IPC reveals 2021 International Women’s Day Recognition Award Winners

March 12, 2021 

As the world celebrated gender equality on March 8 in recogntion of International Women’s Day (IWD), The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) recognised two outstanding individuals and one sports federation in the Paralympic movement who are forging a gender equal future.  Its annual International Women’s Day Recognition awards primarily celebrates women in the Paralympic Movement who have inspired and emulated the Paralympic ideals and are positive role models. 

Kate Caithness, President of the World Curling Federation (Builder category), Iranian Para archer Zahra Nemati (Next Generation Leader category) and World Para Powerlifting (National Paralympic Committee/International Federation category) received the 2021 honours. 

The winners were chosen by the IPC’s Women in Sport Committee, which has been working to increase the number of women in leadership positions across the Paralympic Movement. 

“Our International Women’s Day Recognition awards are a celebration of those who are breaking down barriers and opening up new opportunities for athletes, coaches, administrators and executives in Para sport,” said IPC Chair Rita van Driel. 

Caithness has served as World Curling Federation's President since 2010 and concludes her term after the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. She is one of three female International Federation presidents and worked to develop wheelchair curling even before her presidency. From first holding try-out sessions in Scotland to playing a central part in the sport’s first World Championships in 2002, Caithness saw her efforts pay off when wheelchair curling made its Paralympic debut at Torino 2006. 

“It’s a great honour for wheelchair curling, a sport in which we have gender equality across the board. It’s also the sport that got me where I am to be honest. Wheelchair curling is a big part of my history within World Curling Federation. I’m absolutely thrilled and honoured to be given this recognition.” 

Nemati, Iran’s first gold medallist at a Paralympic or Olympics has used her platform to be an activist for women and people with disabilities in her home country. Since making history at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, she has been on the forefront of showing what women with an impairment can achieve as she continued collecting Paralympic and World Championship medals. Her London 2012 success resulted in significant media coverage in Iran, inspiring other women to take up Para sport, particularly archery.

“I am now a woman pioneer who is branded by the IPC not only to inspire her peers and contemporary generation, but also to think, speak and act as a role model for the next generation of ladies who will make this planet a better place to live on an equal basis and more inclusivity than ever,” Nemati said. 

For over a decade, World Para Powerlifting has sought to advance the role of women in every element of the sport. Through collaboration with researchers, studies were conducted analysing the barriers and facilitators of female athletes, technical officials and coaches, leading to the development of dedicated programmes such as "She Can Lift."  The programme was created to educate and empower women participants to become technical officials and coaches within the sport. Since 2019, She Can Lift has engaged and inspired participants from over twenty-five countries in Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia. 

World Para Powerlifting’s Head of Education and Development Dora Szatmari said: “I hope this recognition can provide more visibility to the initiative and women involved in the sport; more opportunities for NPCs and national sport federations to replicate the initiative at the local level; and more opportunities for other IFs to launch a similar project.” 

In speaking on this year's winners, van Driel noted: "It’s incredibly important that we find out more about those making a difference and celebrate the best practice taking place...There is so much to learn from Kate Caithness, Zahra Nemati and World Para Powerlifting. And the more we can identify and harness successes like theirs, the more we will increase the number of women in leadership positions and make our Movement even more diverse."