Proud Persson pays tribute to Sweden’s Para ice hockey trailblazer

Swedish Para ice hockey player Caroline Persson was just 5 years old when her compatriot Amanda Ahrnbom was denied the chance to compete at the Paralympic Winter Games because the sport was then exclusive to men.

The final decision came just five days before the Torino Games in 2006, making headlines and prompting a rule change that made Para ice hockey an open-gender sport. Yet, more than 20 years later, Sweden still has only one international female player. 

 “I don’t know why we don’t have more players. I heard there may be two more, but I don’t know them,” Persson said. 

Her passion for Para ice hockey was love at the first sight. 

“My family always loved [stand-up] hockey, my sister played it too. I fell in love with Para ice hockey the moment I saw it for the first time. It was the Paralympics in Sochi 2014, and I started playing in 2015. I just watched it, and I thought, ‘I wanna do it.’ I just loved it.”

That was also when Persson learned about another her predecessor.

“[I started] when teams could add a female player. And it was because of what happened to Amanda, that she was not allowed to play. It is crazy to think about being there and being told that you cannot play. I heard about Amanda’s story when I started, but I’ve never had the chance to meet her.”

Persson is currently in Dolny Kubin, Slovakia, representing Team World at the first-ever Women’s World Championships. Her squad is made up of players from nine countries that do not yet have their own national teams. Her mother, Marie, is one of the team’s general managers alongside Japan’s Sachiko Koyama.

Until very recently, Team World included nations like Norway and Australia, which now have their own teams at the Women’s Worlds. Today, the country that invented Para ice hockey has as many licensed female players as Thailand – a nation that only began developing the sport this decade. 

For Perssons, the focus this week is on what she can control. The 25-year-old is proud of what is happening in Slovakia.

“I feel like I'm part of history, it's huge to be here and be a part of it. I hope the sport becomes even bigger and that people will look back to this first Women's World Championships and be amazed. I’m really proud to be representing Sweden in Team World.”

Like most female players, Persson is used to competing against men in club tournaments. The all-women environment in Dolny Kubin – including an all-female officiating crew – makes the experience even more special.

“Being here it's very, very fun. I can't even explain. But it is just being able to compete with the same abilities and capacities, in a fairer game. I hope it will help bring more players to our sport.”

Intense games, hat-tricks, packed arena - that was Day 2️⃣!#ParaIceHockey #DolnyKubin2025 pic.twitter.com/QdyjlRIEm3

— Para Ice Hockey (@paraicehockey) August 28, 2025

Back to ice on Saturday

Persson was named Team World’s player of the game in their opening match – a 10-0 loss to Canada on Tuesday.  Their next game was a narrow 2-1 defeat to Great Britain, which means they will now play for fifth place against Australia at 12:30 (local time) on Saturday. The game will be followed by the two semi-finals: Canada vs Norway at 16:00 and USA vs Great Britain at 19:30.

“I think we did amazing. We have a really good feeling in the team, we are having a lot of fun, and we’re just looking forward to playing together again.”

During the summer, Persson also took time to practice a different sport – frame running in Para athletics. But there is no risk Sweden’s only female player will switch disciplines. 

“I was just looking for something to stay active during summer time. But I will definitely stay in hockey, I won't change it. It’s what I love to do.”

Saturday’s games and Sunday’s medal games will be live on the Paralympics YouTube channel and the World Para Ice Hockey Facebook page.

Complete stats, schedules and results from the Dolny Kubin 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Women’s World Championships can be found here.