Buffalo is set to host some of the most intense and physical hockey action in the world this month when it welcomes the 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Championship. For those who haven’t seen para hockey, or might think they know what it is solely by name, the event is an opportunity to showcase the sport and open some eyes.

The event will take place May 24–31 at LECOM Harborcenter and feature 130 athletes from around the world, led by the United States and Canada while including China, Czechia, Germany, Korea, Norway and Slovakia.

“The misconception for those who’ve never seen it before is when you put the word para on it and they think it’s like a charity game, and it’s not that at all,” said Dan Brennan, USA Hockey sled hockey general manager. “When the teams get out there, they play extremely hard. It’s a very physical game. There’s nothing soft about it. Unlike able–body hockey, when our guys go into the boards, they go into the lower part where the boards don’t move versus the glass that bends and pushes you back.

“People will be thrilled to see the skill level — especially in the last five years it has really changed the game to a much more skill-based game — and I think especially when we play Canada, they’re going to see a heck of a battle.”

This will mark the fourth time the event has taken place in America. Buffalo hosted in 2015 and becomes the first U.S. destination to host it twice.

“Our overall history of supporting and hosting adaptive sports plays a part,” said Patrick Kaler, president and chief executive officer at Visit Buffalo Niagara. “We’ve hosted a myriad of other types of adaptive sports, from wheelchair hockey, basketball, lacrosse, curling to water sports as well. I think that’s one of the things that has put us on the map for being able to host adaptive sports in Buffalo. We’re a big city, but without a big city feel. And we’re very accessible.”

Buffalo a Perfect Fit

There are several reasons Buffalo won the bid aside from its history of hosting successful adaptive sports events.

The Marriott at LECOM Harborcenter is attached to the facility, making the trip to the arena as easy as pushing an elevator button. The Harborcenter is a training facility for the Buffalo Sabres as well as several area colleges and universities, and features two NHL-sized ice sheets. It’s located in an entertainment district that includes restaurants and a brewery on the waterfront, which gives visitors plenty to see and do between games.

“The Harborcenter is a very unique hotel inside an arena,” said Brennan, who has traveled with the team for 19 years. “When you’re dealing with athletes with disabilities, to be able to just get in the elevator and you’re down to your locker room immediately is something really special. So that was a huge part of Buffalo winning the bid. But overall it’s a great hockey city and our guys are really looking forward to playing there.”

Another advantage Buffalo has is the community support. The city loves its Bills during football season, but the Sabres have a loyal hockey fanbase. Youth, adult and amateur hockey events also take place regularly in Buffalo and the sport is the number one generator for sports tourism in the city.

“The community support will be huge on this,” Kaler said. “We typically host an amateur hockey event every weekend out of the year. So we are definitely a hockey town. And this is a very special hockey tournament. In para ice hockey, these athletes are truly unique in what they do on the ice and they are serious about their sport.”

“Historically we’ve always had a good fan base and players in Buffalo,” Brennan added. “In the past we had a bunch of players from the Buffalo area, so it’s one of the regions that really got sled/para hockey going.”

Kaler is expecting good crowds at the 2,000–seat Harborcenter arena and says this event will total about 2,400 room nights with an estimated economic impact of about $1.85 million. Kaler and his team are looking to spotlight the city to visitors in hopes of bringing them back.

“This puts us on the world stage,” Kaler said. “These are the types of events where people will go back home and talk about it with their friends and family. It’s our opportunity to really showcase our destination, to show what we have to offer and that we are the city of good neighbors. Some people may not know about Buffalo, or they may have ideas of what they think Buffalo is. In May, they’re going to find some of the best weather. We’re a lakefront city with amazing views of Lake Erie, so the sunsets are going to be fantastic. It’s just a great way to start off our summer season.”

USA Hockey Happy to be Home

Brennan says it means a great deal to the Team USA players and their families to be playing on home soil. At last year’s World Para Ice Hockey Championship in Calgary, host Canada stunned the favored U.S. side in the gold medal game 2–1, handing the Americans their first loss in three years.

“It’s very important to win gold,” Brennan said. “It was a great lesson for us last year because for a while there we were getting pretty complacent. We hadn’t lost a game in three years. It was not the best time to lose, obviously. But here we are now and I think our guys have really learned from it. They’re back to being very hungry and really making each other accountable to be ready to play. It’d be very disappointing if they didn’t come home with gold.”

