The event was organized by the Southern Federal University with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.

From May 20 to 24, students of Russian universities, including students with disabilities and disabilities, take part in competitions, educational and discussion events. About 30 teams from different regions of Russia, including historical territories, participate in the Spartakiad, the total number of participants exceeds 250 people.

The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of federal and regional authorities, the educational and sports community, partners and organizers. Olga Petrova, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, addressed the participants with welcoming words (in the format of a video message), and Veronika Skarga, Head of the Department of Special Education and Health Care in the field of education, Chairman of the Committee of the Legislative Assembly of the Rostov Region on interaction with public associations, Youth Policy, Physical Culture, Irina Zhukova, Sports and Tourism, as well as the event's partners. Yakov Aslanov, SFU Vice-Rector for Educational Work and Youth Programs, spoke on behalf of Inna Shevchenko, Rector of the Southern Federal University.

On the eve of the opening of the Games, a press conference was held at the TASS South Regional Information Center, where the organizers told reporters about the significance of this sporting event in the life of the country.

Olga Petrova, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, highly appreciated the work of the SFU Resource Training and Methodological Center for the Education of the Disabled and People with Disabilities, noting that the university has extensive accumulated competencies and practices in the field of inclusion. She stressed that Southern Federal University is one of the universities where the topic of inclusion has been developing for a long time and systematically, and the RMC created on its basis supports universities in historical territories in creating opportunities for inclusive education.

According to Olga Petrova, adaptive sports is becoming especially relevant and in demand among students, and the Ministry, taking into account the large request from students, decided to hold a separate All-Russian sports contest, including various sports. The Deputy Minister also said that a pilot project is currently underway in nine regions to build individual educational routes from training to employment, and the Rostov Region, together with the SFU, is one of the key pilot sites.

Yakov Aslanov, SFU Vice-Rector for Educational Work and Youth Programs, emphasized the importance of sports in the university's educational program.

"For Southern Federal University, traditional sports are an essential element of the educational program and socialization of students, as sports are not only a way to maintain physical fitness, but also an important factor in personality formation, the development of social skills and achieving high results both in studies and in a sports career. It was an honor and important for us to receive an assignment to organize and hold the first All—Russian Student Sports Contest on inclusive sports "Sport without Borders" on our site," said Yakov Aslanov.

Larisa Guterman, Head of the Resource Training and Methodological Center for the Education of the Disabled and Persons with Disabilities at SFU, elaborated on the organization of the event and the competition program.

"Southern Federal University has created all conditions for the education of people with disabilities, and students actively express their desire to participate in the sports contest. We see how sport helps them reach their potential, feel confident, and make new friends. Organizing such a large—scale event required serious coordination of all university services, and we are glad that we were able to prepare not only a competitive, but also a rich educational and cultural program for the guests and participants," said Larisa Guterman.

Dmitry Varfolomeev, the chief judge of the Spartakiad, senior lecturer at the Department of Adaptive Physical Culture at the Russian State University of Social Technologies, explained which sports are included in the program and why they were chosen. The competition included athletics (running for 60 and 100 meters, 4×100 meters relay), swimming for 50 meters and relay on the water, table tennis, darts, chess, boccia and sitting volleyball. According to the chief judge, these disciplines are maximally adapted for participants with different nosologies, allowing everyone to show their abilities and at the same time preserve the competitive intrigue. Boccia develops coordination and tactical thinking, sitting volleyball requires teamwork and endurance, and chess and darts are available to almost everyone, which makes the Games truly inclusive.

Tatiana Stepanova, Director of the SFU Academy of Physical Culture and Sports, spoke about the principles of the Sports Without Borders Games, the creation of a comfortable and safe environment for participants, as well as the Academy's specialists' system for evaluating the results of athletes of various nosological groups and participants without health restrictions.

"It was fundamentally important for us not only to hold the competition at a high level, but also to create a truly comfortable, safe and accessible environment for all participants. Special attention was paid to the issues of accompanying athletes, logistics of movement, the work of volunteers and sports assistants, as well as the preparation of sports grounds taking into account the principles of inclusion. The SFedU Academy of Physical Culture and Sports already has experience in holding inclusive events and festivals for children with disabilities, so many practices of accompanying participants and working with the volunteer corps have already been used by our team. A separate area was the development of a scale for evaluating results in athletics and swimming, which makes it possible to unify the achievements of athletes from different nosological groups while maintaining the objectivity and comparability of results," said Tatiana Stepanova.

The sports program of the Spartakiad will last until May 23. The competitions will be held at several venues: the Arsenal Stadium, the Meridian sports and recreation complex, the sports hall at 8A Milchakova Street, as well as at the sports grounds of the Southern Federal University at 21 Sorge Street. In addition to the competitions, a business program is organized for participants, including seminars, master classes, trainings, focus-groups, a meeting of the Federal Educational and Methodological Association for an enlarged group of specialties, as well as inclusive exercises before each day of the competition.

The holding of the All-Russian Student Sports Contest on Inclusive Sports "Sport without Borders" at the site of the Southern Federal University is becoming an important event for the development of the student sports movement and unites participants, experts and organizers from different regions of the country on one site.