Great Britain made history by winning their opening game at Para-ice hockey’s inaugural Women’s World Championships.
Felicity Gregory scored twice in a 2-1 win over Team World, either side of a strike by Akari Fukunishi of Japan – one of nine nationalities represented in her team at the tournament in Slovakia.
GB play their next Group B round-robin game against Canada on Thursday.
“The team is really thrilled. It’s a great day for GB Para-ice hockey, especially for women. We’re really excited about today and looking forward for the competition,” Gregory said.
“We gave it all. We had some new additions to the team, they were making their debut as well in the first Women’s World Championships, so it was a real motivational day.”
The United States, Norway and Australia make up Group A at the World Championships, which also features an all-female officiating crew.
While Para-ice hockey is a mixed sport, only three women have ever played at a Winter Paralympics – the sport’s pinnacle.
Since the Beijing 2022 Games, the sport’s international governing body has launched a women’s development pathway to bring more female athletes on to the ice, with the hope of future inclusion at the Paralympics.
In the three years since Beijing, the proportion of female to male athletes playing the sport has risen from less than one percent to more than 20 percent.
