Sports
Sports Inclusion: Karina Barcellos' Purpose
A guide runner since 2017, the executive plans initiatives to expand accessibility in sports.
Karina Barcellos shares her commitment to including people with disabilities in sports. Serving as a guide runner since 2017, she is designing initiatives to transform accessibility across running.
Running with purpose transforms an athlete's relationship with the sport. For marketing executive and runner Karina Barcellos, the pavement took on a much broader meaning when she began sharing every mile with those who need support to cross the finish line. Since 2017, Karina rarely runs races alone: she serves as a guide for athletes with disabilities, accompanying visually impaired runners and wheelchair users in road races.
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The guide runner experience and the reality of the streets
This hands-on racing experience highlighted the everyday challenges faced by people with disabilities. From poor accessibility on sidewalks and public transit to obstacles at major sporting events, the landscape demands structural change. Karina emphasizes that sports play an essential role in fostering inclusion, and her long-term mission focuses on building projects tailored to this community.
Her proximity to elite adaptive sports also reinforces this vision. Closely following the work at the Brazilian Paralympic Committee—an organization sponsored by ASICS—the executive highlights the power and impact of parasports, an inspiration that predates her recent corporate journey with the sportswear brand.
The power of networks in bringing inclusive projects to life
To turn this vision into concrete initiatives in the coming years, Karina relies on the power of connection and community networks. The goal is to join forces with communities, brands, and fellow runners to design solutions that sustainably expand access to adaptive sports in a welcoming environment. In the full episode from the Stemma channel, Karina also discusses the evolution of the running market and the strength of run clubs.
Inclusion in sports does not rely solely on individual goodwill, but on building ecosystems where all athletes—regardless of physical or sensory limitations—have the space to train, compete, and thrive.
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