Paris Women’s Cup 2024 Breaks Records, Sets New Benchmark for Women’s Wheelchair Rugby
In a major boost for Paralympic sports, the fourth annual Women’s Cup in Paris hit it out of the park with its biggest tournament yet. The powerhouse event drew over 60 elite female athletes from 18 countries, proving that women’s wheelchair rugby is charging full steam ahead on the global sports scene.
Eight Teams Battle It Out in Pool Play
The tournament kicked off with eight powerhouse teams split into two heated pools of competition. The eventual champions Team Energy dominated Pool A from the start, while Pool B saw fierce battles between silver medalists Team Atout Coeur and bronze winners Team Great Britain. This competitive pool structure set the stage for intense matchups right from the start, with each squad fighting to advance through the bracket system.
Multinational Dream Team Takes Championship Crown
Team Energy dominated the three-day showdown, crushing the competition with an unstoppable mix of talent from four nations. The championship squad – featuring all-stars from New Zealand, Australia, Italy, and Canada – showed what happens when you bring together the best of the best. Team Atout Coeur battled their way to silver, while Team Great Britain locked down the bronze. Team USA, despite bringing heat to the court, finished sixth overall.
The tournament’s explosive growth tells its own story. What began with just 12 female athletes in 2017 has transformed into a premier international showcase. The 2023 cup made history when Great Britain and Canada faced off in the first-ever national team match up, setting the stage for this year’s knockout event.
The 2024 lineup was stacked with heavyweight national teams from Brazil, Spain, Ireland, Great Britain, the USA, and host nation France, plus two regional global teams that rounded out an absolutely loaded field.
Game-Changing Impact Beyond the Scoreboard
But this wasn’t just about what went down on the court. The Women’s Cup stepped up big time as a platform for growing the game. The WWR Global Taskforce for Women’s Participation knocked it out of the park with their tournament workshop, bringing players and staff together to tackle the tough questions about expanding women’s presence in the sport.
The workshop hit all the right notes – diving deep into inclusion strategies and checking the scoreboard on initiatives aimed at getting more women into wheelchair rugby. This perfect combo of elite competition and forward-thinking development has turned the Women’s Cup into a total game changer for Paralympic sports.