ORGANIZATIONAL AND LEGAL APPROACHES TO ORGANIZING SPORTS ACTIVITIES FOR WAR VETERANS IN INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE

Abstract

Many experts emphasize the importance of sport as a powerful tool for socialization, integration, and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities and combat veterans. International experience demonstrates the effectiveness of sport as a means of physical and psychological recovery, enhancing self-esteem and quality of life. Purpose: to summarize the organizational and legal foundations of international practice in organizing sports activities for war veterans and to identify directions for their adaptation to Ukrainian realities. The study employed a set of methods: theoretical analysis and synthesis of scientific and methodological literature, documentary method, induction and deduction, analogy, abstraction and concretization, as well as comparison. In Ukraine, sports for war veterans began to actively develop only after 2014, while the full-scale invasion of 2022 led to a sharp increase in the number of persons with disabilities, highlighting the need to create a systemic model of support and social integration through sport. International cooperation plays an important role, ensuring the exchange of experience, organization of joint programs, and development of innovative approaches to sports rehabilitation. The general trend is a transition from narrow rehabilitative impact to comprehensive support for veterans, where sport is viewed as a tool of social integration, professional realization, and long-term support. The use of modern technologies, such as VR, telemedicine, and artificial intelligence, opens new perspectives for personalized rehabilitation programs. The study emphasizes the relevance of harmonizing Ukraine’s regulatory framework with European standards and the necessity of creating a holistic system for organizing sports activities for war veterans, which will contribute to their rehabilitation, social adaptation, and integration into society. The models are characterized as follows: the USA and the UK have the most developed systems, combining state funding and charitable initiatives, integrating sport into healthcare and social support systems; Germany and the Netherlands implement inclusive models, where veterans are integrated into the general system of adaptive sports; Canada and Australia offer comprehensive programs that take into account the needs of veterans’ families and employment opportunities in the sports sector; France applies a centralized model, integrating veterans into the general system of adaptive sports without creating separate programs.