Men, Women, and “Sled.” These are the three options on the USA Hockey website. Though sled, or para ice hockey, is supposed to include both men and women, the photo used to represent the sled category contains only men. Unsurprisingly, women are not represented equally in the sport. Para ice hockey is subject to decades of gender inequality, and little has been done to fight this by USA Hockey itself. Moreover, this is just one of many para athletic institutions that are inhibiting women from playing at the international level.
In 1948, Dr. Ludwig Guttman started the Stoke Mandeville Games to include injured servicemen and women in athletic events such as archery. The Paralympics, as it later became known, debuted in Rome in 1960, less than a week after the closing of the Olympics. The International Sport Organization for the Disabled was then created and began to offer opportunities to athletes who could not affiliate with the International Stoke Mandeville Games, including those who were visually impaired, amputees, those with cerebral palsy, and people with paraplegia. Other organizations were created to try to fill any remaining gaps, but in 1989 the International Paralympics Committee was founded to help include all athletes with disabilities.
In 1960, Swedish hockey players invented para ice hockey, also known as sledge or sled Hockey, in a rehabilitation center in Stockholm. Their goal was to be able to continue to play ice hockey despite being in wheelchairs. By 1969, Stockholm had a league with five teams that included players with and without physical disabilities. Just a few years later in 1976, Sweden played Norway in an exhibition that is considered to be the first Paralympics para ice hockey game. Over the decade, the two teams continued to go head-to-head. Great Britain and Canada soon created groups in the early 1980s, followed by the U.S., Estonia, and Japan in 1993. After the creation of these five new teams demonstrated to the Paralympic Committee that there was international interest in the sport, para ice hockey became an official Paralympics event in 1994. Today, there are 15 national para ice hockey teams.
While perhaps inclusive of disabilities, para ice hockey has had its fair share of gender inequality. Since the introduction of para ice hockey in 1994, the number of players has doubled, yet women remain an extreme minority when teams reach the Paralympic level. Only three women have ever played since the official introduction of para ice hockey. In 1994, there were 56 male players at the Paralympics and one female player. Similarly, in 2018 there were 134 male players and only one female, and in 2022, 116 male players and one female player.
Erica Mitchell, a sled hockey player of over 20 years, has faced inequality at almost every step of her athletic career. In 2004, at 18, Mitchell was asked to try out for the Men’s National Development Team and was successful. She was the only girl on the team and was the first and only female captain when selected in 2006. Mitchell, encouraged by her success in a male-dominated space, tried out for the U.S. Men’s National Team but was told at the very start she would not be able to make the team due to her gender.
Even though the International Paralympic Committee officially deemed the sport co-ed in 2010, more must be done to increase female representation. In 2007, the Paralympics created a rule maxing out teams at 17 players, only allowing an 18th player if it is a female. This rule was supposed to help women gain more access to para ice hockey at the highest level but has instead continued to inhibit female representation. According to Peggy Assinck, a Canadian Women’s Team member, the rule allows women a spot on the team as only a mere checkmark for diversity. For instance, also in 2007, Erica McKee was told by the U.S. National Team staff that she was unable to make the team due to being a woman. Eleven years later, the U.S. Women’s para ice hockey team was moved under the USA Hockey umbrella and retitled as a “development team.” This effectively means the players have no U.S. Women’s National Team to move up to and get no official recognition.
Kelsey DiClaudio, once a member of the U.S. Men’s National Development Sled Hockey Team and one of the best sled hockey players in the world, notes that the label of co-ed inhibits women from getting an officially recognized sport of women’s sled hockey by the International Paralympic Committee. Until this label is removed and sled hockey is seen for what it is — a male space — women will not be allowed to have an area of their own. DiClaudio played on both the U.S. Women’s National Team (while it existed) and the U.S. Men’s National Development Team, working twice as hard to try and fight for the opportunity to represent her country at the Paralympics. However, after 11 years, she has still not been allowed the chance.
Women in sled hockey fight to bring international attention to gender inequality in their beloved sport. During the summer of 2022, the first-ever Women’s Worlds Challenge was held in Green Bay, Wisc. The event was used to show the international stage that women’s para ice hockey exists and to encourage disabled women of all ages not to let their physical impairment prevent them from participating in sports. So far, only three nations have women’s para ice teams: the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain. As a result, there are not enough women involved internationally to successfully advocate for a division of gender in the Paralympics. These women recognize that other countries will need to create women’s para ice teams to help ensure the inclusion of a women’s division in the Paralympics.
A lack of gender diversity is not unique to para ice hockey but is seen across the Paralympics. Dr. Andrea Bundon, an assistant professor of kinesiology at the University of British Columbia School of Kinesiology, estimates a 3 to 1 ratio between men and women paralympic competitors. Dr. Bundon, who participated as a guide in the Paralympics for the visually impaired in the 2010 and 2014 games, noted that few initiatives target women with disabilities and encourage their engagement in accessible sports. Similarly, the United Nations found that only one-third of athletes at the international competition level are women and that 93% of women with disabilities are not involved in sports. Another major challenge is that because many of the events in the Paralympics are listed as co-ed or mixed sports, it leads to unequal funding since women’s teams are not getting funded or developed as much as the “co-ed” teams. Women may be eligible to compete in these sports, but few make national teams and even fewer play at the Paralympics.
So, what can we do to close this gap? We must advocate that para ice hockey organizations, like USA Hockey, pour funding into development and marketing for women’s teams specifically and hold training camps for women para ice hockey players from all over. USA Hockey should also increase the roster size for the sport and hold yearly tryouts for both new and returning members. Finally, they should introduce a women’s division or exhibition for para ice hockey at the next Winter Paralympics. Suppose the number of players is insufficient for particular countries to have a team. In that case, provisions can allow them to group by location or continent for equal access and opportunity.
Women with disabilities deserve an equal opportunity to represent their country at the Paralympics. They also deserve a chance to play sports despite their physical impairments. The future is accessible, but that future must focus more on gender equality. Fighting for women’s space in Paralympics events like para ice hockey would be a significant step towards a fairer world.
“Day 1 of the Green Bay 2022 Women’s World Challenge presented by Citi.” Image from the International Paralympics Committee’s Flickr Page is permitted for editorial use.
