A documentary that looks at the challenges Para athletes face across the Commonwealth, and the role of the Gather, Adjust, Prepare, Sustain (GAPS) initiative in addressing them, is being released this week following a screening at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda this week.

Closing the Gap: Para sport for everyone, everywhere draws on the GAPS pre-Games training camp hosted by UWS in partnership with Commonwealth Sport, which brought together 54 Para athletes and coaches from 15 Commonwealth nations in July this year. Seven athletes from the programme went on to win nine medals at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Made by UWS researchers with the student-crewed FIREbase production team, the film combines athlete stories with a wider message about inclusion and the value of investment in Para-sport. It also highlights the need for continued support and structural change to widen opportunities for athletes.

I started by working through the interviews to find the athletes’ shared motivations, struggles and hopes, and to understand what they wanted the film to say. The hardest part was deciding what to leave out: we had around five hours of material, and every athlete had a story worth telling. There was one athlete, Regina, whose story stayed with me because it showed the journey and sacrifices behind the results. I hope viewers feel that sense of community and resilience at GAPS – the athletes support one another like a family, even though they later compete against each other. I hope this film raises awareness of the GAPS camps and opens up a conversation about the support and funding athletes need.

Yuliia Mohorian, who edited the film

The film complements the Glasgow 2026 Impact Evaluation, an independent study commissioned by Commonwealth Sport and the Glasgow 2026 Organising Company and delivered by The Bulb in partnership with UWS’s Centre for Culture, Sport and Events. While the evaluation examines the Games’ wider social, environmental and economic outcomes, the documentary brings the athlete experience into focus. The evaluation describes Glasgow 2026 as having the largest Para-sport medal programme in Commonwealth Games history, while also identifying opportunities to build on its inclusion and accessibility work.

The CHOGM screening means this message will reach sports ministers and delegates from across the Commonwealth and the team hopes the film will prompt discussion about how athletes’ experiences can inform future policy and funding.

Professor David McGillivray, Chair in Event and Digital Cultures at UWS, said: “As an integrated sport event where disabled and non-disabled athletes perform on the same stage, Glasgow 2026 provided a platform to promote Para sport and design in accessibility and inclusive practices. This film complements that work by giving viewers a more personal view of what inclusion can mean for athletes.

It shows the value of preparation, shared learning and support before competition begins, as well as the bonds athletes build even as they prepare to compete against one another. The film also reminds us that programmes like GAPS need continued support if their benefits are to be realised and sustained. There are lessons here for future hosts to ensure we keep widening opportunities in Para-sport across the Commonwealth.

This focus on widening opportunity also reflects UWS’s widening access ethos and its commitment to helping people realise their potential, whatever their background.

Bettina Talbot, Co- Producer/ Director of the film and lecturer on UWS’s Television, Radio & Podcast Production course, said: “Projects like this give students the chance to contribute to work that has a real purpose and a real audience.

“Yuliia’s role in shaping around five hours of interviews and footage into a 12-minute film needed a careful editorial judgement to unearth the wider story while doing justice to the athletes’ individual experiences. That takes more than technical skill; it also involves listening, collaboration and care.

The students have helped create a film that shares the athletes’ stories and opens up an important conversation about inclusion in sport. I hope they take real confidence and valuable experience from being part of it.

The film shows that inclusive sport is built before competition begins – through the support, preparation and relationships that help athletes realise their potential.

The story links to UN SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals.