Italy’s Para ice hockey team narrowly misses out on a podium place in 2018
Para ice hockey has been part of the Paralympic programme since Lillehammer 1994, and in Vancouver 2010, it became a sport open to both men and women.
However, only three women have played at the Paralympic level so far: Britt Mjaasund Øyen and Lena Schrøder from Norway and Yu Jing from the People’s Republic of China.
The United States national team has dominated most of these competitions, winning five of the eight gold medals up for grabs, including four consecutively between 2010 and 2022.
Team Italy’s journey, on the other hand, has been different. After their first participation at a home Games in Turin 2006, where they finished in eighth place, they qualified for all subsequent editions, improving progressively until 2018.
In the Korean edition of the Paralympics, the Italian team kept the dream of an Olympic medal alive until the end, but then had to surrender to the host team in the bronze medal match, losing narrowly 1-0.
In 2022, they finished in fifth place.