News

Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) and CaixaBank have today presented a collaboration agreement to bring winter sports closer to people with disabilities. The agreement, which will last four years, has as its main objectives to promote skiing and mountain activities among people with some type of disability, implement accessible technologies and bring the activities, actions and events organized in each of the six stations managed by FGC closer to all audiences. The president of Ferrocarrils, Carles Ruiz Novella, the general director of FGC, Alicia Valle, the director of CaixaBank's business area in the Territorial Directorate of Catalonia, Jordi Porta, and the director of Institutions of the Barcelona territorial directorate, Patricia Trillo, have today presented this alliance in La Molina, one of the pioneer stations in the field of adapted sports.

The agreement includes all FGC Turisme mountain resorts: La Molina, Vall de Núria, Vallter, Espot, Port Ainé and Boí Taüll, where work will be done to improve the user experience and to bring the various improvement actions, leisure programs and personalized experiences that are organized closer to all audiences.

The project also includes the transfer of material with the implementation of accessible technology for the ski slopes, as well as training for all staff with the aim of expanding knowledge when dealing with people with disabilities and integrating them into all kinds of activities.

The president of FGC highlighted that with this agreement “what we are doing is adding values. And it would be difficult to carry it out if we ourselves did not have these values ​​integrated into our way of doing things. In our case, we have a very clear example here in La Molina, which has been implementing inclusive sports activities for more than 20 years and is a pioneering resort in the field of accessibility and adapted sports. And we are working to implement these innovative solutions in the rest of the resorts”.

Carles Ruiz explained that one of Ferrocarrils’ priorities is “working to guarantee that everyone has access to the mountains 365 days a year and so that innovation in the snow and the mountains is a reference element in our resorts. In this sense, this agreement gives us important support to continue being leaders with this vocation of providing solutions to the challenges we face”.

For CaixaBank, this collaboration means expanding its sponsorship strategy by focusing on social aspects, improving people's lives and promoting the territory. The financial institution already started this process through the collaboration with Cetursa since 2018, with the aim of bringing skiing closer to people with disabilities. It is currently developing an 'Adapted Route without Obstacles' at the Sierra Nevada resort, which complements the accessibility of the resort, accessible tourism and inclusive leisure. It is a signposted route from the user's arrival at the car park until they are skiing on the slopes, with specific areas reserved to speed up access.

According to Jordi Porta, “This protocol responds to a firm commitment by CaixaBank to establish an agreement to improve services and accessibility for all groups in our mountains and, especially, to the ski slopes managed by FGC in Catalonia. It is the best opportunity to bring a sport closer in an inclusive way and to help people with multiple actions and activities throughout the territory. Without a doubt, another step in the entity’s strategy of being close to people and linking ourselves to actions to improve the environment”. For her part, Patricia Trillo has emphasized that “participating in agreements like this reinforces everything we always say about being close to our clients and their projects to grow. It is a source of pride that, in addition to working together, we can develop actions that have such a positive impact on society”.

4 years to promote mountain activities for everyone

Through this commitment, FGC and CaixaBank will promote a comprehensive evolution of the mountain experience for people with disabilities through adapted activities, implementation of accessible technologies, adapted leisure and recreation programs, as well as multiple training courses for staff with the aim of evolving specialized attention to all groups.

Through this project, both entities will chart a joint path to foster a friendly environment, which increasingly improves the experience of users with disabilities who want to enjoy nature, winter and mountain sports at Ferrocarrils resorts.

La Molina, pioneer in adapted sports

The presentation ceremony of the pact was held in La Molina, which has one of the most advanced centers in resources for people with reduced mobility, the Adapted Sports Center (CEA), which has been operating since 2004. This facility has the necessary resources and professional team where people with disabilities can enjoy sports, both in winter and summer. The CEA also offers ski, snowboard and guided classes with experienced teachers.

In fact, La Molina is known for being a pioneering resort in adapting its facilities to facilitate access for people with reduced mobility. In this sense, it has been recognized by the Catalan Tourism Agency (ACT) as an initiator of sports and adapted tourism. It also has an IAKS award, an architecture award for advanced sports facilities from the International Association of Sports and Recreational Facilities, for the design and functionality of the adapted sports facilities.

