Three players, one shared dream: a Paralympic women’s Para ice hockey tournament

Three female Para ice hockey players came together at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games to reflect on the past, present and future of women’s Para ice hockey on International Women’s Day this Sunday (8 March). 

Their shared dream: to compete in a women’s tournament at a future Winter Paralympics – ideally, as early as at the French Alps 2030.

Team Japan defender Akari Fukunishi joined Erica McKee (USA) and Stacey Quirk (Great Britain), both World Para Ice Hockey (WPIH) Athletes’ Committee representatives, alongside WPIH Senior Manager Michelle Laflamme and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Vice-President John Petersson, at a press conference at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. 

All three athletes competed at last year’s inaugural Women’s World Championships in Dolny Kubin, Slovakia. McKee captained Team USA to the title, Quirk led Team Great Britain to fourth place, and Fukunishi represented Team World – a roster of players from nine nations that do not have yet their own women’s national team.

But at Milano Cortina 2026, Fukunishi is the only woman to have appeared on the ice – in the line-up of Team Japan’s opening game against Czechia on Saturday (7).

“Yesterday, it was exciting to be on the ice but, at the same time, quite a pity that there are so few female players in the world,” Fukunishi said.

“From this opportunity at the Paralympic Games, I expect more Japanese female players to start ice hockey. I hope to come back in 2030 as a member of a Japan female team.”

For Quirk, being at the Paralympic Para ice hockey venue brings mixed emotions. 

“It’s great to see the guys go out and do their thing and, at the same time, it’s quite sad to see that women don’t have the same opportunities. It’s quite bittersweet. 

“I look forward to the day when there are more women on the ice. As a young girl or as a female, (they can say) 'I can be there too'. That’s what we need: 2030 – that’s the goal.”

McKee, who lifted the world title with USA, said the Paralympic dream has driven her since childhood. 

“My goal since I was nine years old was to be in the Paralympics, and I’m still fighting for that goal. Hopefully, it’s in 2030.”

“It was so fun to play against all these amazing female athletes [at the Women’s World Championships]. I’ve always grown up playing in men’s teams, and when I was able to finally be around awesome female athletes, it was even better.”

World Para Ice Hockey International Women’s Day Press Conference 🎤

Let’s talk about Women's Para Ice Hockey's present and future at the Paralympic Winter Games.@milanocortina26 @Paralympics pic.twitter.com/Spk8tEv9iH

— Para Ice Hockey (@paraicehockey) March 8, 2026

International Women's Day Award

The day carried added significance as the IPC announced that WPIH had won the International Women’s Day Recognition Award (IWD) in the IPC Member category. 

“The IPC International Women’s Day recognition awards are a recognition of an exceptional contribution to women and members who have made and promoted gender equality within the Paralympic movement,” Petersson said.

"That is exactly what the World Para Ice Hockey has done together with their members and stakeholders. Female representation in sport has grown from 1% to over 20% for the athlete’s population in three years, making it possible to organise the first ever Women’s World Championships last year.”

The IPC Vice-President added that continued growth could pave the way for a women’s Para ice hockey tournament at a future Paralympic Winter Games.

“We hope more athletes, nations, members and partners will join them, and then we can be in a press conference in future Games where we are talking about a tournament for women in ice hockey.”

To make that dream a reality, World Para Ice Hockey must submit an application process based on several criteria. One key requirement is hosting a second Women’s World Championships with at least eight nations from three regions. 

To meet the deadline for the 2030 Paralympic Winter Games programme, that event must take place in 2026. 

“We are determined to have the event in 2026, as of today we don’t have a secured host for the event,” Laflamme said. 

“We’re also here to talk to commercial partners who can help grow the sport. We had the Worlds in 2025, but at the moment we don’t have anything confirmed going forward. For that, we need people around the world to raise their hands and help to deliver the event”

This marks the second time WPIH has received the IPC IWD Recognition Award. The first was in 2023 in the International Federation (IF) category.