Santos, Artur JorgeLima, Carla Pedroso dePrada, Ana Raquel RussoYilmaz, Emine BüşraReverdito, RillerCarvalho, Emanuel2026-03-062026-03-062025Santos, Artur Jorge; Lima, Carla Pedroso de; Prada, Ana Raquel Russo; Yilmaz, Emine Büşra; Reverdito, Riller; Carvalho, Emanuel (2025). Inclusive Practices in Sport: Perceptions and Experiences of Professionals Across Diverse Contexts. In I Congresso de Atividade Física, Desporto e Bem-Estar: Desafios e Inovação para o Futuro. Penafielhttp://hdl.handle.net/10198/35979Promoting inclusion within sports settings is a fundamental component of creating equitable, accessible, and socially cohesive environments. As a universal educational principle, inclusion extends beyond disability, encompassing diversity in abilities, backgrounds, identities, and life circumstances. Understanding how sports professionals perceive and implement inclusive practices is therefore essential for developing meaningful strategies that ensure participation opportunities for all individuals. This study employs a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with 18 professionals from multiple sport contexts, including gyms, football, swimming, surfing, and community-based institutions. A shared interview guide explored six key domains: previous experiences with diverse participants, conceptualisations of inclusion, perceived challenges, strategies used to foster inclusive environments, professional training, and areas requiring further development. Transcriptions were analysed descriptively to identify recurring themes and patterns in practitioners’ narratives. Findings reveal that professionals view inclusion as the creation of environments where every participant, regardless of ability, identity, or experience, can engage, feel valued, and develop physically, socially, and emotionally. They emphasise the role of inclusion in promoting well-being, reducing social barriers, and fostering a sense of belonging. However, the interviews also highlight several obstacles, such as limited accessible infrastructures, insufficient human and material resources, lack of training on inclusive pedagogies, and persistent societal misconceptions about who “belongs” in sport. To address these challenges, participants describe strategies such as individualised task adaptation, flexible organisation of space and time, supportive communication, and the intentional creation of welcoming group dynamics. Future recommendations include expanding specialised and continuous training in inclusive methodologies, investing in universally accessible facilities, and implementing awareness initiatives that promote diversity and equal participation. Although professionals display strong motivation to enhance inclusion, achieving it fully requires structural support, educational investment, and a cultural shift towards embracing diversity across all dimensions of sport and physical activity.engPhysical ActivityInclusionEquityProfessional Perspectivesconference poster