Development plan for adapted physical activity 2025–2029
The development plan for adapted physical activity in Espoo has been drafted in cooperation with partners. The goal of the development plan is to improve adapted physical activity so that equal opportunities to exercise can be offered to everyone in Espoo. The need for the plan arises from the necessity to promote everyone’s inclusion and well-being through physical activity and to respond to the diversification and ageing of the population. A summary of the development plan is available to read, download, and print out on this website. More detailed development measures are also listed at the bottom of the page and will be updated over time.
Learn more about adapted physical activity in Espoo
What is adapted physical activity?
Adapted physical activity refers to the physical activity of people who find it difficult to participate in general physical activities due to a disability, illness, other impairment of functional capacity or social circumstances. Adapted physical activity is a question of adaptation, and organising it requires special expertise. Adapted physical activity is especially aimed at people with disabilities or long-term illnesses and over 65-year-olds with significantly lower functional capacity due to age, disability, or long-term illness. “Adapted physical activity” has replaced the previous term “special physical activity”.
Approximately 15% to 20% of the population need adapted physical activity services, and this number is expected to grow as the demographic structure changes. Under the Act on the promotion of sports and physical activity and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, all population groups must be offered equal opportunities to exercise and engage in physical activity.
Adapted physical activity promotes social inclusion by providing opportunities to participate in sports groups and communities. Communality and belonging improve well-being. Engaging in physical activity is a way to create good experiences and offer ways to positively impact personal health and fitness. In particular, supporting the inclusion of children and young people is important as it allows them to start exercising at an early age.
Current state of adapted physical activity in Espoo
In Espoo, adapted physical activities are organised by the city, the wellbeing services county, and the third sector and collaborative partners.
The objective of the guided exercise that the city’s sports services offer is to provide high-quality, easily accessible, and affordable or free-of-charge sports groups for such residents of Espoo who are particularly in need of regular physical activity due to their health or who currently exercise too little. Guided exercise is organised accessibly and in an adapted manner whenever possible.
Around 40 to 50 adapted physical activity groups are organised in Espoo every week, depending on the season. Several open exercise groups that are suitable for people with disabilities are offered in addition to water aerobics, gym groups and special groups provided by partners. These exercise groups include seated workouts, fitness and balance, open gym for special groups, remote classes by partners, and recordings of various exercises for working out at home, which are available on the website. Twelve of the groups are intended for children and young people. These groups include adapted swimming, football, ice sports, and gym for young people in special groups. Most of the groups are implemented by our partners. Participating in sports groups that are implemented by partners does not require a membership with the club. In addition, sports clubs and associations have their own groups for children and young people who need additional support in different sports.
The city organises free and open exercise activities for under 20-year-olds in cooperation with partners. These groups include family exercise days for 2–8-year-old children and their families, Wau clubs for pupils in primary school, Jumppi groups for 13–20-year-olds, and exercise opportunities for pupils during school holidays. Depending on the specialisation of the service provider, some sports groups can also be adapted to special groups. Participants are allowed to bring an assistant. Espoo Hobby Path also offers sports groups. Find out more about sports groups at harrastushaku.fi.
Espoo is a pioneer in digital physical activity and e-sports. Digital sports games offer an accessible and versatile way for special groups to get more exercise. Games can be adapted to different skill levels, and most of the solutions that are in use in Espoo can be played while sitting down or using aids. The Sports and Exercise Unit and Library Services will work together to start a new library of gaming aids to promote the accessibility of gaming culture by offering special controls and devices for loan that the player can use e.g. with their body or eyes.
In early childhood education and care in Espoo, physical activity is considered an essential practice that aims at bringing more joy, social inclusion, and equality to children’s exercise. Children are offered guided and versatile, regular and child-oriented physical activity and given opportunities for independent exercise every day. The activities are inclusive and take children’s individual needs into account through special equipment, small groups, alternative communication methods, and expert cooperation. The equipment library for adapted physical activity supports especially the inclusion of children with disabilities and their participation in the group’s activities. In the operating term 2025–2026, physical activity is a development area in early childhood education and care. The implementation of physical education is assessed using the national Early Childhood Education and Care on the Move programme, and based on the assessments, the units select their own development areas. In addition, the competence of staff will be strengthened through training, among other ways.
