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Every year, the event generates growing enthusiasm. In 2025, to ensure that everyone could participate in Handi-Color, the Handi-Relais association put 500 “walker kits” (sunglasses and colored powder) up for sale. They all sold out in no time. Faced with such success, the association’s members decided to take things a step further in 2026 with 600 “packs.” The result? They sold out just as quickly as last year. Consequently, this Sunday, April 12, at 7 a.m., six hundred participants are expected to line up at the starting line of the Handi-Color, in front of the Saint-Jean stadium.
More than just a charity walk, the Handi-Color is the very definition of inclusion. Through effort, certainly, but also and above all through mutual support, smiles, and joy. Able-bodied runners and walkers will thus join participants living with disabilities—some with mild impairments, others with more severe ones. This is the spirit of the Handi-Color: exerting oneself amidst a riot of colors while offering support to one another.
This year, the event is part of Disability Awareness Fortnight. Two weeks of discussions and gatherings covering all topics related to disability—from youth and employment to the challenges faced by families, as well as the existing resources on the island and those that are lacking. In Saint-Barth, the Handi-Relais association plays an indispensable role. The Rotary Club has recognized this, as two of its members—including President Axelle Cappelli—are set to present a check for over 19,000 euros to Handi-Relais this Sunday. This is the result of a fundraising campaign organized as part of the group’s participation in the Femina Adventure (JSB 1640, 1641, 1642). The donation will enable the association to purchase a specialized vehicle to provide accessible transportation for people with disabilities. Solidarity, now and always.
A colorful six-kilometer walk
With sunglasses on their noses and bags of colored powder in hand, the 600 walkers of Handi-Color will cover six kilometers on Sunday morning. After setting off at 7 a.m. in front of the Saint-Jean stadium, they will circle the Saint-Jean pond before heading to Gustavia via the Tourmente roundabout. They will then return to the stadium, where breakfast will be served.
Disability sports workshops at the stadium
Following the solidarity walk, the Handi-Sports association, chaired by Christian Onier, will host workshops at the Saint-Jean stadium. From 10 a.m. to noon, participants will have the opportunity to experience sports challenges from the perspective of a person with a disability.
Activities will include a wheelchair obstacle course, wheelchair basketball, blindfolded soccer on a specially adapted field (players wear blindfolds and use a ball with bells), and a 60-meter wheelchair race. “Every year, we try to add something new to Handi-Color,” explains Christian Onier, noting that the Handi-Sports association is brimming with projects. “We’ve just gotten started, but we’re going to participate in the 21-kilometer race in Saint-Barthélemy, in wheelchairs, with pushers and relay teams every five kilometers,” he announces. “We’re going to try to join in on other sporting events.”
