Entrenamiento y Deporte Adaptado en Alemania: Una descripción de sus dinámicas, y percepciones desde la experiencia en una pasantía internacional, en el ITK de la Universidad de Leipzig

Abstract

The international internship conducted at the Institut für Trainingswissenschaft und Sportinformatik (ITK) of Leipzig University, Federal Republic of Germany, constituted a high-level academic and professional training experience in the field of adapted and Paralympic sport. Founded in 1969 as part of Leipzig's renowned sport science system, this institution has trained generations of world-class researchers and coaches, and continues to hold a leading position in the production of applied knowledge on sports training methodology, including Paralympic training (Meier, Höner & Feichtinger, 2022; Schnabel, Harre & Krug, 2014).

The central focus of the experience consisted of a systematic analysis of the training methodologies employed in ITK's adapted sport programs, with particular attention to the principles of load individualization, training periodization specific to athletes with disabilities, and the integration of monitoring technologies into daily training practice. In parallel, the internship provided a firsthand perspective on how Germany has built an inclusive sport system that coherently articulates high-performance Paralympic sport with grassroots sport participation for people with disabilities.

Active participation in master classes and specific sessions across nine Paralympic disciplines, including para-athletics, Paralympic table tennis, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, para-swimming, boccia, and sport for people with visual impairments, together with involvement in organizing adapted recreational games, generated a body of learning that this report seeks to document, analyze, and project onto the Colombian context, with a focus on training in adapted sport, inclusion, and the Paralympic movement.

This report is structured as a descriptive-reflective academic text that combines the systematization of the lived experience with a review of current scientific literature, an analysis of the international and national regulatory framework, and a systematic comparison between the German model observed and the conditions of the Colombian context. Its ultimate purpose is to contribute to the development of adapted sport in Colombia, drawing on knowledge gained at one of the world's leading centers for adapted sports training and high-performance Paralympic sport.