The objective of guided exercise in Espoo’s basic education is to promote pupils’ well-being and support an active lifestyle. The individual needs of pupils are taken into account in the instruction and, if needed, it is possible to utilise the methods and tools of adapted physical activity. Teachers plan and implement adapted physical activity in cooperation with school assistants and other professionals. Espoo also employs two teachers specialising in developing physical education who participate in the development of teachers’ pedagogical competence in adapted physical activity.
In the school’s morning and afternoon care for pupils with disabilities, special school assistants and school assistants offer adapted physical activity for children and young people. The exercises are child-oriented and adapted to the participants’ capabilities. Their interests, skills, and coping are taken into account in the planning. Adapted physical activity is also provided in holiday care organised during school holidays on the same principles. The city's sports services also hold a sports club at two schools in cooperation with afternoon care.
In Espoo, adapted physical activity has been considered in exercise counselling and sports services in various ways. The city offers physical activity services aimed particularly at older people, persons with disabilities, and people with long-term illnesses that support the participants’ well-being and functional capacity.
In Espoo, exercise counselling is offered by sports instructors, who provide guidance free of charge for people of all ages and especially for those who are new to exercising. Exercise counselling can help participants draw up a personal exercise plan and guide them to suitable forms of physical activity. Exercise counselling is offered at health centres and sports facilities in Espoo. An exercise counselling project launched in the autumn of 2025 to offer well-being coaching in three upper secondary schools in Espoo.
The City of Espoo works together with various partners to promote accessibility. Feedback channels and user experiences are important tools in improving accessibility. The Disability Council and its “Rakennetaan kaikille” (Building for All) working group play an active role in promoting accessibility by offering their versatile expertise by experience already at the planning stage.
New construction projects are built to comply with accessibility legislation, and their compliance is checked especially in regard to public sports facilities. Projects that have received grants from the state are required to draw up an accessibility report. This ensures that new facilities are as accessible as possible to all user groups.
In terms of existing buildings, accessibility is improved during renovation works. Structural possibilities to increase accessibility are considered in renovations in order to make even older facilities more accessible to everyone. However, it is often difficult to renovate old facilities to a point where they would meet all accessibility requirements.
Espoo has several accessible sports facilities. The most recently constructed indoor swimming pools and sports facilities in new schools have been built in accordance with accessibility requirements. Mostly accessible outdoor exercise sites include the Korennon kierros Nature Trail and the Rantaraitti Trail. In addition, the Oitta beach and its canoeing piers are good spots for accessible water sports. The services in Iso Vasikkasaari have also been constructed to be as accessible as possible.
The service map provides information on the city’s services and includes some accessibility information. Users can use the map to look up and assess the accessibility of various sites before getting there. Currently, the city is working to add all sports and outdoor recreation facilities to the service map.
Some of the challenges that Espoo is still facing in regard to accessibility are the lack of accessible outdoor gyms and accessible gym machines due to the limited availability of the equipment. Accessible outdoor gym equipment will be added to existing outdoor gyms. The city is aiming to develop an accessible outdoor recreation park that would suit a wide range of different target groups and uses, including exercise, rehabilitation, and social events.
People in special groups are charged significantly discounted entrance fees to swimming pools and gyms as well as guided sports groups. The swimming and gym wristband for special groups is a seasonal product for independent swimming practice and free training in gyms for people in Espoo who have significantly limited function due to a permanent long-term illness or disability. The disability can be verified with approved certificates. The wristbands for special groups include an assistant benefit and a guest pass that allow the wristband holder to bring an adult with them free of charge.
