Winter Paralympics 2026: The ‘mixed’ team event with one woman

The Paralympic movement began in rehabilitation centres for injured World War Two veterans at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, so, it’s not surprising the early days were dominated by men, with a bias towards events for spinal-cord injuries and limb loss.

Eight decades on, women are still underrepresented in every sport in the Winter Paralympics.

Wheelchair curling, which must have at least one woman in a five-person team, has one of the best levels of female participation. A new mixed doubles discipline has been added at these Games, which has increased the participation of women in the sport to 38% from 33% in Beijing.

So, how helpful are mixed gender events?

Dr Nikolaus Dean, with the University of British Colombia, applied that question to wheelchair rugby and curling, Para-ice hockey and Para-equestrian. In 2023, he reported that “in practice, these sports provide little to no opportunity for women to get involved in the wider Paralympic movement”.

It is a story that rings true for DiClaudio.

“I think it’s there to deflect outrage,” she said of her sport being a mixed event. “I don’t think most teams take that seriously. I think it is to keep people quiet.”

Team USA’s Para-ice hockey team is selected after a residency programme involving athletes from the men’s national team. Women are allowed to compete in the men’s game, although the US have never selected one for their national side.

Asked what is key in selecting a team, American two-time Paralympic champion Jack Wallace said: “Chemistry and character is a massive factor.”

But if you are not there, it is hard to demonstrate what you would bring to a team.

Canadian Raphaelle Tousignant is one of the few women to have joined a national men’s programme and, in 2023, became the first woman to be selected for a men’s Para-Ice Hockey World Championships.

Asked about the benefits of being on the men’s team, she said: “They don’t have to worry about having the money or doing a fundraiser to get to a competition, that’s one thing.

“The other is they are at the Paralympic Games and they have a World Championship… they get paid to play their sport each month. I have the chance to have that because I play with the men’s side.”

Tousignant, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in October, has not been selected for Milan-Cortina.

The only woman who will compete is Japan’s Akari Fukunishi, whose team face Slovakia on Tuesday. Slovakia entered Michaela Hozakova but she travelled separately to Milan, says she is “just a substitute” and has been watching from the stands.

IPC president Andrew Parsons acknowledged gender parity is “not happening fast enough” but added: “The direction is really clear… once we are able to have a female tournament in Para-ice hockey, this will help a lot to fill the gap.”

Women’s Para-ice hockey did not meet the eligibility criteria for the Paralympics, which asks for a minimum of two World Championships, sustained participation from a minimum of eight nations, and representation from a minimum three regions.