It is also the first time in Paralympic history two women will participate at the same time in sled hockey.
The Paralympic sport is technically an open-gender competition, but women have rarely appeared on the ice.
Since sled hockey made its debut in 1994, only three women had previously competed at the Games: Norway’s Britt Mjaasund Øyen and Lena Schrøder and China’s Yu Jing.
As conversation on gender equality at the Olympics and Paralympics grows, organizers are looking to introduce more women's events, including sled hockey.
Games organizers have shown interest in introducing a dedicated women’s tournament at a future Paralympics as early as the French Alps 2030 Winter Games.
The 2026 Olympics were the most gender-balanced Winter Games in history with women making up a record 47% of all athletes.
In the Paralympics, a record 160 women competed in six winter sports disciplines. That’s 24 more than the 2022 Games in Beijing.
The 2026 Paralympics end March 15.