The City of Espoo will grant all Espoo residents who turn 68 years this year a +68 Sports Wristband, which entitles to the use of swimming pools, gyms, guided sports groups, and archipelago boats free of charge. The wristband includes a guest pass that allows the wristband holder to bring an adult with them free of charge. Over 70% of wristband users utilise the guest pass feature at swimming pools, half in archipelago boats, and over 30% in the gym.
An informal carer who is taking care of an Espoo resident can access the swimming pools and open gym free of charge. The wristband is granted to a person who receives informal care support from the Western Uusimaa wellbeing services county.
Clubs and associations can apply for the sports services grant for adapted physical activity that is intended for supporting the organisation of such activities. In 2025, the grants totalled EUR 158,000. In addition, the city gives out rental grants for sports facilities. The activities of special groups are also organised with the aid of a separate support from sports services. In 2025, the operating budget was EUR 48,000. The grant is applied for and processed through the accessible electronic grant system. In addition, adapted physical activity and athletes are taken into account in education supports and scholarships.
Strengths of adapted physical activity in Espoo
In Espoo, adapted physical activity is a well-established part of the city’s services. The city offers versatile opportunities to exercise to people of different ages and in various target groups, including those who need support or special arrangements to exercise. The activities take the participants’ individual needs into account and support equal opportunities to take part in physical activity. The offering is constantly evolving on the basis of the needs of Espoo residents.
Strengths of adapted physical activity based on the current state
- The city’s adapted physical activity services are good at reaching older customers with disabilities.
- Sports clubs and associations organise their own sports groups for children and young people who need support in different sports. Every week, the city also organises versatile exercise opportunities for people who need support to exercise around Espoo together with its partners.
- Comprehensive benefits for independent exercise: swimming and fitness centre benefits, +68 Sports Wristband, and a website dedicated to independent exercising
- Sports clubs and associations receive support through the sports services grant for adapted physical activity.
- Espoo has sports facilities and outdoor exercise sites suited for adapted physical activity.
Changes in the operating environment
At the end of 2024, the population of Espoo was 321,030. According to population projections, in 2040 there will be close to 400,000 inhabitants in the area. The population is growing, ageing and diversifying, and housing is becoming denser along railroad tracks and in regional centres. In the future, an increasing number of local residents will be foreign language speakers. This poses challenges to the accessibility of services, especially for older people.
The sports and exercise culture is changing, and as quality requirements increase, the costs of physical activity do, too. Polarisation is threatening physical activity, and competition for the individual's free time is becoming increasingly intense.
Everyday exercise holds a key position here as children’s basic athletic skills are at risk of deteriorating and lifestyle diseases are increasing in adults. The importance of physical activity has increased: the Government added a section called Get Finland Moving to the Government Programme 2023–2027.
Espoo Sports and Exercise Services aim to respond to these challenges by offering versatile exercise opportunities to special groups. The development measures are presented in the next chapter.
Development measures
The objective of the development measures is to help more people in need of adapted physical activity services find a form of exercise that suits them and to exercise more. This can be achieved by raising awareness of the offered adapted physical activity services in Espoo, improving cooperation in adapted physical activity networks, further building the competence of different parties, and offering more exercise opportunities. Competence development helps improve the accessible aspects of exercise and the accessibility of sports facilities.
Key development measures:
- increasing the offer of adapted physical activity: especially for children, young people, and older people with challenges with functional capability
- expanding and developing the competence of different operators in adapted physical activity services
- developing cooperation: Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County, sports clubs, other partners and other cities
- increasing accessibility in exercise
- raising awareness of adapted physical activity and improving targeted communication.
