Unlike the Olympics, women have been allowed to compete in the Paralympics ever since the Games begun.
But while inclusion is at the heart of the Paralympics, we still have a little way to go until the Games are completely equal for women.
Read our blog to find out more about the history of the Paralympics, women’s inclusion in the Games and who to watch out for from ParalympicsGB in Paris.
When did the Paralympics begin?
The Paralympic Games evolved from the Stoke Mandeville Games, which began in 1948 for World War 2 veterans to enjoy and take part in sport competitions.
The first official Paralympics took place in Rome in 1960, featuring400 athletes from 23 countries, mainly comprised of injured service men and women.
They took part in wheelchair archery, javelin, fencing, basketball and more, and while female competitors were few in number, they were officially allowed to take part.
Is the 2024 Paralympics gender equal?
While the Paralympic Games have always allowed women to compete, the Games have not yet reached parity in terms of the number of women and men competing.
In Tokyo 2020, 40% of para-athletes were women and in the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics, that figure plummeted to just 24%.
Paris 2024 sees the most medals on offer for women in history, with new disciplines being added to badminton, taekwondo, boccia – a precision ball sport, canoe and triathlon.
Speaking on women’s inclusion in the Paralympics, IPC President Andrew Parsons said: “To almost double the number of women taking part in the Paralympic Games in less than 25 years is rapid progress but the fact we do not yet have gender parity underlines that there is still much work to do.”
Which women are competing for ParalympicsGB in Paris?
Paralympics GB aims to win between 100-140 medals this year competing in 19 of the 22 sports on the programme.
We have some well-known names competing for Paralympics GB, including wheelchair racer Hannah Cockcroft, who has won seven Olympics and 16 World Championship medals.
But there are also some names you might not have heard of yet, such as 13-year-old Iona Winnifrith, a rising star in swimming.
Paralympics GB: women to watch
Photo attribute: Australian Paralympic Committee, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
