Inclusive sports and lived inclusion: REHACARE’s commitment

Inclusion requires more than isolated initiatives: REHACARE is committed year-round to supporting people with disabilities – especially in sports. Whether through the Inclusion Run in Düsseldorf, partnerships with elite para-athletes, or projects that provide concrete support, inclusion is actively shaped here. A look at initiatives, partnerships, and moments that demonstrate the lasting impact of this commitment.

In brief: inclusive sports, partnerships, and commitment

REHACARE is committed to supporting people with disabilities beyond the trade show.
Inclusive sports connect recreational and elite-level sports.
Partnerships, such as the one with Borussia Düsseldorf, enhance visibility and foster exchange.
Projects such as assistive device donations create impact beyond the trade show.

Subtitles can be activated if needed; the full transcript is available further down this page.

Inclusion in sports – getting active together

Inclusion becomes especially visible where people come together to be active. At the Inclusion Run on Düsseldorf’s Königsallee, people with and without disabilities meet on equal footing – driven by team spirit, motivation, and mutual respect.

This diversity is also evident at REHACARE itself: at the Sports Center, visitors can try out different sports on site and gain new perspectives on movement and inclusion.

At the same time, the commitment extends beyond sports. Together with exhibitors, assistive devices are provided and donated – offering concrete support that reaches people in their everyday lives and carries the REHACARE vision beyond the trade show.

For us, the Inclusion Run represents exactly the values we stand for: inclusion, participation, and mutual respect.

This is a strong signal we can send together with our exhibitors – a commitment that goes far beyond the trade show itself.

Partnership in elite para sports

Our partnership with the wheelchair table tennis team at Borussia Düsseldorf shows how this commitment takes shape in elite para sports. Since the 2024/2025 season, REHACARE has been the team’s official sponsor. The partnership is built on mutual respect – and on the shared belief that inclusion and athletic excellence go hand in hand.

A visit to the training hall shows what defines elite para sports: quick reactions, intensive preparation, and high performance standards. At the same time, it creates space for interaction – between athletes, partners, and an audience that is following this sport with growing interest.

Behind the scenes of para table tennis

A look behind the scenes: during the filming day with Borussia Düsseldorf’s para table tennis team, Thomas Schmidberger, Valentin Baus, and Sandra Mikolaschek were not only in front of the camera – they were also at the table tennis table, alongside REHACARE Director Hannes Niemann.

A view through the camera monitor of Valentin Baus during filming in the training hall

Hannes Niemann (standing), Valentin Baus, Thomas Schmidberger, and Sandra Mikolaschek are playing wheelchair table tennis

A person is filming wheelchair table tennis at Borussia Düsseldorf in a sports hall

Valentin Baus watches Sandra Mikolaschek play table tennis against Hannes Niemann

A cameraman wearing headphones is filming Hannes Niemann and Valentin Baus while playing table tennis

A film crew is recording an interview with Hannes Niemann next to a table tennis table

Thomas Schmidberger, Sandra Mikolaschek, and Valentin Baus are sitting next to each other, smiling and holding cards with their names on them

A view of a camera monitor showing Thomas Schmidberger and Sandra Mikolaschek during filming

Full transcript (text of the video)

Speaker: REHACARE is committed to helping people with disabilities not only during the trade fair, but throughout the year. This is particularly true in the field of sports, as seen here at the Kö Run in Düsseldorf.

Marius Berlemann: For Messe Düsseldorf and REHACARE, the inclusion run represents the very values that we embody: namely participation, inclusion, and mutual respect.

Speaker: People with and without disabilities run and ride together here with fun, motivation, and team spirit.

Marius Berlemann: We have been involved in this race since the very beginning. We are convinced of this – and we will see it again today: It is a perfect example of great inclusion. A race that takes place in the middle of Königsallee, in the heart of our beautiful city of Düsseldorf.

Speaker: REHACARE is also a sponsor of the Borussia Düsseldorf wheelchair table tennis team, which plays in the first Bundesliga. For these professional athletes, it's all about quick reactions and a lot of training and numerous successes.

Hannes Niemann: We have a totally cooperative partnership with Borussia Düsseldorf here, really on an equal footing. It's a lot of fun. We are of course delighted about Borussia's successes. And every year at REHACARE, we learn that it's not so easy to take a point off the pros. So we'll keep at it.

Speaker: Everything comes together once a year at the REHACARE trade fair. Visitors can try out more and more sports. This allows visitors to experience the enormous opportunities that exist for people with disabilities in sports. Nothing is impossible here.

And finally, in addition to all the sports activities, there are also the quiet projects in the background.

Hannes Niemann: Here, exhibiting companies and Messe Düsseldorf work together to provide assistive devices. We are very pleased that every year after REHACARE, many exhibitors donate products to us, which we then award to good causes and that this simply shows the great commitment of REHACARE, which goes beyond this trade fair. And I think that's a great sign of what we can achieve here together with our exhibitors.

Making inclusion visible

Whether at the Inclusion Run, through interactions with elite para-athletes, or during a joint filming day: inclusion becomes tangible wherever people come together, connect, and take action. REHACARE’s commitment is visible not just in isolated moments, but across many different contexts – in sports and beyond.

Explore the YouTube playlist for more highlights from the filming day with Borussia Düsseldorf

Nadine Lormis smiles in to the camera; Copyright: Victoria Emanuel

Editor: Nadine Lormis | REHACARE eMag

Nadine Lormis has been writing about (digital) developments in the assistive technology sector, self-determined living and inclusion for over 15 years. As editorial director of the REHACARE eMag, she is closely networked with the community of people with disabilities and chronic illnesses – both professionally and personally.

Published on: April 17, 2026

Gif animation: REHACARE 2026 from 23 to 26 September 2026 in Düsseldorf/Germany, linked to "More information about the Trade Fair"

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