Measures in the table
The table below depicts the key measures and indicators of the objectives on a general level.
| Objective | Measures | Assessment and indicators |
|---|---|---|
| Adding more services for adapted physical activity | Reform of grant benefits and restructuring special groups and free-of-charge groups. Children and young people under the age of 21 as well as older people with functional capacity challenges as the focus of adapted physical activity services. | Offering more numerous and diverse opportunities for exercise. Increasing the number of people exercising in adapted sports groups every year. |
| Adding more services for adapted physical activity | Reform of grant benefits and restructuring special groups and free-of-charge groups. Children and young people under the age of 21 as well as older people with functional capacity challenges as the focus of adapted physical activity services. | Offering more numerous and diverse opportunities for exercise. Increasing the number of people exercising in adapted sports groups every year. |
| Expanding the competence in adapted physical activity | Increasing the competence of the adapted sports network, including staff and sports clubs and associations. | Having more operators and parties consider adapted physical activity and its requirements in their operations. Organising training related to adapted physical activity for associations. |
| Development of cooperation | Development of cooperation through different operators working together. Growing and diversifying the activities through cooperation, clarifying the division of responsibilities. | Increasing the number of new partner groups and experts. Operating more efficiently and utilising resources. |
|
Increasing accessibility in exercise
| Adding all accessible sports facilities to the Service Map and the Lipas database. Taking adapted physical activity into account in outdoor and indoor gyms. An accessible outdoor sports park is being planned. | Making information on accessible sports facilities more easily available (survey) and making more accessible equipment available at gyms. The planning of an accessible outdoor sports park has started. |
| Raising awareness and developing targeted communication | Communicating about the possibilities of adapted physical activity more efficiently and in a more accessible manner. Targeted communications can reach a larger number of potential clients for adapted physical activity services. | Results of the Espoo Liikkuu brand survey. The number of people who exercise, statistics on press releases and posts. |
The development plan for adapted physical activity has been drawn up by a project group consisting of employees from several sectors of the city, the disability organisation, and the Disability Council of Espoo. The project group started meeting in late autumn 2024 and held seven meetings. The closing meeting was held in August 2025. The task of the working group was to participate in the assessment of the current state of adapted physical activity, the collection of information, and the planning of development measures from the perspective of the sectors represented by the participants. The development plan contains several objectives and measures. However, it is possible to update the plan and new measures can be added to it in the future.
Each person participating in the drafting of the development plan is responsible for promoting the achievement of the objectives on the agreed schedule. The results of the measures will be posted on the website of the development plan for adapted physical activity. Espoo Sports and Exercise will review and analyse the implementation of the development plan annually. It will then report the measures to the Sports and Wellbeing Committee. The purpose of the plan is to ensure that physical activity is part of the daily life and well-being of all Espoo residents.
- A network for developing adapted physical activity, i.e. the project group, was assembled, and the objectives and measures for the term 2025–2029 were decided. The project group will continue their work.
- Our new website for the development plan for adapted physical activity was launched in December 2025.
- The wristband reform on the swimming pool and gym access of special groups started in March; associations and bodies were consulted on the matter in August 2025. The Committee decided on the reform in November 2025. The new products (Special fitness wristband, Special swimming wristband, and Active Wristband) will become valid on 1 January 2026.
- A partnership website with information for sports service partners was launched.
- Play & Move (Leiki ja liiku): training for instructors of adapted physical activity in August 2025
- An equipment library for adapted physical activity was established in early childhood education and care
- Espoo is involved in an adapted physical activity development project that includes 5 ECEC units and 4 primary schools.
• Grant reform: The reform of grants for adapted physical activity will be finalised in June 2026 and come into force in 2027. The new criteria will enable more diverse activities, more groups and participants, and a focus on children, young people, and older people.
- Improving the usability of outdoor gyms: Adapted machines will be added to outdoor gyms. The objective is to improve usability and accessibility
- Piloting an accessible sports park: An accessible sports park with good connections will be built with special consideration for people of different ages and people with disabilities. Planning will start in 2026 and the aim is to find a suitable location during the year.
- Accessibility information of sports facilities and communicating about accessible sports facilities: The process will become clearer and the information will be updated in the Service Map and LIPAS system. Implementation in 2026 and update once per year. Information on accessible sports facilities will be made more easily accessible.
- Improving accessibility in sports facilities: The possibilities of wheelchair access to skating rinks, procuring adapted equipment, and raising more awareness on accessibility will be investigated.
- Equipment libraries for adapted physical activity: Equipment library activities will be fully established and expanded. Sports equipment for adapted physical activity will be available at two ice rinks during public skating hours in 2026. The development will continue.
