CaixaBank and the Spanish Paralympic Committee present the 2026 ‘Our Next Star’ programme with the aim of identifying future athletes

• The new edition of the programme aims to identify, support and recruit talented children and young people so they can take up Paralympic sport and become Spain’s elite athletes of tomorrow

• Valladolid (31 May), Madrid (3 October), Barcelona (24 October) and Gran Canaria (21 November) will be the four stops on this year’s edition, where participants’ abilities will be assessed before being introduced to sports that match their profiles

• CaixaBank will carry out a pioneering awareness, outreach and recruitment campaign aimed at all interested participants, using dedicated videos and QR registration codes displayed on nearly 3,000 commercial screens across its retail branch network throughout the country

• This programme shares the common goal of the Spanish Paralympic Committee and CaixaBank of bringing Paralympic sport closer to people with disabilities and raising awareness in society

CaixaBank and the Spanish Paralympic Committee (CPE) today presented the ‘Our Next Star’ 2026 project, an initiative aimed at identifying, supporting and recruiting talented children and young people so they can take up Paralympic sports.

The event, held at the High Performance Centre (CAR) in Madrid, was attended by María Luisa Martínez Gistau, Director of Communications and Institutional Relations at CaixaBank; Francisco Botía, Director General of the Spanish Paralympic Committee (CPE); Sara Andrés, Paralympic athlete and protagonist of this year’s promotional series for the programme; and several athletes with disabilities taking part in ‘Our Next Star’ programme.

The session opened with institutional remarks by Francisco Botía. Botía stated that “this is one of the most inspiring and exciting projects of the CPE because it is about the future.

We are talking about fulfilling the dreams of many children and young people with disabilities who want to succeed in Paralympic sport, but also about equal opportunities, inclusion and changing society’s perception of people with disabilities".

"With the help of CaixaBank, we want Paralympic sport to reach every home so that no child is left without the chance to practise it. With their effort and our support, they will be our next stars”. 

This was followed by remarks from Carla Santos García, Manuel Serrano Bermúdez and Fernando Donaire Rodríguez. In a discussion moderated by journalist Almudena Rivera, they each shared personal stories of overcoming adversity, how they came to join the ‘Our Next Star’ programme, what they thought beforehand and how the experience has changed their lives. They all highlighted the importance of bringing Paralympic sport closer to children and young people with disabilities, and the need to support them throughout the entire journey, from grassroots level to elite sport.

The event concluded with the screening of the new video in the ‘Our Next Star’ series. CaixaBank has produced this new edition to continue supporting the project since its creation. It started with the series ‘Beginnings’, starring Paralympic athletes Fiona Pinar, Nil Riudavets and Emma Feliu. As part of this presentation, CaixaBank has launched the concept video for the second season, titled ‘Challenges of a Star’, featuring Paralympic athlete Sara Andrés.

Sara Andrés, who was present at the event, also spoke to reflect on her involvement in the project. Andrés stated that “being part of the series has been a wonderful experience. In fact, I am very proud that major organisations such as CaixaBank believe in us and, above all, that they provide opportunities to people who are newly disabled or who have lived with a disability for a long time. Because most of them don't know that there is a world in which they can thrive, where they can do sport and enjoy themselves. And initiatives that can serve as a gateway to becoming professionals are wonderful for everyone”. Andrés also emphasised that “raising awareness, increasing visibility and bringing together people like me, who are already experienced athletes, with people who are new to the world of sport, is very positive for the development of sport, especially because you share experiences, concerns and doubts, and it is mutually helpful”.

The event was brought to a close by María Luisa Martínez Gistau, who stated that “for CaixaBank, sponsoring Paralympic sport goes far beyond sport support: it is a lever for social transformation. We believe in sport as a vehicle for building a more inclusive society, where talent, effort and self-improvement stand above any barrier”. In this regard, Martínez Gistau added that "the sports programme ‘Our Next Star’ is an opportunity for children and young people with disabilities to discover sport, develop themselves and, in many cases, embark on a path towards elite performance".