While the competition on the ice is fierce, the tournament also provides a chance for players from eight nations to spend time together over the course of the week. Brennan says over the past few years USA Hockey has trained with Norway and the Czech team and the NGB has gone out of its way to help the sport and expand it.

“I think it’s the most wonderful part of being involved in an international sport,” Brennan said. “If you don’t take advantage of those relationships, you’re really missing out. In the end, we all need each other. And when the game’s over, they should be able to enjoy each other’s company and talk about their similarities, not just the differences.”

Brennan says during his 19 years with USA Hockey, the games against Canada have been the most physical, brutal and competitive that he’s seen, but both teams have a lot of respect for each other. As the two nations battle in Buffalo next week, there’s the real-world issue of United States and Canada relations souring in recent months due to the political climate.

“In Buffalo, the Canadians are our friends. We have always had our ‘Buffalo Loves Canada’ campaign. That’s something that we are still pushing out very strongly,” Kaler said. “And the good thing about sporting events such as this is that we can put those types of political differences aside and come together for the overall sportsmanship, for the overall spirit of what this tournament actually means.

“So I think this will truly be a showing of what para ice hockey means to these athletes and we want them to have a great experience in Buffalo and in the United States. Whether they’re from Canada or Korea or the Czech Republic — whatever country it is. This will hopefully help strengthen our overall sentiment towards our friends in Canada, no matter what is being said in Washington, D.C.”

The inaugural edition of its World Sailing Inclusion Championships will take place in Oman from November 30 through December 8, celebrating sailors with disabilities and marking a new chapter for Para Inclusive Sailing.

Organized by Oman Sail and held at Al-Mussanah Sports City, the event will bring together an expected 215 sailors from around the world for a week of competition and development through the Inclusive Development Program, which will take place prior to the start of racing.

“We are delighted to award the inaugural edition of the World Sailing Inclusion Championships to the Sultanate of Oman and Oman Sail,” said Jim Morris, World Sailing director of events. “The bid encapsulates the spirit of inclusive sailing with particular attention to the diversity of the sailing community and accessibility, as well as sustainability and long-term benefits for sailors within the region and across Asia. The Inclusive Development Program, held before the championship begins, will also help to enhance the SailFree program in Oman and provide guidance for our members as they seek to develop similar programs to grow the sport.”

Al-Mussanah has previously hosted the RS Venture Connect World Championships in 2022 and is home to the region’s first sailing program for people with disabilities, SailFree. The official opening ceremony is scheduled for December 3 — the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

“The introduction of the World Sailing Inclusion Championships is an invaluable addition to the sailing calendar,” said Hannah Stodel, Para World Sailing manager. “As a dedicated Para Inclusive Sailing event we are showing that in this sport we are all in the same boat and can all compete at the highest levels. Mussanah is an excellent host venue with world class facilities and an impressive history of hosting Para Sailing events. We look forward to developing a vitally important regatta for the sailing community and helping Para Inclusive Sailing to grow globally.”

The World Sailing Inclusion Championships will serve as a cornerstone of the recently unveiled Para Inclusive Strategy for 2024–2029, setting a standard for inclusivity in sport. The event will feature demonstration events and onshore celebrations.

The National Wheelchair Basketball Association has announced Brandon McBeain as the organization’s new chief executive officer and executive director, succeeding former CEO David Shaffer who resigned April 25.

“I am extremely excited to serve the NWBA members and board of directors in this new role,” McBeain said. “I look forward to developing new revenue streams to ensure the financial well-being of our organization. We will continue to focus on initiatives that foster growth and awareness of our great sport by further integrating with key stakeholders of the NWBA. I look forward to continuing to cultivate a collaborative culture where the true impact of our efforts will be felt within the Paralympic Movement.”

McBeain has been chief operating officer of the NWBA for two years. He joined the NWBA National Office staff in 2016, though he has been involved with the NWBA since 2011.

“Brandon has been the heart and soul of our organization for quite some time,” said Matt Pierre, NWBA Board of Directors president. “We are thrilled to elevate him to this role. His passion for our mission, continuity and deep understanding of all our stakeholder needs makes him a perfect fit.”

