On 14 May 2026, CUS Palermo hosted the Final Conference of the Erasmus+ Sport funded VIBES Project (Virtual Reality Sports Interaction Between European Schools). This hybrid event marked the culmination of a multi-year research and testing initiative across Italy, Belgium, Portugal, and Cyprus. The project successfully demonstrated how Virtual Reality (VR) devices and “exergames” can complement traditional gym activities to make Physical Education (PE) more accessible, inclusive, and engaging, especially for students with special educational needs.

The event gathered 68 attendees, with 53 present in-person—mostly University of Palermo Sports Science students, PE teachers, and sports disability representatives—and 15 international stakeholders connected via a live stream. The opening session featured key institutional greetings from Giovanni Randisi (CUS Palermo), Fabrizio Ferrara (Sicilian Regional Assembly), Dario Chinnici (Palermo Municipality), Roberta Cascio (FISDIR), and Professor Giuseppe Battaglia, all highlighting the project’s impact on educational technology and sports accessibility.

The conference focused on practical tools designed for teachers. Project Manager Rosario Genchi reviewed the project’s evolution, followed by Belgian researchers Marc Sarens and Prof. Wouter Cools (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), who presented flagship open-access outputs: a teacher e-course and a virtual community hub. Attendees also tested immersive fitness tech firsthand at live “VR Stations” curated by Dr. Vito Rizza and Dr. Alessandra Crapa. Dr. Rizza further detailed the accessibility and inclusion guidelines embedded within the new European manual.

The event concluded with an international roundtable and focus group featuring partners from the Polytechnic University of Leiria (Portugal) and Cyprus representatives from Inquiry Fuse and UCLan Cyprus. Active sports science students drove the closing debate with questions on using VR for rehabilitation and special education. While the formal lifecycle of this Erasmus+ initiative is ending, the freely accessible blueprints, manuals, and datasets will continue to guide the digital transformation of PE across Europe.

To access the free teaching resources, visit the official website at vibes-sports.eu.

Key words: VR technologies, Sports education, Physical literacy Educational Technology, School education