2022 International Women’s Day Awards winners revealed

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced the three outstanding winners of the 2022 International Women’s Day Recognition Awards on 8 March.

Zimbabwe’s coach Oripa Mubika (Leadership), Singapore’s Paralympic champion Yip Pin Xiu (Emerging Leadership), and Paralympics New Zealand (National Paralympic Committee and International Federation) have each received the 2022 International Women’s Day Award.

The Awards primarily recognise women in the Paralympic Movement who inspire and emulate the Paralympic ideals and serve as positive role models, with the winners being decided by the IPC’s Women in Sport Committee, chaired by Rita van Driel.

“I want to congratulate the winners on their well-deserved recognition and on opening up new opportunities for women across the whole Paralympic spectrum; you are an inspiration to us all,” said van Driel.

“We had so many strong applications from across the world, which is testament of the increase in number of women leading our Movement, and I want to thank everyone who entered.

“It is very important for the IPC Women in Sport Committee to have strong female representation in leadership positions across the Paralympic Movement to get more women involved and, therefore, make it more diverse and inclusive.”

LEADERSHIP

This category recognises sustained and consistent leadership over a period of time, advocacy, overall contributions and impact promoting and supporting women in sport. Candidates considered included coaches, current or former athletes, administrators and officials.

Oripa Mubika - Zimbabwe

Oripa Mubika was one of the few female Para sport coaches in Zimbabwe before the country joined the IPC. As NPC Zimbabwe Secretary General, she has facilitated the introduction of sitting volleyball in 2016, increased female representation on the board to 50 per cent, and ensured that at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, NPC Zimbabwe had their first female coach.

EMERGING LEADERSHIP

This category recognises early-stage career leadership, advocacy, overall contributions and impact promoting and supporting women in sport. Candidates considered included coaches, current and former athletes, administrators and elected officials.

Yip Pin Xiu - Singapore

A multi-gold medallist across three Paralympics, Pin Xiu has led an era of change for Singapore. An outspoken advocate, Pin Xiu was the first Para athlete elected as a Nominated Member of Parliament and has challenged the government to cultivate inclusive national sport associations. Recognising her impact on the pushing forward the inclusion agenda, in 2021 she was the first recipient of a new national award, the President's Award for Inspiring Achievement.

NPC/IF

This category recognises the leadership, impact and effective change initiated by National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) and International Federations (IFs) who promote and support equality and inclusion of women in sport.

Paralympics New Zealand

It is clear Paralympics New Zealand is an equal opportunities employer: their Chief Executive and Board Chair are both female; 57 per cent of their Board and 82% of their staff, 80 per cent of their senior leadership team and 82 per cent of their classifiers are female also. Their Chef and Deputy Chef de Mission for the New Zealand Paralympic Teams for Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 are all female, while 88% of the 12 medals won at the Tokyo 2020 were won by women.

Chief Executive Fiona Allan was delighted that the award recognised Paralympics New Zealand’s (PNZ) commitment to gaining equality for women in Paralympic sport.

“On behalf of PNZ I am incredibly proud that our organisation has been recognised with this award. Our female Paralympians and Para athletes continue to inspire future generations of girls and women in Para sport. We endeavour to ensure female representation across all aspects of our organisation, from our Board, our staff and support staff,” said Allen, who was presented with PNZ’s award in Beijing by Rita van Driel and IPC President Andrew Parsons.

“Here in Beijing our Chef de Mission and Deputy Chef de Mission are both women, further demonstrating our commitment to enable women to have the opportunity in leadership positions. I wish to thank IPC and the IPC Women in Sport Committee for showcasing through these awards the contribution of organisations and individuals as we collectively work together to build a diverse and truly inclusive society.”

PREVIOUS WINNERS

2021 - Kate Caithness (Leadership), Zahra Nemati (Emerging Leadership) and World Para Powerlifting (National Paralympic Committee/International Federation)

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