Hungarian Sport Manager on a Mission to Unify Her Community Through Adaptive Sport

Réka acquired her disability in 2014, losing her left leg above the knee in a car accident. During her rehabilitation process, she took part in therapeutic sports sessions that made her rediscover the power of sports. It helped her to rebuild her life from almost nothing and gave her a new purpose: to dedicate her future to helping people with disabilities.

This is why she chose to study sports management at ELTE University. She began having conversations on disability, as this topic is considered taboo in Hungary. She created her blog as a platform to share her story and began to visit local schools and underserved social communities to give presentations on motivation, adaptivity, and resilience. Her blog slowly became a self-brand named “Robotgirl”.

Réka has collaborated with many sports- and fashion-related companies (Garmin, Adidas, Central European Fashion Week) to raise awareness on the topic of disability. One of her biggest achievements is her TEDxYouth Talk in Budapest, in 2016. As a life coach, she is often asked to visit and talk to people in hospitals who have suffered traumatic accidents to help them find possibilities for an active and fulfilling life. In 2016, Réka joined SUHANJ! Foundation, a non-profit, public benefit unique organization that shares the joy of doing sports with people living with disabilities. In this capacity, she managed events and represented the Foundation as a member and athlete. She swims, runs, and participates in all types of sporting events. She graduated in sport management at ELTE in 2021, writing her thesis on ‘The possible implementation of an inclusive sports organization’, analyzing the current background of Hungarian people living with disability and the possibilities of whether such a yet-non-existing organization could be profitable. Last year she joined Salva Vita Foundation and is helping people with disabilities by educating companies on how to properly employ a person with a disability.

Réka’s mission is to create an inclusive space for Hungarians who seek personal growth through physical activity and who want to be part of an accepting community. In practice, it means she wants to create a sports organization that welcomes people with and without disabilities. From Réka’s perspective, often in Hungary, people from different social groups don’t communicate with each other, so there is a noticeable gap between people with and without disabilities. In her experience, inclusive sport builds bridges between these groups and impacts both sides.