The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Buenos Aires, Argentina, participated in the first international event of Adapted and Paralympic Sports, held on May 22, 2026. The event brought together specialists, educators, and representatives from various institutions to reflect on sports as a tool for inclusion and to share strategies for promoting accessible spaces in schools, churches, and communities.

The participation was coordinated by the Adventist Possibility Ministry, a department of the Adventist Church that promotes the inclusion and full participation of people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, along with the Adventist Education Network. The initiative also received support from institutions of the South American Division, the Argentina Food Factory (Alimentos Granix), and the South American Publishing House Association.

For Fabián Gutiérrez, director of Education at the Northern Buenos Aires Mission, the challenge is to take inclusion beyond the sports field and make it a reality in educational and community spaces.

"As Adventist Education and as a church, we share the commitment to building truly inclusive spaces. That is the purpose of initiatives like this, which promote inclusion that transcends sports and also reaches classrooms, schools, and playgrounds," he said.

The program was developed around two main themes: Paralympic and high-performance sport regulations and the challenge of designing inclusive sports proposals so that all people can participate, regardless of physical abilities.

Participants said that by participating in the meeting, the Adventist Church reaffirmed its commitment to promoting sports as part of a healthy lifestyle and to inclusion as an expression of God's love. The participation of various institutions reinforced that this challenge requires the joint commitment of schools, churches, organizations, and communities.

One of the central aspects of the meeting was adapted sports. The need to design inclusive activities for schools, churches, clubs, and Pathfinders was emphasized, adapting rules, spaces, times, and materials to encourage the participation of all people and to value their abilities over their limitations.

Participants said the event reaffirmed the importance of collaboration between educational institutions, organizations, and the Adventist Church to promote a culture based on empathy, respect for diversity, and the participation of all people.

The original article was published on the South American Division Spanish news site.