By Disability Sports Australia Media Team
Disability Sports Australia and Bupa have launched Every Body Moves, a new national community participation series bringing people with and without disability together to connect, belong and get active through sport.
Developed by Disability Sports Australia and presented by Bupa through its Healthy Cities initiative, the series is also supported by the Australian Sports Commission through its investment in DSA under the Play Well Strategy.
Every Body Moves will bring local sporting organisations and community partners together to help people discover activities they enjoy, build confidence and find opportunities to stay active close to home.
The initiative reflects a shared commitment to reducing barriers to participation and creating clearer pathways into community sport for people with and without disability.
Chief Executive Officer Ayden Shaw said Every Body Moves is about making community sport feel welcoming from the very beginning.
“Sport has an incredible ability to bring people together, but too often people with disability experience sport separately from their family, friends and wider community,” Mr Shaw said.
“Every Body Moves creates a more welcoming way into sport. Whether you attend with family, siblings, friends or your support network, everyone should feel welcome to experience it together.”
“Sometimes the biggest barrier isn’t ability. It is not knowing where to start or feeling like you belong. Every Body Moves helps create that first connection to community sport.”
Bupa Director of Social Impact and Sustainability, Bronwyn Portes, said Every Body Moves reflects Bupa’s commitment to creating healthier, more connected communities through its Healthy Cities initiative. The initiative encourages participants to get active, helping unlock funding for nature regeneration projects.
Since launching in Australia in 2023, Healthy Cities has supported more than 95 projects and contributed to the planting of more than 470,000 native plants and trees, helping make communities and cities healthier.
“At Bupa, we know that good health is about more than healthcare. It’s about helping people feel connected to their community, stay active and have opportunities to participate.
“Through our Healthy Cities initiative, we’re proud to partner with Disability Sports Australia on Every Body Moves to help create welcoming environments where people with and without disability can come together through sport, build confidence, make connections and belong.
“By making it easier for people to take part in sport close to home, we’re helping build healthier, more inclusive communities.”
Every Body Moves gives people the opportunity to try a range of sports and activities, meet local sporting organisations and community providers, and discover different ways to stay involved.
People with and without disability are encouraged to attend with family, friends, siblings and support networks, creating shared experiences that help make participation in community sport part of everyday life.
Every Body Moves complements Disability Sports Australia’s broader participation initiatives, including Abilities Unleashed, Bupa Try Para Sport and the Accessibility Champion Workshop Series, providing different pathways into sport for people with disability.
The 2026 Every Body Moves series will visit communities across Australia, with events scheduled in Adelaide, Blacktown, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne and Sydney.
Participation is free and open to people of all ages, abilities and experience levels.
People with and without disability, their families, friends and support networks can register for their local Every Body Moves event at:
https://collections.humanitix.com/bupa-everybody-moves
ENDS
Media contacts:
Ayden Shaw
Chief Executive Officer
Disability Sports Australia
E: ayden@sports.org.au
About Disability Sports Australia
Disability Sports Australia (DSA) is a national non-profit, registered charity, and National Sporting Organisation for people with disability, dedicated to increasing participation in sport.
For more than 65 years, DSA and its predecessor organisations have helped shape disability sport across Australia. Today DSA works with its members, sporting organisations, governments, clubs and communities to increase participation opportunities for people with disability and strengthen how sport is delivered nationally.
About Bupa Asia Pacific
Bupa is an international healthcare group which has been committed to a purpose of helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives and making a better world for more than 75 years.
Bupa Asia Pacific operates in Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong, supporting about 8.2 million customers through a broad range of health and care services including health insurance, aged care, dental, medical, optical and hearing services. Employing more than 22,000 people in the region,
Bupa believes it can make a real difference to the lives of customers through its values, purpose and the way it delivers personalised care.
Over the past 20 years Bupa has invested more than AUD$40 million in partnerships and programs focused on improving the health of communities across Australia.
