Andorra - 2027 World Champs Candidate Putting Focus On Accessibility And Inclusiveness

Andorra is a candidate to host the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in 2027 and is putting a focus on accessibility and inclusiveness.

David Aguilar (Hand Solo) is one of the prominent faces participating in the World Championship promotion process. The famous bioengineering student has invested 80 hours of work in reproducing the project logo with a total of 6,688 LEGO pieces, a sculpture that pays homage to the two iconic competitive skiing courses, Avet and Àliga.

The Andorran artist has become one of the highest representatives of the country in terms of universal accessibility thanks to his goal of building himself a prosthetic arm with parts from the LEGO toy firm. The work will be exhibited at the foot of the Avet course in Soldeu during the Europa Cup Finals (14–20 March) and later in the centre of Andorra la Vella. Another of the most visible faces of the promotional campaign is the skier Roger Puig, who is competing in the Paralympic Games in Beijing.

Beyond the sporting aspect, the master plan for the Andorra 2027 candidacy brings together objectives aimed at social responsibility. Last winter, and after the field of accessibility and inclusiveness had been conceptualized on paper, the Technical Office commissioned a specialized external audit in which some pain points were detected, while the study also suggested procedures and applications to improve access to information and physical opportunities for customers of the resort. In addition, and in parallel, it also brought together the conclusions of how skiers or spectators have access to sporting events.

The investment plan for the Soldeu - El Tarter sectors of Grandvalira for the next five years will incorporate the progressive implementation of the proposals derived from the candidacy bid.

For the Europa Cup Finals to be held from the 14th to the 20th of this month, there will be small actions in terms of accessibility, and for the 2023 World Cup Finals, new applications will be introduced on the ground consisting of signage, the elimination of barriers, and access to information for people with visual difficulties, among other groups.

It is essential that accessibility becomes a competitive and differentiating advantage in all the venues of the candidacy project (Soldeu - El Tarter [Grandvalira] and Pal Arinsal) compared to other ski areas and events.
Infrastructure and services for all.

The candidacy is working with a vision of the event that has an essential focus: inclusion. This focus has been developed with the aim of turning the resort and the country into a source of inspiration for different groups thanks to an improvement in integrated and accessible products, services, and infrastructures that allow barriers to be eliminated and which promote social inclusion and equal opportunities.

Some of the clearest examples of implementation of the measures is the specific training that is done with the teams, as well as with the launch of awareness days, such as the World Snow Day and this event's actions which took place in schools. In this sense, we work with the public administration and with other interested parties, generating awareness around the concept of accessibility from childhood.

One of the characteristic features of the Andorra 2027 World Championship Candidacy is the adaptation of all essential communications and mobility at the event, which will be adapted to the different areas. Examples include:

• The Andorran Parlapp app in the exhibition "The Succession of the Forest" by Miquel Mercè, describes the work in Braille, five languages (Catalan, Spanish, French, English, and Portuguese) and its corresponding explanation is formatted as audio, sign language, and with subtitles.
• The signage of the new Abarset has been designed following universal accessibility criteria using the Clear Code Architecture® methodology, guaranteeing its understanding by all people.
• The www.andorra2027.com website is accessible (colour contrast, text size, alternative texts). For the Europa Cup Finals, in the dossier and on the website, you will find the programme and a description of the event that can be consulted using an audio guide, sign language, and subtitles.
• The presentations and events related to the candidacy are carried out with a signing interpreter.