*This content was translated by AI.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister Choi Hwi-young) announced the results of the "2025 Sports Survey for the Disabled" (as of September 2024 to August 2025) conducted on 10,000 registered disabled people (ages 10 to 69) nationwide with the Korea Sports Association for the Disabled.
The participation rate for sports for the disabled is the percentage of full-fledged athletes for the disabled who exercise outside the home more than twice a week (30 minutes or more per session). The participation rate of the disabled in sports in 2025 was 34.8%, a slight decrease of 0.4% points (p) compared to the previous year.
18.2% of respondents said they use "sports facilities" for mainly used sports venues, 9.4% said they exercise in the house, and 45.4% said outdoor/climbing/outdoor near parks.
According to a survey of the reasons for respondents who used sports facilities, 38.2% said they were close, followed by 22.8% because the facility fee was free or cheap, and 17.5% because there were professional sports facilities. According to the survey of the reasons for respondents who do not use sports facilities, 26.8% said it was difficult to exercise alone, followed by 17.1% because it was far from sports facilities, and 13.6% because it was not enough time.
Looking at the happiness index by type of participation in daily sports of the disabled, the happiness level of the "complete executor" was the highest with an average of 3.39 points, followed by the "incomplete executor" with an average of 3.33 points. People with disabilities with high participation in daily sports have higher feelings of happiness than those with disabilities who do not.
As a result of a survey on what you want to receive the most support when exercising, 34.7% of the respondents hoped for "cost support." It was then surveyed in order of 15.5% for sports equipment and equipment for the disabled, 15% for sports programs for the disabled, 12.8% for convenience facilities for the disabled, and 9.1% for sports guidance for the disabled. In addition, 33.7% of public sports facilities and integrated facilities responded to sports facilities they want to use in the future around the living area, up 4.9 percentage points from the previous year.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will also support infrastructure, costs, and sports programs in 2026 to increase the participation rate of disabled people in sports. First of all, the amount of support for the construction of the Bandabi Sports Center, a social integrated sports facility that can be used by both the disabled and the non-disabled, will be increased by 1 billion won compared to the previous year. It plans to support "passenger tickets for sports lectures for the disabled" for 25,900 registered disabled people aged 5 to 69 across the country and to expand franchise facilities. We will continue to promote policies to promote sports for the disabled by operating a physical fitness certification center for the disabled (17 cities and provinces nationwide) to measure the health and physical improvement of the disabled and support various sports programs for the disabled.
The "2025 Disability Sports Survey Results" report can be downloaded from early February from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Culture Calculator, and the National Statistical Portal website.
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*This content was translated by AI.
