FC Barcelona supports International Day of Persons with Disabilities

FC Barcelona is firmly committed to defending the rights and wellbeing of disabled people and this December 3rd is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, so the club is naturally supporting the event by continuing its work through its Diversity, Equality and Inclusion department, which has done so much to foster not just sporting but also personal and professional development for people who have different disabilities.

On Tuesday 28 November, the Palau Blaugrana was the venue as the men's and women's basketball teams were joined by the UNES Barça wheelchair basketball team where the senior players experienced the totally new sensation of playing their sport from a wheelchair, a valuable opportunity for them to appreciate the adapted and inclusive variant of the game.

This Team Building session involved female players Karla Erjavec, Lola Pendande, Angie Bjorklund, Carol Guerrero and Roselis Silva of Barça CBS; Álex Abrines, Oriol Paulí, Darío Brizuela, Joel Parra and Jabari Parker from the men's team, and Fernando Valderrama, Laia Antón, Rafael Benitez, Teodoro López, Alejandro Manuel Conde and Maria Heras of UNES Barça.

Today, on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, UNES Barça will be giving a display of their sport at half-time of the league game between Barça and Covirán Granada.

The ‘Cant del Barça’ can not only be sung but also read from the scoreboard at the Estadi Johan Cruyff and Palau Blaugrana at all matches, as was also the case at Spotify Camp Nou. This is part of the club's efforts for the inclusion of the deaf and hard of hearing, ensuring that they too get to partake in one of the most symbolic moments of every game.

As part of the agreement between ACAPPS (Catalan Association for the Promotion of Deaf People), 

the association itself has made subtitles for 'A season of challenges', the Fundació Barça Genuine documentary. This short film tells the story of the season of this football team made up of young people with intellectual disabilities. It was screened at the presentation of the Fundació Barça 2023/24 team last Thursday 30 November at the Auditori 1899, attended by president Joan Laporta and the team's new ambassador, Ronald Araujo, and before third sector organisations who are supporting the project, family members of the players and staff.

Another of the activities that the Fundació Barça Genuine will carry out on December 3 is a four.team tournament between this same team and other teams with intellectual disabilities from the Barça supporters clubs in Sant Vicenç dels Horts, Vilassar de Mar and Arbúcies, to be played at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.

"Inclusion is in our hands" is the campaign promoted by Allianz, FC Barcelona and its Foundation, which aims to highlight the importance of the integration of people with disabilities through sport in general and football in particular.

The campaign involves the symbolic gesture of holding wrists in hands, which some Barça Women's players have been using to celebrate their goals, the idea being to raise awareness of the value of everyone's individual commitment to achieving the inclusion of the people with disabilities in all areas.

Today, 22 boys and girls with disabilities have been invited to the Barça v Atlético Madrid in La Liga to enjoy the experience walking onto the pitch with the players, and performing the same gesture in the stadium.

Barça believes in inclusive, equitable and sustainable development and is quick to use its media presence and its ability to influence to raise awareness and promote the integration of all groups in sport. Especially this December 3, the date of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, as established since 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly.

People with disabilities are part of the daily life of FC Barcelona and the club is constantly organising actions and activities to benefit members of this group.