Beyond the logo: Sanitas' experience in advancing inclusive sports mindset through Paralympic sponsorship

Introduction Sponsorship is an essential element of the sports ecosystem, enabling powerful and authentic engagement between brands, athletes, and teams. While sponsorship has been widely researched in the context of high-profile mainstream sports and global sporting events, the unique challenges, nuances, and best practices of Paralympic sponsorship remain significantly underexplored. The institutional framework of Paralympic Sponsorship in Spain launched in 2005 has enabled the development of remarkable partnerships between the Spanish Paralympic Committee and the corporate sponsors. Sanitas, a Spanish health insurance company and part of the BUPA Group, has transformed the format of Paralympic sponsorship into a holistic inclusive sports ecosystem. Methods This case study aimed at systematizing the innovative sponsorship approach of Sanitas, adopts an exploratory, interpretive research approach, drawing on multiple sources: desk research of the Spanish Paralympic Committee, Sanitas Foundation and BUPA; semi-structured interview with the Sanitas Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer and General Manager of Sanitas Foundation; as well as the insider research perspective of two authors, who are professionally engaged in the activities of the case under study. The second author has been leading the corporate communications area of the Spanish Paralympic Committee (SPC) since 2005. The third author has been leading the Sanitas Foundation Chair for Inclusive Sports Studies since 2017. Results The review of Sanitas’ long-term partnership with the SPC illustrates a consistent, strategically grounded approach to Paralympic sponsorship, while also provides actionable insights for brand managers, Paralympic teams, and athletes navigating this promising but complex sponsorship landscape. The historical evolution of Sanitas’ involvement with the SPC shows a transformative journey from an initial focus on financial and healthcare support, to the creation of multi-stakeholder alliances, academic research and the development of initiatives to promote an inclusive social mindset. Discussion While the Paralympic movement, and Paralympic sponsorship in particular, still face persistent challenges, including structural power imbalances and the lack of objective representation of athletes with disabilities, innovative and disruptive Paralympic sponsorship strategies may challenge the traditional divide between athletes with and without disabilities, redefine the meaning of inclusion in sport, and act as powerful drivers of social transformation.