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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.
Guest Special Olympics athlete: Judith Rodríguez Sport: Special Olympics fencing Achievements: world champion in 2022, bronze in foil and epee at the 2024 European championship
Judith Rodríguez is a young woman from Vigo who has always lived for fencing. From an early age she plunged into the world of swords and duels, finding her refuge and her passion in the foil and the sword. But sometimes life takes unexpected turns, and a car accident left Judith fighting for her life. Her right leg was amputated. Her right arm was also irreparably damaged, but Judith did not give in and found a new path: wheelchair fencing.
This time we had a double event. The first took place at the sports facilities of the S.D. Tristán rowing club and consisted of a talk for the youngest members, who challenged Paralympic athlete Judith Rodríguez to row with them. The day ended with a session at the MARCO museum in Vigo, where Judith told her story to clients, employees and relatives.
Guest Special Olympics athlete: Álex Sánchez Palomero Sport: Special Olympics triathlon Achievements: Special Olympics double medallist: first as a swimmer in Beijing 2008 (bronze medallist in the 100 metres breaststroke) and then as a triathlete in Tokyo 2020 (bronze medal in the triathlon)
Álex was born in Salamanca, but has lived in Palma for years. He is a Special Olympics triathlete and a graduate in Advertising and PR, a master's degree in Communication and Sports Journalism and another master's in Coaching and Emotional Intelligence. At 17 he suffered a motorcycle accident and this changed his life, but thanks to the support of this family and friends, and his nonconformist character, Álex went ahead and made his dreams come true.
"Crossing the finishing line and giving it your all is worth more than a bronze or a silver."
Guest Special Olympics athlete: Nil Riudavets Sport: Special Olympics triathlon Achievements: World Cup 1st place in Abu Dhabi and first place in the World Cup in A Coruña in 2023
Nil Riudavets Victory (b. Maó, 1996) is mad about triathlon, a sport that crushed his dreams and put his life in danger, but which then gave him back joy and enthusiasm with new challenges. He had been successful, winning several international medals in the junior category before an accident clipped his wings. Three years later, after a long, arduous rehabilitation process, the man from the Balearic Islands has risen from the ashes with a promising triathlon debut, winning bronze at the World Cup in A Coruña.
"The greatest victory has been coming back and enjoying it."
The Sant Ferran sports centre in Palma was the venue where 250 students from different schools and local bodies had the chance to meet two Paralympian triathletes, Álex Sánchez-Palomero, based in Palma, and Nil Riudavets, from Menorca. These two athletes talked about their story, the accident they had, how they met and their friendship ever since then. Two triathletes who have qualified for the Paris Paralympics and who we will be keeping an eye on.
Photo gallery of the event in the Balearics Region
Guest Special Olympics athlete: Marta Fernández Infante Sport: Special Olympics swimming Achievements: triple medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Special Olympics (gold, silver and bronze), world record in 50 metres butterfly (2024)
Marta, from Burgos, has suffered from degenerative cerebral palsy since the age of 19, but this has not stopped her from becoming one of Spain's top Special Olympics swimmers. A triple medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Special Olympics, she has beaten world records in several events, most recently the 50 metres butterfly. She currently divides her time between her job as a civil servant and swimming training, a sport in which she has become one of the brightest hopes in Spain.
CaixaBank accompanied the swimmer from Burgos Marta Fernández on the ninth stop in this series. This time, some fifty people attended the event, held at the All in One branch in Burgos. Marta and her coach, Rebeca Cerón, explained the level of training required for an élite athlete, with or without a disability: at these levels of competition there are no adjectives for sport - it is just sport.
Photo gallery of the event in Castilla y León Region
Guest Special Olympics athlete: Óscar Salguero Sport: Special Olympics swimming Achievements: gold in the 100 metres breast stroke at the Río de Janeiro games and silver in the 100 metres breast stroke at the Tokyo 2020 games
Óscar Salguero was born in Sabadell. He has had a passion for the water since an early age and, though he has tried all kinds of sports, in the end swimming was the one for him. He has trained at the CAR Sant Cugat élite training centre under the orders of his coach, Jaume Marcè, and has a long professional career behind him. He has already been to two Paralympic Games, where he won two medals, and is now heading for Paris after getting over a hip operation.
The tenth stop was held in Manresa, at the convent of Santa Clara. The event, which attracted some fifty people including clients and bank staff, was also attended by Sister Lucía Caram. Christian García, presenting the occasion, outlined the athlete's life, reviewing his highest and lowest points. Also in attendance was Genís Rico, former swimmer and coach of the CN Manresa swimming club, a body with deep roots in the town.
Guest Special Olympics athlete: Núria Marquès Sport: Special Olympics swimming Achievements: double medallist at the Paralympic Games: gold and silver at the Río de Janeiro 2016 games and silver and bronze in Tokyo 2020
Núria was born with a disability in her left leg, but this has not stopped her competing or living a normal life. She started swimming as a baby and at 11 years of age competed for the first time in an event for people with disabilities. Since then she has enjoyed major successes, leading her to compete in the Paralympic Games at a very early age. Núria says that sport makes her grow as a person.
“My disability has never stopped me doing what I like.”
Guest Special Olympics athlete: Toni Ponce Sport: natación paralímpica Achievements: double medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. He holds several world records and Paris will be his third Games
Toni Ponce, born in Vilafranca del Penedès, started swimming at a very early age, but left the pool because he thought he was not good enough at the sport. However, after seeing the London 2012 Games he returned to the water. Today he is one of the great world medallists, with two silvers in Tokyo 2020 and several world records. Apart from his sporting side, Toni is a physiotherapist and has his own clinic.
“Everybody has to set their own goals to make their everyday life better, whatever happens.”
Over a hundred people came together in the auditorium of the CaixaBank corporate centre in Barcelona, including athletes, bank employees, clients and local associations, for the final stage on the Way to Paris, here making its eleventh stop. This time, two Paralympic swimming greats, Núria Marquès and Toni Ponce, told us about the last three years of training to get to the Paralympic Games beginning on 28th August in Paris. Both athletes talked about sporting values and the importance of working on both the physical and the mental sides, to achieve a perfect balance.
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