Belgian Prisons across the country have launched E-Racing teams for prisoners to compete in online races through the Zwift Platform.
The project was started by the Belgian prison system and the sports retailer Decathlon in efforts to create a healthy, fun, and productive way to help their prisoners not only get a workout but participate in a real sport and interact with society. The results on the prisoners was so productive that the program grew from one prison, to a nation wide program.
The prisoners are essentially able to participate with real people in real time in the sport of E-Racing, which is becoming increasingly popular in areas with cold winter months. Using the Zwift platform, athletes from all around the world are able to join up and compete in real time. Whether it’s an official race, or a more casual group ride, these Belgian prisoners are able to interact with the outside world through sport.
The prisoners partaking in the E-Sports cycling teams are able to compete as anonymous characters, and reports are that the group is extremely grateful for the opportunity. The results have been tremendous inside the prisons. It’s the first time something like this has been done where prisoners have been able to participate in outside world sports. It’s a progressive move from the Belgian.