Yu Jing had her very own “Flower Ceremony”. Actually, at the Paralympics, it takes place after the competition decisions. Whoever reaches the podium receives the mascot named “Shuey Rhon Rhon”, a red lantern. The medals will be awarded later.
But after the quarterfinals against Italy – two games away from a medal decision – the Chinese Yu Jing, 38, got her ceremony. She was photographed with flowers in her hands just minutes before making her debut for her country’s national para ice hockey team. Para ice hockey, played with on-ice sleds and two sticks, is a mixed sport. Which theoretically means that men and women play together in a team.
In the case of the Paralympics, however, the theory does not really work. 120 athletes will represent the seven countries at the para ice hockey tournament, with Yu Jing being the only woman. In the past seven winter games in which para ice hockey was played, only two athletes competed. Twice for Norway, 1994 Brit Mjaasund Oeyen and 2018 Lena Schroeder.
So now Yu belongs in this short list. She had her stage on the ice for five minutes and 19 seconds. “I represent all women players. I got the chance to play for the national team and show the power of Chinese women to the whole world on this stage,” she told the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) after the match against Italy. Then there were flowers, it was International Women’s Day.
what it takes The national coach says: “Advertising, advertising, advertising”
The IPC had announced before the Paralympics that a “record number” of women would take part in these games, 138. But with more than 500 participants in total, that remains a disproportion. For comparison: 1314 women and 1578 men took part in the Winter Olympics. In para ice hockey, the supposedly mixed sport, the difference is most obvious.
There are also no women playing in the German national team, which failed to take part for the fourth time in a row. That’s because there are almost no people in Germany who practice the sport, says national coach Andreas Pokorny. “We only have five clubs in the league. We need more people, more mass. We’ve been getting new ones for years, but that’s just not international enough,” he says.
From a purely sporting point of view, the participation of women should not be a fundamental problem, says Katrin Brandmeier from the EHC Freiburg para ice hockey team. “Men sometimes play a bit more physically, but we women are more agile,” she says. “I definitely don’t notice any difference.” Nevertheless, she will not have a chance to play for the German national team. Because she has no handicap. It is allowed to compete in the German league, but the game is inclusive there, like in wheelchair basketball. But the Paralympics have stricter rules, only people with disabilities can compete for the medals.
There are also nations where many women are already involved in the sport. The two big (para)ice hockey nations Canada and USA in particular. The last five gold medals in para ice hockey went to the two, the last three alone to the Americans, and they will meet in the final again this year. But without women. “In both countries, the men are just too strong. As a woman, you should be in top form,” says national coach Pokorny.
China has only had a national team since 2017 – and is coached by a Russian
The problem could be solved, at least in Germany, with “advertising, advertising, advertising,” he believes. Germany has hosted two major events in recent years – the 2019 World Cup and the qualifying tournament for the Paralympics last December. The latter in particular could not really be used as an opportunity because of Corona, explains the national coach. And of course the failed participation is no help to make the sport better known.
Meanwhile, Yu Jing, the only para ice hockey player on the Olympic stage, won a medal on Saturday without further playing time. China beat South Korea 4-0 in the bronze medal match. As in so many sports at these Paralympics, where the controversial host nation leads the medal table, the Chinese have also created a program in ice hockey that seems to have popped up out of the ground. The national team has only existed since 2017.
The team is coached by a Russian, which is still allowed while Russian athletes have been banned from the games because of the war in Ukraine. The name of the coach is Nikolai Sharschukov, and his influence on success is considered enormous. However, this was not an issue in the official game report of the IPC.