Slovak town Dolny Kubin to host Women’s Para Hockey Championship

The Women’s Para Hockey World Championship will be held from 26 to 31 August 2025. The Slovak town of Dolny Kubin will host this prestigious tournament, which will be the first of its kind. Six teams will compete: the national teams of Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Norway and the United States, as well as the World Team, made up of players from different countries.

Senior Para Hockey Manager Michelle Laflamme expressed her delight at hosting this landmark event, noting its importance for the future of the sport. She highlighted the desire to increase women’s participation in para hockey and the preparation of a bid to include a women’s medal tournament in the program of the future Paralympic Winter Games, which would be an important step towards the recognition of the sport.

At the 2025 Canadian Powerlifting Union Championships, 25-year-old Special Olympics athlete Cassidy Rutledge, who has Down syndrome, won another title, marking a major milestone in her journey to international competition.

She is preparing to represent Kelowna at the World Championships in Romania in November. Powerlifting has become not only a way for Cassidy to build physical strength, but also a source of confidence and friendship.

“It makes me feel strong,” Cassidy says of her training. Having her team cheering her on as she tackles difficult lifts makes the workouts especially meaningful. She values ​​the commitment and support of her parents, who are proud of her accomplishments. “We are very, very proud of her,” says her father, Leo Rutledge. “She is getting stronger every day.”

Cassidy competes in other sports in addition to powerlifting, such as track and field and swimming. However, powerlifting has become her true passion. After starting training in 2019, she faced temporary setbacks due to the pandemic, but since returning, she has been able to focus on achieving her goals by training three times a week.

On April 5, 2025, a truly grand sporting event took place in Chelyabinsk — the II International Festival of Adaptive Sports “Impulse”. This large-scale event became the largest in the world in terms of the number of disciplines presented and the number of participants, people with disabilities. The festival was created and organized to unite countries and demonstrate the art of adaptive sports on behalf of the Russian Federation.

This unique event was attended by athletes, including those who were wounded during a special military operation. They united to demonstrate their sporting achievements and share experiences that help them cope with difficulties and lead an active lifestyle.

This significant event once again proved that sport knows no boundaries. It united athletes with disabilities from all over the world on one sports ground, demonstrating that there are no barriers to doing what you love.

The festival is held within the framework of the state program “Development of Physical Culture and Sports” and is supported by the “Presidential Grants Fund” Russia