Canada's women's wheelchair rugby team set to debut at Women's Cup in Paris

A historic new chapter for Canadian wheelchair rugby is set to unfold in Paris next week, as Canada is sending a women's team to compete internationally for the first time ever.

The 10-woman roster will make its debut at the third edition of the Women's Cup, running March 9-11 at the Centre Sportif Émile Anthoine in central Paris.

The tournament, held every two years, is the lone international event for women on the wheelchair rugby calendar. It will also feature a squad from Great Britain, along with three teams compiled of players from across Europe, the United States, Australia and South Korea.

Wheelchair rugby is a mixed-gender sport at the Paralympic level, but there has been major growth in the number of female players in recent years. The 2022 world championships in Denmark featured a record 13 women, including three on the champion Australian team.

For Canadian women's head coach Kendra Todd, the 2023 Women's Cup marks a major opportunity to grow the women's game back home.

"I think it'll be monumental," Todd told CBC Sports. "I think there are a lot of women who could potentially play the sport of wheelchair rugby, but perhaps don't necessarily see themselves represented as often and perhaps view it as more of a male sport, and that there are less opportunities for participation."

Here is your Women's Cup Schedule for Paris