and teenagers climbed tied with a rope with a miraculous TOPR and GOPR teams. The project won the Champion statuette at the Przegląd Sportowy Sports Champions Gala and, most importantly, a family of 28 dreams was born and everyone wanted to continue traveling together. In 2021 and 2022, the team of 28 dreams covered the route from Świnoujście to Krynica Morska on bicycles (a total of 550 km), and in 2023 and 2024 they are hiking along the Polish part of the Saint James Trail from the Polish-Lithuanian border to Działdowo itself (a total of over 300 km on foot). In 2025, 28 dreams of returning to the Tatra Mountains – the challenge will be a bicycle loop around these mountains through Poland and Slovakia.
The Mission of the Association is:
- caring for the dignity, happiness and quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities, their equal place in the family and in society,
- supporting families of people with intellectual disabilities in all areas of life and situations, especially in their readiness to help others.
The Aim of the Association is:
- working to equalize opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities,
- creating conditions for respecting their human rights,
- guiding them towards active participation in social life,
- working to protect their health and supporting their families.