‘Our Next Star’ programme

This programme aims to bring Paralympic sport closer to people with disabilities who have not yet practised it or started competing, and it is expected that many participants may become part of the Spanish Paralympic Team in future editions of the Games.

To take part, interested individuals must complete an online form indicating their characteristics, abilities and interests. They are then invited to participate in one of the annual draft events organised by the programme. There, they undergo a series of tests and activities designed to assess their abilities and are given the opportunity to try sports in which they could reach their full potential.

After choosing their preferred discipline, the programme provides personalised support to help them find a club where they can train regularly, with the aim of improving performance and progressing towards elite sport.

The event on Wednesday also served to present the 2026 draft calendar, which will include four stops across Spain. Valladolid (31 May), Madrid (3 October), Barcelona (24 October) and Vecindario (Gran Canaria, 21 November) have been selected as the host cities for this edition.

Since the creation of this initiative in 2021 by the Spanish Paralympic Committee and today sponsored by CaixaBank, a total of 2,145 people has taken part, more than a thousand of them following CaixaBank’s involvement in 2025. The four draft events held to date have brought together more than 120 participants, a dozen of whom are now part of the various Paralympic Development Squads, a stepping stone towards inclusion in the ADOP Programme. In addition, the number of federation licences held by people with disabilities has increased by 15%.

Pioneering programme for outreach and visibility

One of CaixaBank’s goals since becoming involved with the Spanish Paralympic Committee in 2019 has been to raise the visibility of Paralympic sport and normalise disability from the grassroots level. To this end, the financial institution complements its sponsorship with outreach campaigns and initiatives aimed at society, particularly younger audiences, in order to break down prejudices and create role models.

On this occasion, CaixaBank has launched a pioneering initiative consisting of using its in-branch retail screen network in Spain as a communication channel for the campaign. CaixaBank currently has nearly 3,000 large-format digital screens, the largest digital communications network in the financial sector.  In addition, over a full weekend in June, the exterior screens of its retail branches across the country will exclusively broadcast this content, with the clear aim of encouraging participation and increasing visibility for this sporting project.

At the same time, throughout the year, the promotional video for this initiative will be shown, including a QR code for registering in any of the four 2026 Paralympic draft venues, both inside and outside its branches.

In this way, CaixaBank is making its extensive branch network across the country available to showcase initiatives that support social development and inclusion. 

Commitment to diversity and inclusion in sport 

For CaixaBank, sports sponsorship is a strategic communications tool that helps convey values the Institution shares with sport, such as leadership, effort, self-improvement and teamwork. Through sponsorship, the financial institution promotes cultural, social and economic progress, in line with its founding values and its commitment to society. 

For this reason, in 2016 the Institution decided to commit to sponsoring Paralympic sport, with the aim of promoting inclusion in sport and reaffirming its commitment to diversity. The first agreement was as main sponsor of the Spanish Federation of Sports for People with Physical Disabilities (FEDDF), with the goal of promoting wheelchair basketball, both men’s and women’s. At the same time, CaixaBank became involved in school wheelchair basketball championships in order to reach all age groups across society.  

Subsequently, in 2019, CaixaBank became a sponsor of the Spanish Paralympic Committee (CPE). Through this sponsorship, CaixaBank works closely with the Spanish Paralympic Committee through the ADOP Plan, providing grants directly intended to support the preparation of Spanish Paralympic athletes.  

Through its sponsorship of the Spanish Paralympic Committee, the CaixaBank Paralympic Development Team in Triathlon , the FEDDF, and the skiing programme for people with disabilities in Sierra Nevada, the financial institution further strengthens its commitment to Paralympic sport, fulfilling its main objectives: ensuring that athletes have access to the best possible resources to achieve sporting success and promoting the values they represent in society.

As part of this strategic sponsorship of Paralympic sport, CaixaBank has added value to its collaboration by launching awareness campaigns aimed at raising the profile of Paralympic sport and its athletes, helping to increase public recognition of their sporting achievements and the values reflected in everything they do.  

As a result, CaixaBank is regarded as one the leading brands in Paralympic sport in Spain, according to the sports sponsorship barometer prepared by SPSG Consulting.