- A renovated HUR gym with pneumatic equipment will open at the Espoonlahti swimming pool. The HUR gym will also be added to the booking calendar of the sports facilities.
- Development of targeted communication: The communication plan will be reviewed and developed together with the networks. The effectiveness of targeted communications will be measured through feedback and the number of press releases and publications.
- Brand review and impact of communications: The development of awareness about adapted physical activity will be measured through a brand review, the number of participants in physical activity, and statistics on press releases/posts.
- Increasing digitalisation: Virtual guidance will be considered for adapted swimming hours, e.g. assistance and techniques.
- Improving cooperation: Cooperation between the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County and the sports operators of the City of Espoo will be developed. Referral to services and customer guidance will be improved in accordance with jointly agreed objectives.
- Increasing the offer of adapted physical activity: The reform of grants and restructuring of free groups will increase and diversify the offering of services, especially for children, young people and people over the age of 65.
- Expanding competence in adapted physical activity: Training will be organised for different operators (officials, network members, clubs, companies, associations). A training event for sharing ideas for exercise breaks will be organised for instructors in holiday care during the winter, autumn, or summer break.
Materials for adapted physical activity
Ala-Kauhaluoma, M., Ruuth, M., Niskanen, S., Ilomäki, M. & Shemeikka, R. (2023). Osallisuuden edistäminen liikunnan avulla - asiantuntijatietoa(external link, opens in a new window)
City of Espoo (2020). Kuulemisesta kumppanuuteen - Espoon osallisuusmalli.(external link, opens in a new window)
City of Espoo (2022). Espoon varhaiskasvatussuunnitelman perusteet, 2022(external link, opens in a new window).
City of Espoo (2024). Kuntalaiset ovat hyvin tyytyväisiä Espoon kaupungin ohjattuun liikuntaan.
City of Espoo (2025a). Espoo liikkuu -verkkosivusto.
City of Espoo (2025b). Espoo Liikkuu 2040 - Iloiten, rohkeasti, yhdessä.
City of Espoo (2025c). Espoo Climate Watch.(external link, opens in a new window)
City of Espoo (2025d). Espoon kaupungin suomenkielisen perusopetuksen opetussuunnitelma 2014.(external link, opens in a new window)
City of Espoo (2025e). Toimintaympäristön tila Espoossa.
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (2025). Experiences of Social Inclusion Scale (ESIS).(external link, opens in a new window)
Esteettömyyden edistäminen, Government publications 2021:3
Act on the promotion of sports and physical activity(external link, opens in a new window) (2015. 390/14.4.2015)
The Finnish Society of Sport Sciences. 2023. Compiled materials delivered to the City of Espoo as part of the Liikuttaako? report. Not published.
Pyykkönen, T. & Rikala, S. (2018). Valtio soveltavan liikunnan ja vammaisurheilun edistäjänä.(external link, opens in a new window) Publications of the National Sport Council 2018:2.
Prinkey, V. & Roitto, R. (edit.) (2024). Liikuttaako 2023? Toimintarajoitteisille henkilöille suunnatun Liikkujakyselyn ja Seura- ja yhdistyskyselyn raportti.(external link, opens in a new window) Studies and reports of the Finnish Society of Sport Sciences 26.
Ruskovaara, A. (edit. 2009). Ohje esteettömään liikuntapaikkasuunnitteluun(external link, opens in a new window)
The Finnish Terminology Centre & The Finnish Society of Sport Sciences. 2023. Soveltavan liikunnan ja paraurheilun sanasto. Liikuntatieteellisen Seuran tutkimuksia ja selvityksiä nro 23.
Finnish Paralympic Committee (2025). Kuntien soveltava liikunta(external link, opens in a new window) Kunnille
The Non-Discrimination Act(external link, opens in a new window) (1325/2014)
UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities(external link, opens in a new window) (2016. 27/2016)
ChatGPT’s artificial intelligence has been used to create the structure of the summary.