Harnessing Sport and AI for Social Impact in the Balkans

Published Date : 01/09/2025 

Discover how the Universal Sports for Social Impact (USSI) project is using adapted judo techniques and AI to enhance physical and mental well-being among visually impaired athletes and children with various conditions in Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro. 

Training visually impaired athletes of all ages by adapting judo techniques and methods is one of 14 modules that the Universal Sports for Social Impact (USSI) project aims to implement in Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro. By evaluating the adaptation of judo techniques, as well as improvements in physical coordination and spatial awareness, this module forms part of a wider programme designed to enhance the capacity of sports coaches and educators to integrate martial arts methodologies into their coaching. It promotes discipline, focus, and perseverance through sport, while fostering social inclusion across the three countries.

Other modules focus on children with cerebral palsy or delayed motor development, children with muscle tone or neuro-orthopaedic disorders, those with hyperactivity issues, ADHD, musculoskeletal or neurological conditions. Altogether, through a holistic approach, a playful learning environment, and individualised attention based on each child's condition, the modules provide tailored therapeutic exercises and treatments for various medical and developmental challenges. These may include non-painful manual techniques, the synergistic use of several therapies, safety and protection techniques in sports contexts, and the development of self-defence skills, self-awareness, self-confidence, decision-making, stress management, and conflict resolution.

Established in Hungary and supported by the Erasmus Programme of the European Union, the Universal Sports for Social Impact (USSI) project will be piloted in the Balkans. It represents a unique approach to leveraging sport for social good, underpinned by a commitment to inclusivity, sustainability, and the promotion of positive values across Europe and beyond. By encouraging active participation and providing a safe space for learning, exploration, and growth, participants will design their own activities, ready for implementation with youth groups upon returning home.

“It is one of the best projects, because even children who do not have special needs benefit from increased self-confidence and motivation. These judo modules include exercises adapted for different groups. The goal is that, after two years, they will become open-source resources for all teachers and trainers,” says Juel Jarani, co-founder and project manager at the Albanian Association of Sports Sciences (ASSA), the initiative’s local partner.

The association contributes to improving health outcomes through physical activity and sport by implementing educational programmes and community-impact projects. These offer opportunities through scientific knowledge to improve the quality of sport training and promote a healthy, active lifestyle for all age groups.

“We work across four pillars: physical education, physical activity, sport and fitness, and research. Our aim is to create standardised reference points for fitness, wellness, and sport norms,” explains Jarani, who has participated in Erasmus education programmes in Rome, where he earned a master’s degree in physiotherapy and health.

“That degree helped me broaden my perspective and change my approach to sport. We were following the Russian model, focused solely on sports performance, while they introduced us to a new mentality, one where health comes first, and sport follows. Only 1 to 2 percent of the population actively participates in sport, but physical activity should include everyone. That’s what inspired the creation of the association,” he recalls.

To better understand children's physical conditions and abilities, ASSA has collaborated on the EUFITMOS (European Fitness Monitoring System) project in recent years. This project has identified existing fitness batteries, fitness tests, monitoring systems, and good practices to track youth fitness trends. Alongside partners from Portugal and Greece, ASSA co-developed EUFITMOS educational and training resources, including a textbook, a toolkit, and a training module, culminating in the creation of the EUFITMOS fitness battery.

They evaluated parameters such as anthropometry, aerobic/anaerobic capacity, acceleration and speed, agility and flexibility, muscular strength, and endurance, developing a robust data collection.

“Through different tests, including aerobic endurance, running, sprinting, flexibility, push-ups, bench press, curl-ups, squats, leg press, medicine ball chest pass, vertical jump, etc., we’ve performed standardised measurements across seven cities in Albania with 1,800 schoolchildren. These initial measurements show challenges in the cardiorespiratory system, linked to a lack of space for physical activity. However, we saw positive results in speed and flexibility. On the downside, 7–8% of this group are obese, while 14% are overweight,” explains Jarani.

This database will also support the new i4EUFITMOS project, which aims to enhance the EUFITMOS online platform with intelligent and more sophisticated digital services. These tools will facilitate the exploitation and dissemination of fitness data to support decision-making and Health-Enhancing Physical Activity (HEPA) policy planning.

“i4EUFITMOS will transform data into smart action, helping coaches, teachers, researchers, and policymakers across Europe improve children's health and physical fitness. It offers guidance to children, parents, and physical education teachers,” says Jarani.

The project Intelligent Digital Services for Supporting the European Fitness Monitoring System is working to develop user-friendly, interactive, data-driven mobile apps and services that allow teachers and parents to monitor data and learn how to improve themselves and support young people more effectively.

<strong>Background information</strong>

Erasmus+ is the EU's programme to support education, training, youth and sport, which provides opportunities for millions of participants to study, train, gain experience, and volunteer abroad. The 2021-2027 programme places a strong focus on social inclusion, the green and digital transitions, and promoting young people’s participation in democratic life. In addition to offering grants, Erasmus+ also supports teaching, research, networking and policy debate on EU topics. The sports chapter promotes grassroots activities in sports. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS): 

Q: What is the Universal Sports for Social Impact (USSI) project?

A: The Universal Sports for Social Impact (USSI) project is an initiative that aims to integrate adapted sports and martial arts techniques to enhance physical and mental well-being among various groups, including visually impaired athletes and children with special needs in Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro.

Q: How does the USSI project promote social inclusion?

A: The USSI project promotes social inclusion by providing adapted sports and therapeutic exercises that cater to the specific needs of different groups, fostering a sense of community and belonging among participants.

Q: What is the role of the Albanian Association of Sports Sciences (ASSA) in the USSI project?

A: ASSA is the local partner for the USSI project in Albania. They contribute to the development and implementation of educational programmes and community-impact projects to improve health outcomes through physical activity and sport.

Q: What is the EUFITMOS project and how does it relate to the USSI project?

A: EUFITMOS is a project that monitors youth fitness trends and develops educational resources. It supports the USSI project by providing data and tools to enhance the effectiveness of fitness and sports programmes.

Q: What is the goal of the i4EUFITMOS project?

A: The i4EUFITMOS project aims to enhance the EUFITMOS online platform with intelligent digital services to facilitate the exploitation and dissemination of fitness data, supporting decision-making and policy planning in health and physical activity. 

More Related Topics :