One in three people with disabilities in South Korea was found to actively enjoy recreational sports outside the home. The participation rate of people with disabilities in recreational sports reached an all-time high last year.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, together with the Korea Paralympic Committee, released the results of the "2024 Disabled Recreational Sports Survey (based on September 2023 to August 2024)" conducted on 10,000 registered people with disabilities nationwide (aged 10 to 69) on the 13th.
The participation rate in recreational sports among people with disabilities refers to the proportion of those who exercise outside the home at least twice a week (for at least 30 minutes each time) for purposes other than rehabilitation therapy. Last year, the participation rate was 35.2%, up 1.3 percentage points from 2023, marking the highest level since the first survey in 2007. This rate had decreased in 2020 and 2021 due to the spread of COVID-19 but rebounded in 2022 and has increased for two consecutive years since then.
People with disabilities who participated more actively in recreational sports were found to have higher levels of happiness compared to those who did not. The happiness index of full participants in recreational sports recorded an average of 3.34 points, while incomplete participants scored an average of 3.32 points.
The most commonly used exercise locations were "outdoors/ hiking trails/ nearby parks," with 49.3% of respondents choosing this option. Those who used sports facilities accounted for 16.6%, and 12.3% exercised inside their homes.
Among respondents who did not use sports facilities, the most common reason was "difficulty exercising alone," at 27.8%, followed by "lack of time" at 17.6%, "distance from sports facilities" at 16.2%, and "high facility usage fees" at 9.7%.
When asked what kind of support they most wanted while exercising, 35.7% hoped for "financial support," the highest response. This was followed by "disabled recreational sports programs" at 15.0%, "sports equipment and gear for people with disabilities" at 14.3%, "accessible facilities for people with disabilities at sports centers" at 13.5%, and "guidance for disabled recreational sports" at 9.2%.
The main motivation for exercise participation among those with exercise experience was "feeling the need voluntarily," at 62.0%, followed by "recommendations from family/relatives" at 19.0%, and "interest sparked by media advertisements" at 8.3%.
Based on these survey results, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced plans to continue strengthening policies to promote recreational sports for people with disabilities this year by expanding community-based sports facilities such as the "Bandabi Sports Center" and increasing the beneficiaries and affiliated facilities of the "Disabled Sports Class Voucher" program.
The "2024 Disabled Recreational Sports Survey Results" report will be available for download from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism website, the Culture Center, and the National Statistics Portal starting at the end of January.
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