McBeain will lead the NWBA staff and direct the daily operations of the organization, with an emphasis on improving fundraising, strengthening key relationships, fine-tuning organizational effectiveness, providing membership resources and ensuring excellence in the High Performance Program.

“The Board is grateful for all that David provided to the organization, including leading the NWBA during the 2024 Paris Paralympics, which resulted in the U.S. Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team’s gold medal and the U.S. Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team’s silver medal,” Pierre added.

The 2025 USA Wheelchair Softball International World Series will be held at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, from August 14–16.

The event, hosted by the Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, will bring more than 300 athletes and their families to Minnesota for the international competition. The USA Wheelchair Softball International World Series will take place across five softball diamonds created especially for the tournament in the mall’s North Lot.

“Bloomington Minnesota Travel and Tourism is thrilled to partner with the Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute to host the 2025 USA Wheelchair Softball International World Series at Mall of America,” said Todd Lehrke, destination sales director at Bloomington Minnesota Travel & Tourism. “Our strong partnership with Courage Kenny has allowed us to host several high-impact events over the past decade, and we can’t wait to welcome these amazing athletes to Bloomington this coming August.”

Wheelchair softball is played on a hard surface with a 16-inch ball to allow players to maintain control of their wheelchair without using a glove. Players with mobility impairments have competed in the sport for over 50 years.

The World Series is part of a broader push for adaptive sporting events developed by Bloomington Minnesota Travel & Tourism. Over the past 10 years, Bloomington has hosted events such as the Courage Kenny Classic Wheelchair Basketball Tournament, the United States Power Soccer Association Presidents Cup Conference Championships and the Adaptive Sports USA Games.

Vancouver will host the fourth annual World Deaf Hockey Championship with men’s teams from the United States, Canada, Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Hungary and Finland competing from May 7–17 in a round-robin format.

The United States Deaf Hockey team is supported through the American Hearing-Impaired Hockey Association. The team’s last international competition saw it take a silver medal at the International Deaf Hockey Series in Buffalo last April.

The United States Deaf Hockey team is comprised mostly of players who have attended the AHIHA Annual Stan Mikita Hockey School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Many have gone on to play on high school, prep school, junior leagues, D1 and D3 college teams. Noah Powell, an alum of the AHIHA, was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2024.

Prior to leaving for Vancouver, the U.S. Deaf Ice Hockey Men’s team will conduct their training camp from May 3–7 in Chicago at the Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville.

For over 50 years, the AHIHA has advocated and provided an opportunity for deaf hockey athletes to compete on an international level against others in the world who are deaf and hard of hearing. AHIHA provides funding for athletes through private donations, support from the USA Hockey Foundation and programs.

Adaptive sports and recreation organization Move United has released its sanctioned competitions schedule for 2025 with 34 sanctioned competitions taking place in 24 states, serving over 2,500 athletes of all ages and performance levels, including new athletes, Paralympians and warfighters.

Five new events have been added to this year’s schedule, providing more opportunities for individuals with a disability to compete in sports across the country. The first competition takes place February 22, with the 31st Annual Tri-State Regional Swim Meet in Piscataway, New Jersey, and concludes with the Gumbo State Governor’s Games in Natchitoches, Louisiana, on October 4.

“Growth in the adaptive sport competition space is exploding right now with 25 percent increase in the number of sanctioned events year on year,” said Move United CEO Glenn Merry. “At the same time, there has been a 47 percent annual increase of individuals with disabilities at these competitions. Move United is excited to push what’s possible in growing this important area of the athlete’s experience.”

Each event serves as a qualifier for The Hartford Nationals conducted by Move United, which is scheduled to take place July 11–17, 2025, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Move United sanctioned competitions follow national and international rules. Nearly 20 adaptive sports will be contested throughout the year at these events. Over 2,300 athletes, including 250 military veterans, competed last year at Move United sanctioned competitions, with those numbers expected to increase.

Move United was given the 2024 Rings of Gold Award by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee during its annual assembly last week in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The Rings of Gold award, inaugurated in 1996, annually recognizes an individual and a program dedicated to helping children develop their Olympic or Paralympic dreams and reach their highest athletic and personal potential. Move United competitions in 2024 included 2,311 adaptive athletes of all ages and performance levels, including youth, Paralympians and disabled veterans competed in 34 multi-sport competitions held in 24 states.

