Canadian team makeup reflects gender gap at Beijing Paralympic Games

A gaping gender gap in Winter Paralympic Games continues with Canada's team reflecting that imbalance.

The International Paralympic Committee trumpeted a record number of women competing in Beijing, but 138 still represents just 24 per cent of 564 international athletes.

By comparison, 45 per cent of athletes competing in Beijing's Winter Olympics were women.

There were originally 14 women on the team, but a skier withdrew from women's alpine racing because of injury.

Beijing's 10-day Paralympic Games opened Friday and close March 13.

Gender disparity wasn't as pronounced in last summer's Tokyo Paralympics with 42 per cent of participating athletes female.

Over half of Canada's 128 athletes in Tokyo were women with 71 accounting for 55 per cent of the team.

That's due in part to Canada qualifying in three women's team sports.

The elephant in the Winter Paralympic Games room is Para hockey, which was previously referred to as sledge hockey. It's the only large-team sport and it's male.

"There's no question that the team sport and the team sport skewing is kind of a number one kind of challenge," Canadian Paralympic Committee president Karen O'Neill told The Canadian Press from Beijing.

The IPC slapped a "mixed" label on Para hockey before the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C.

But only three women — two Norwegians and one Chinese — have ever been on a Paralympic Games roster.

The host country's Jing Yu is the lone woman on a Para hockey team in Beijing. Rosters are 17 players, but countries can bring an 18th if that player is a woman.

Canada is one of few countries alongside the United States and Britain with established national women's Para hockey teams.

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