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Through a new action plan called "Camino a París" (The Way to Paris), the bank sets out to back a range of actions to make disability visible and normal; to identify CaixaBank with the values of each of the athletes; to raise awareness in society, and to introduce each of these top athletes to the public.
From February to July a route has been set up, emulating the route taken by the Special Olympics torch, passing through each of the eleven regions into which the bank has divided all its business in Spain.
Guest Special Olympics athlete: Alejandro Rojas Sport: Special Olympics swimming Achievements: world runner-up in the fifty metres butterfly twice competitor in two events at the Tokyo 2020 Special Olympics
Alejandro is a sportsman from the Canary Islands who dreams big. Cerebral palsy detected when he was nine months old has not stopped him earning two university degrees and currently combining two jobs with daily training sessions to earn a place at the Paris 2024 Special Olympics.
More than seventy people came to the Store Franchy Roca in Las Palmas to talk to Canarian athlete Alejandro Rojas. Manolo Afonso, Canaries regional manager, opened the event by thanking those present - among them the leading sports clubs on the island - for coming along to support this swimmer on his way to Paris.
Guest Special Olympics athlete: Cristóbal Ramos Sport: Special Olympics triathlon Achievements: World Cup 2nd place in Abu Dhabi, World Cup 2nd place in A Coruña and World Cup 3rd place in Málaga
Cristóbal Ramos, from Villanueva del Rosario, is a member of the CaixaBank team of young triathlon talents. He highlights the importance of feeling supported on the way to Paris to achieve his dream: to make it to the Special Olympics.
Almudena Rivera chaired a talk between Cristóbal Ramos, Special Olympics medallist, and Reyes Estévez, former Olympic athlete. The conclusion was that, in top-flight sport, there is no difference between the Olympics and the Special Olympics: dedication, effort and perseverance are the key to success in the world of sport.
Guest Special Olympics athlete: Ricardo Ten Argilés Sport: Special Olympics cycling Achievements: three Special Olympics golds, seven world titles and twelve European golds
At the age of eight Ricardo Ten suffered a serious accident that was to mark the rest of his life. Sport has been his great motivation: first swimming, in which he was highly successful. After the Special Olympics in Río de Janeiro in 2016, he hung up his trunks to focus on track cycling. He is the most successful Spanish track cyclist, in either Special Olympic or Olympic competitions.
"I always say disability isn't inability, it's a different way of doing things"
The ambassador in Valencia was Ricardo Ten, just back from the Special World Cycling Championship in Rio de Janeiro, where he won three medals. More than 60 people attended the event, presented on this occasion by Christian García, a sports journalist with over 35 years of experience. The occasion was attended by, among others, authorities from Valencia city council and regional government, as well as Olga Díaz, regional manager of CaixaBank in Valencia.
Guest Special Olympics athlete: Sara Andrés Sport: Special Olympics athletics Achievements: world runner-up in the hundred metres competitor at the Special Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and at the Special Olympics in Tokyo in 2020
Sara, a primary school teacher and Special Olympics athlete, suffered a traffic accident in 2011 involving double amputation below the knees. Sport has always been very important in her life, though she considers herself to be an atypical athlete, preferring to train less but train well. She has written a children's book, Sabes quién soy (You Know Who I Am), and earned a place at the Paris 2024 Special Olympics.
"I prefer not having feet but knowing where I'm going, to having them and being lost."
More than 120 pupils from Nuestra Señora del Pilar primary school in Madrid attended this latest stop on the Way to Paris. This time Sara Andrés was the guest Special Olympic athlete. The event took place at the All in One branch in Madrid, hosted by Xicu Costa, CaixaBank regional manager in Madrid, and moderated by Almudena Rivera, sports journalist and communicator.
Guest Special Olympics athlete: Luis Miguel García-Marquina Sport: special Olympics cyclist Achievements: bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Special Olympics
Luis Miguel García-Marquina, born in Tarancón, Cuenca, started out in the sports world at a very early age. Competing in motocross, at the age of 23 he suffered an accident that left him paraplegic. His recovery was followed by a decade of wheelchair basketball, an option for rehabilitation and training that led him to win a Spanish and a European title. Cycling came afterwards, after a public race in which he felt once more the adrenalin of speed.
Guest Special Olympics athletes: Diego Molina y Sergio Molina Sport: special Olympics triathlon Achievements: Diego: Spanish Special Olympics duathlon runner-up. Sergio: Spanish Special Olympics triathlon runner-up.
The Molina brothers, known as Los Rubios (the Blond Boys), have had 80% visual disability from birth. Sport has always been part of their lives. They started out training in amateur clubs with people with no disability. One day they heard about the possibility of going professional by joining the CaixaBank team of young triathlon talents, where they are now training to compete at the highest level.
The national paraplegic hospital in Toledo hosted the fifth stop in the Way to Paris project, a round table featuring athletes Sergio and Diego Molina, twin brothers who compete in Special Olympics triathlon, and Luis Miguel García-Marquina, Special Olympics road cyclist. The event was moderated by Almudena Rivera, a journalist on sports paper Marca specialised in Special Olympics sports, who placed the accent on diversity and inclusion, values that "make us stronger" as a society. In turn, Juan Luis Vidal, Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura regional manager, stressed that "Normalising disability, making these athletes known and visible, reporting on their achievements, involving society and recognising the work of those who make it possible is the goal of this project."
Guest Special Olympics athlete: María Delgado Sport: Special Olympics swimming
María Delgado, from Zaragoza, started out in both athletics and swimming at the age of 10, competing at national level in both sports. A member of the Stadium Casablanca swimming team, she competes with swimmers with and without disabilities and trains at the high-performance sports centre in Madrid. In October 2016 she was awarded the Royal Order of Sporting Merit medal. She has many achievements, highlights of which include two bronze medals at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Special Olympics.
She has her ticket to the Paris 2024 Special Olympics.
Guest Special Olympics athlete: Iván Salguero Sport: Special Olympics swimming
Iván Salguero, a 26 year-old swimmer from the Navarre region, was born with a rare macula disorder that limits his vision to 10%. He has been involved in sports (including judo and football) from a very early age, but when he discovered the swimming pool he knew this was the sport for him. He has taken part in two previous Special Olympics, where he won diplomas, and now has his ticket to his third games. Ivan is currently world number two in the 4 x 100 metres freestyle.
He has his ticket to the Paris 2024 Special Olympics.
"To channel my life, I focused on what I could do and not on what I could not do."
The event took place in the function room of the San Valero group in Zaragoza, and was attended by over a hundred people, among them pupils from a primary school in Zaragoza and from the French secondary school. Various authorities were also present at the event, which ended the sixth stop on this tour of Spain on the Way to Paris.
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