2024 IPC International Women’s Day Recognition Award winners revealed 

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced the three exceptional winners of the 2024 International Women’s Day Recognition Awards on 8 March.

Karen O’Neill from Americas Paralympic Committee (Leadership), Noor Husain from NPC Bahrain (Emerging Leadership), and the Canadian Paralympic Committee (IPC Member) have each received the 2024 International Women’s Day Recognition Award.

The Awards, which the IPC has been running since 2013, primarily recognise women in the Paralympic Movement who inspire and emulate the Paralympic ideals and serve as positive role models. The winners were chosen by members of the IPC Governing Board following nominations by IPC member organisations.

Andrew Parsons, IPC President said: “The IPC International Women’s Day Recognition Awards show clear evidence that a generation of strong female leaders is having an enormous impact in making the Paralympic Movement more inclusive and creating new opportunities for female athletes, coaches, and officials to excel.

“Congratulations to our winners: Karen O’Neill for developing and implementing the trailblazing Women in Sports project that has empowered females across the Americas to become leaders in Para sport; Noor Hosain for her fantastic contribution to the growth of NPC Bahrain in promoting Para sport; and the Canadian Paralympic Committee for their commitment to gender equality at every level of their organisation. Thank you to the many female advocates across the Movement who entered the awards and made it the most competitive year to date.

“There has been important progress on gender equality at the heart of the Paralympic Movement. The IPC Senior Executive Team has full gender parity, while over 40 per cent of the IPC Governing Board is female. At the 2023 IPC General Assembly our members voted into the IPC Constitution that at least one of the two Vice President positions for all future IPC Governing Boards should be female.

“There is progress on the field of play too. At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games there will be both a record number of medal events for women and female athletes competing. There will be at least 1,859 slots for female athletes, which is almost double the 990 women that took part at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games. There is more work to be done before we reach full parity, but with more female leaders creating more opportunities for women in Para sport, I am confident we will get there.”

LEADERSHIP

This category recognises sustained and consistent leadership over a period of time, advocacy, overall contributions, and impact promoting and supporting women in sport.

Winner – Karen O’Neill, Americas Paralympic Committee

Karen has been outstanding in reimagining the Para sports environment and having hands-on experience spreading leadership for women in sports.

She successfully led the pioneering Women in Sports (WIS) project for the Americas region for much of the last decade. The initiative aims to empower women and encourage their active participation in sports, enabling them to develop compelling leadership skills.

To help build the next generation of female leaders, more than 40 women, including representatives from National Paralympic Committees (NPCs), athletes, and individuals involved in sports, participated in this programme focused on training women in leadership, project development, and empowerment.

Virtual and in-person sessions were held over several years. Thanks to grant funding, in-person training sessions took place in Canada and also in Lima during 2019 Parapan American Games. In the subsequent years participants have continued to receive guidance and material provided by dedicated mentors throughout the programme.

The WIS project has not only empowered women but also brought positive change toward a more inclusive and diverse sports community. A record number of women in the region have been elected and are running for leadership positions at the national, regional, and international levels. 

EMERGING LEADERSHIP 

This category recognises early-stage career leadership, advocacy, overall contributions, and impact promoting and supporting women in sport.

Winner – Noor Husain, Bahrain

Noor Husain started working at NPC Bahrain in 2019 and her contributions across several skillsets have had a significant impact on the growth of the NPC across the region and throughout the Paralympic Movement.

Noor is adept at big event and protocol management. During the 2021 Asian Youth Para Games, she managed the accommodation for 1,500 people across eight hotels and helped 200 delegates in nine sports. She also secured important Games sponsors. She did similar work for the 2022 West Asia Para Games, handling stays for 600 people.

With a commitment to the promotion and advancement of Para sport across the region, Noor became the first woman in Bahrain to manage Para sport tournaments. She oversaw the World Cup Boccia 2022 and Bahrain Para Badminton International 2023 events. She followed this in September 2023, by playing a pivotal role in the hosting the IPC General Assembly and Conference in Bahrain. Over 500 delegates, representatives, IPC staff and workforce were supported by Noor.

Noor has proved to be a very capable administrator. Showing her flexibility and commitment to different tasks, she has managed committees for the Bahrain Para Badminton International 2022 and Goalball 2022. Her journey demonstrates her strong dedication and success at NPC Bahrain, making a lasting impact on the organisation.

IPC Member

This category recognises the leadership, impact and effective change initiated by a member (NPC, International Federation, International Organisation of Sport for the Disabled, Regional Organisation, World Para Sport) who promote and support equality and inclusion of women in sport.

Winner – Canadian Paralympic Committee

The Canadian Paralympic Committee champions women in leadership, with a 50/50 gender balance in their Executive Leadership Team and Board of Directors. Their Senior Leadership Team has 60 per cent female representation, and their Athlete’s Council Chair, Erica Gavel, is a testament to their commitment at every level.

Through partnerships with the Americas Paralympic Committee, they have a significant global impact. Initiatives like the “Women in the Americas” workshop, led by CEO Karen O’Neill, and the involvement of Chelsey Gotell on the IPC Governing Board, underscore their role and long-term commitment in fostering female leadership internationally.

CPC actively promotes female athletes and is committed to equitable representation in their online and offline content. This commitment to visibility is coupled with achieving a 50/50 gender balance in most sport teams, a notable achievement in Canada’s sports landscape.

CPC’s approach to gender equality integrates strong leadership, international collaboration, active promotion of female athletes, and support for emerging leaders. This holistic strategy showcases their commitment not only to parity but holds them up as a standard bearer in the Paralympic Movement. 

PREVIOUS WINNERS 

2023 - Patience Igbiti (Leadership), Vladyslava Kravchenko (Emerging Leadership), NPC Malawi (National Paralympic Committee), and World Para Ice Hockey (International Federation) 

2022 - Oripa Mubika (Leadership), Yip Pin Xiu (Emerging Leadership), and Paralympics New Zealand (National Paralympic Committee/International Federation) 

2021 - Kate Caithness (Leadership), Zahra Nemati (Emerging Leadership), and World Para Powerlifting (NPC/IF) 

2020 - Paulina Malinowska-Kowalczyk (Builder), Maha Bargouthi (Next Generation) and Paralympics Australia (NPC/IF) 

2019 – Deepa Malik 

2018 – Dr. Hayat Khattab 

2017 – Dr. Cheri Blauwet 

2016 – Carla Qualtrough

2015 – Chantal Petitclerc 

2014 – Rima Batalova 

2013 – Sylvana Mestre