Bucharest, May 2025 — Partners of the MOVE UP project met face to face for the first time during a three-day meeting in Bucharest, from May 5 to 7. The event marked the start of the next important phase of the project, which helps adults with diabetes and other chronic conditions improve their health through adapted sports and healthy lifestyle activities.

      The project is co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Sport Programme, and the meeting was hosted by Corporate Games, with support from the Romanian Football Federation (FRF) and other partners.

      On May 6, at the FRF headquarters, partners presented important project materials. Tudor Dobridan introduced the Walking Football manual, Spartaco Grieco explained the Walking Basketball manuals for coaches, referees, and players, and Radu Rădulescu presented the Catchball manual. Dan Boboc also shared the Train the Trainers Manual, which will help coaches deliver safe, fun, and effective sessions for people living with chronic health problems.

      Later that day, all participants took part in practical training sessions, playing Walking Football, Walking Basketball, and Catchball. These activities were led by trainers from the Romanian Football Federation, MSV Basket, and Corporate Games. Everyone had fun, learned by doing, and saw how these adapted sports can be enjoyable and open to all, no matter their health condition.

      The second day of the meeting took place at the Corporate Games office. The group discussed project management, coaching skills, and the next steps. Radu Rădulescu presented the Project Management Manual, and diplomas were awarded to those who completed the training sessions.

      During the meeting, the partners agreed on the next tasks: organizing focus groups by June 15, collecting best practices, recruiting 2–3 trainers for each sport, and finding 60–80 participants per partner country. The trained coaches will then run local sessions and form teams to prepare for friendly competitions during the European Week of Sport 2025.

      The MOVE UP project builds on the success of past work like the ATHENA project, which showed how adapted sports can improve both health and quality of life. With a mix of teamwork, practice, and shared knowledge, the partners are now ready to move forward and make sport more accessible for everyone.