Sports offering for people with intellectual disabilities: Analysis of the current situation in Spain

In Spain, national disability data reported 274,833 people with recognized intellectual disabilities (IDs) by the end of 2018. This study aimed to (a) identify the current offer of physical sports activities for people with IDs in Spain by territorial distribution, sport modalities, nature of practice (competitive/non-competitive), and type of participation (specific/inclusive); and (b) explore whether the number of activity categories differs by gender. For this purpose, ninety-eight organisations filled out an ad hoc questionnaire on their activities. Results showed notable territorial inequality and that most entities offered only one sport modality. Programs typically combined competitive and non-competitive activities, with both specific and inclusive participation formats. Regarding gender, no entity lacked women’s categories, although mixed categories predominated; the number of categories offered did not differ by gender. The results were differentiated between federative entities and the associative movement, revealing significant differences in all study variables. This study advances the identification and characterisation of the current offer of physical sports activities for people with IDs in Spain and provides a theoretical basis to establish practical actions for improving inclusion and participation in such activities, contributing to their quality of life.