Games ambition: Women’s Para ice hockey and wheelchair rugby teams connect ahead of world championships

OTTAWA – With major world championships approaching, Canada’s women’s Para ice hockey and wheelchair rugby teams are sharing experiences and advice as they pursue a common goal: separate women’s events at the Paralympic Games.

Both sports currently feature mixed-gender events at the Paralympics, although teams are predominantly composed of men. The upcoming world championships represent important steps toward establishing separate women’s competitions.

The second women’s Para ice hockey world championships are scheduled for November 24-29 in Newcastle, Australia, followed by the inaugural women’s wheelchair rugby world championships December 1-5 in Paris.

Tara Chisholm, head coach of Canada’s women’s Para ice hockey team, said the relationship began with a desire to help the newer women’s wheelchair rugby program avoid some of the challenges her sport has faced.

“We’ve been sitting down with some of the women wheelchair rugby team members and providing lessons learned from the decade or so I’ve been part of the program,” said Chisholm. “That’s included discussions about fundraising, sponsorship advocacy, and navigating the international sport landscape.”

Mélanie Labelle, a wheelchair rugby veteran and member of Canada’s national team at the 2019 Parapan American Games, said the hockey team has been an important resource as the newer program establishes itself.

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“They opened their books and said ‘here’s how we did it. Try and see if there is something in there that can work for you,’” Labelle told CPC at the recent ParaTough Cup in Montreal, the Paralympic Foundation of Canada’s signature fundraising event.

Chisholm said supporting another women’s Para sport program contributes to the broader development of women’s sport.

“Anytime you’re able to promote other women being active, especially women with disabilities in leadership roles, it’s just going to normalize it,” she said from her home in Calgary. “That’s the goal: make women’s Paralympic team sports common. It’s the way it should be.”

The women’s wheelchair rugby program has been preparing for its first world championships through training camps and club competitions. Earlier this year, it also held its first national women’s championships.

“The development of a women’s division creates more pathways for female athletes, whether they compete in women’s programs or mixed divisions,” said Labelle.

For both programs, the long-term objective is to establish a separate women’s event at the Paralympic Games.

“I know in Canada that objective is very strong and we want to develop Para athletes to the highest level in women’s wheelchair rugby,” said Labelle. “At the international level that’s going to happen if we keep providing opportunities like these world championships.”

The road to achieving Paralympic status is not easy and requires a baseline for number of countries with national teams. But if teams in other countries imitate the Canadians, they’ll find helping each other along the way can make the journey a little bit easier.

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