The Girona resort also offers several infrastructures that are essential for those users with reduced mobility: adapted parking spaces, rental of specific equipment for different types of disabilities, easy access to the different catering areas, as well as toilets adapted for wheelchair access. As a novelty this season, an inclusive changing room has been installed next to the Center building, which guarantees the privacy, comfort and safety of all people with specific needs. In fact, in addition to La Molina, four other mountain resorts have this facility: Boí Taüll, Vall de Núria, Vallter and Espot Esquí. This action is part of Ferrocarrils' commitment to diversity and equality.

At the same time, the resort also has adapted ski lifts, such as the Bosquet area, which stands out for having an adapted ski lift with a wide belt extension and which provides athletes with greater safety and balance.

Some of the notable tourist activities are skikart, tandem skiing, skiing for the visually impaired or the 4 Emprements modality, where two skis and two stables and adapted mountain bikes (BTT) are used. Or tourist activities such as the adventure park or gondola rides that make La Molina a reference resort in inclusive facilities and services.

High-level international events

Year after year, the Catalan resort hosts high-level international sports events for people with disabilities, thanks to the investments that have been made over the last decade so that athletes with reduced mobility can practice skiing and snowboarding. In fact, La Molina has a long tradition in IPC (International Paralympic Committee) races, as it was the venue for the IPC Para Snowboarding World Championships in 2015 and 2023, and the IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in 2013. It has also organised IPC World Cups, mainly snowboarding, practically every season. This interest in sporting events for people with disabilities has allowed the resort to make the necessary investments to adapt its facilities, standing out as a national benchmark in this regard.

Commitment to diversity and inclusion in sport

For CaixaBank, sports sponsorship is a strategic communication tool that imparts values ​​that the entity shares with the practice of sport, such as leadership, effort, improvement and teamwork. Through sponsorship, the financial institution promotes cultural, social and economic progress, in line with its founding values ​​of commitment to society.

For this reason, in 2016 the entity decided to sponsor Paralympic sports to promote inclusion in sports and reaffirm its commitment to diversity. The first agreement was as the main sponsor of the Spanish Federation of Sports for People with Physical Disabilities (FEDDF), with the aim of promoting wheelchair basketball, both in the men's and women's categories. At the same time, CaixaBank became involved in the wheelchair basketball school championships to reach all age groups in society.

Subsequently, in 2019, CaixaBank became the new sponsor of the Spanish Paralympic Committee. Through this sponsorship, which is valid until the Paris 2024 Paralympic cycle, CaixaBank actively collaborates with the CPE, through the ADOP program, providing scholarships directly aimed at the preparation of Spanish Paralympic athletes.

Through sponsorship with the CPE, the FEDDF or the sponsorship of the skiing program for people with disabilities in Sierra Nevada, the financial institution expands its commitment to Paralympic sport by fulfilling its main objectives, which are to ensure that athletes can have the best possible means to achieve their sporting successes and transfer to society the values ​​they represent.

With the aforementioned sponsorship of the skiing program for people with disabilities in Sierra Nevada, skiing and snowboarding for athletes with physical or intellectual disabilities has been promoted since 2018. Thanks to this agreement, in the 22/23 season almost 2,000 users enjoyed the skiing activities. Linked to this project, CaixaBank is a sponsor of the Sierra Nevada Trophy – CaixaBank Award, one of the most relevant competitions held at the Granada ski slope for athletes with disabilities and in which two of the sponsored competition teams participate: the També Foundation and the Nazarí Ski Club (for the visually impaired).

During this strategic sponsorship of sports for people with disabilities, CaixaBank has contributed, as an added value to its collaboration, the launch of dissemination campaigns with the aim of raising awareness of Paralympic sport and its athletes, promoting greater knowledge of their sporting feats and the values ​​that permeate each of their actions.

For all this, CaixaBank is considered the third most relevant brand in Paralympic sport in Spain according to the sports sponsorship barometer prepared by SPSG Consulting.