Start Date
20-6-2025 10:00 AM
End Date
20-6-2025 4:00 PM
Abstract
The Motor Activity Training Program (MATP) is Special Olympics’ dedicated sport and physical activity pathway for athletes with profound intellectual disabilities and high support needs. As a movement-based sport program, MATP ensures that every athlete regardless of ability, communication style, mobility, or support requirement has a meaningful place in sport, with opportunities to participate, progress, and perform in ways that reflect their strengths, preferences, and goals.
At ISAPA 2025, Special Olympics International and Special Olympics Ireland delivered a landmark MATP training and community engagement program, marking one of the most comprehensive MATP activations ever held at an international symposium. Led by Dr Niamh-Elizabeth Mourton, Senior Manager for MATP at Special Olympics International, alongside global Special Olympics advisors and Irish practitioners, the ISAPA program demonstrated MATP’s unique ability to bridge research, practice, inclusion, and human rights.
Embedding MATP in the ISAPA Learning Experience
Delegates were offered the opportunity to complete an Introduction to Special Olympics MATP certified training, beginning with a pre-conference online module and culminating in a full day of immersive, hands-on learning on Friday, 20 June at the MTU Kerry Sports Academy.
The training sequence included: Foundational presentations from MATP founder and global advisor Prof. Martin Block, and global Special Olympics leader Dr Eleni Rossides, exploring the why, how, and what of MATP. “MATP in Action” practical training, led by Dr Niamh Mourton and Shaun Hennessey (Special Olympics Ireland), where participants engaged directly with MATP activities, equipment, coaching strategies, and athlete-centred adaptations.
A community-facing MATP “Come and Try” festival, an inclusive celebration inviting families, supporters, and the public to experience MATP first-hand. This event demonstrated how MATP creates belonging, joy, and meaningful participation for athletes with high support needs.
MATP’s Contribution to the ISAPA 2025 Vision
The inclusion of MATP at ISAPA 2025 embodied the Symposium’s theme, Shifting the Dial – From Awareness to Transformation, by:
- positioning athletes with high support needs at the centre of the program,
- showcasing practical, rights-based approaches to inclusion,
- equipping educators, practitioners, and researchers with actionable skills,
- strengthening the global evidence base for adapted physical activity, and
- modelling inclusive, community-connected sport in practice.
Special Olympics’ presence also highlighted the broader mission of MATP: enabling athletes with the highest support needs not only to take part, but to shine and ensuring that inclusion is understood not as an accommodation, but as a right.
Recommended Citation
Mourton, Niamh E.; Block, Martin; Rossides, Eleni; Black, Ken; Hennessey, Shaun; and Lahart, Jeff, "Special Olympics Motor Activity Training Program (MATP) at ISAPA 2025" (2025). International Symposium of Adapted Physical Activity and International Symposium on Physical Activity and Visual Impairment and Deafblindness. 3.
https://sword.mtu.ie/isapa/2025/day5/3
Special Olympics Motor Activity Training Program (MATP) at ISAPA 2025
The Motor Activity Training Program (MATP) is Special Olympics’ dedicated sport and physical activity pathway for athletes with profound intellectual disabilities and high support needs. As a movement-based sport program, MATP ensures that every athlete regardless of ability, communication style, mobility, or support requirement has a meaningful place in sport, with opportunities to participate, progress, and perform in ways that reflect their strengths, preferences, and goals.
At ISAPA 2025, Special Olympics International and Special Olympics Ireland delivered a landmark MATP training and community engagement program, marking one of the most comprehensive MATP activations ever held at an international symposium. Led by Dr Niamh-Elizabeth Mourton, Senior Manager for MATP at Special Olympics International, alongside global Special Olympics advisors and Irish practitioners, the ISAPA program demonstrated MATP’s unique ability to bridge research, practice, inclusion, and human rights.
Embedding MATP in the ISAPA Learning Experience
Delegates were offered the opportunity to complete an Introduction to Special Olympics MATP certified training, beginning with a pre-conference online module and culminating in a full day of immersive, hands-on learning on Friday, 20 June at the MTU Kerry Sports Academy.
The training sequence included: Foundational presentations from MATP founder and global advisor Prof. Martin Block, and global Special Olympics leader Dr Eleni Rossides, exploring the why, how, and what of MATP. “MATP in Action” practical training, led by Dr Niamh Mourton and Shaun Hennessey (Special Olympics Ireland), where participants engaged directly with MATP activities, equipment, coaching strategies, and athlete-centred adaptations.
A community-facing MATP “Come and Try” festival, an inclusive celebration inviting families, supporters, and the public to experience MATP first-hand. This event demonstrated how MATP creates belonging, joy, and meaningful participation for athletes with high support needs.
MATP’s Contribution to the ISAPA 2025 Vision
The inclusion of MATP at ISAPA 2025 embodied the Symposium’s theme, Shifting the Dial – From Awareness to Transformation, by:
- positioning athletes with high support needs at the centre of the program,
- showcasing practical, rights-based approaches to inclusion,
- equipping educators, practitioners, and researchers with actionable skills,
- strengthening the global evidence base for adapted physical activity, and
- modelling inclusive, community-connected sport in practice.
Special Olympics’ presence also highlighted the broader mission of MATP: enabling athletes with the highest support needs not only to take part, but to shine and ensuring that inclusion is understood not as an accommodation, but as a right.