“Move United is excited to be recognized for driving growth, impact and the reach that these sanctioned competitions have for people with disabilities in this country,” Move United Executive Director Glenn Merry said. “This past year, our network expanded, adding eight new competitions. The growth resulted in an overall participation increase by 50%. For many aspiring athletes, this network is the entry point to future world class performances as Team USA’s next generation.”

Move United competitions are sanctioned by both Move United and applicable National Governing Bodies for the sports being contested. All events serve as a qualifier for The Hartford Nationals, which is the largest and longest-standing national sport championship event for athletes with a physical disability, visual impairment, or intellectual disability.

“Sixty-two percent of the Team USA athletes that competed at the 2024 Paralympic Games began their Paralympic journey with Move United’s community-based programs or competitions and a similar percentage was true for the athletes that represented the country at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo,” Merry said.

The National Ability Center, a nonprofit organization that provides adaptive recreation and outdoor adventures for individuals, families and groups with disabilities, will celebrate its 40th year of service in 2025, announcing a series of events to recognize the anniversary.

To date, the Park City, Utah-based NAC has served over 300,000 individuals and families and trained over 30 winter Paralympians through the Competition Ski and Snowboard Teams, with seven athletes earning medals. Its 2025 special events will include the McGrath Mountain Center Community Ski Day on February 8 and “40 Years Together: A Tribute to our Community” on July 12.

“As we celebrate this milestone, it’s important that we realize our services are just as important and relevant today as they were 40 years ago,” said Willie Ford, chief executive officer of the National Ability Center. “Today, there are 40 million people in the United States living with a disability. As we take a moment to reflect on this great achievement of turning 40, we find ourselves getting excited to continue our impact over the next 40 years. The community of people with disabilities needs us now more than ever. We’re committed to supporting them for the years to come.”

The center began when Meeche White and Pete Badewitz founded Park City Handicapped Sports Association in 1985, providing winter sports programs for Vietnam veterans with disabilities. Renamed the National Ability Center in 1992, the nonprofit has expanded its offerings to include over 20 programs, such as rafting at the satellite campus in Moab, mountain biking, alpine skiing, snowboarding, archery, outdoor climbing, equestrian and more.

In 2001, the center opened its main campus, the 26-acre Bronfman Family Recreation Center & Ranch. In 2023 it enhanced its slopeside facilities with the 9,400-square-foot McGrath Mountain Center at Park City Mountain.

“I am deeply proud to see the National Ability Center continue to grow and thrive, building on the foundation of empowerment and inclusivity we established from the very beginning,” said White. “The commitment of our staff, volunteers and global community of participants has always been at the heart of our success, and I’m honored to celebrate this incredible 40-year milestone with everyone who has been part of the journey.”

Adapted sports remain big business — and are growing, according to a new report conducted by All In Sports Consulting. According to the report, the total economic impact of adapted and para sport-related events nationwide totaled $143.9 million in 2023.

The latest figures reflect an increase of 3.45 percent over last year’s findings. The findings were announced at the 5th Annual Adapted Sport Leadership & Business Symposium (LABS), a two-day virtual conference presented by All In Sport Consulting on November 6 and 7. The study was conducted in partnership with Stitch Marketing Research and Huddle Up Group. Richmond Region Tourism and the Tempe Tourism Office also sponsored the research.

“The findings from this year’s economic impact study demonstrate the continued growth of the adapted sport industry and fortify the business case for adapted sport events, which benefit both the athletes who compete in their respective sports and the hosting communities,” said Dawna Callahan, founder and chief executive officer of All In Sport Consulting. “When we established the first economic impact report four years ago, we set out to measure the true economic footprint of the adapted sport industry. Since then, the data we’ve gathered support the adapted sport and disability community as the formidable economic force that we are and our place in sport business conversations.”

The new study builds on several previous versions. The inaugural study in 2020 measured a baseline from 2019, showing an economic range of $80.5 million to $134.2 million. A follow-up study in 2022 reported an annual economic impact of $77.8 million for 2021 events. In 2023, the study reported an economic impact totaling $139.1 million, an increase of 78 percent that showed the markets post-pandemic bounce back.

“Since the study began, we’ve seen growing participation from organizations wanting their voices heard,” said Nate Heckman, president of Stitch Marketing Research. “Adapted sport organizations have been instrumental in helping us capture a more accurate picture of the industry’s economic significance, providing communities with compelling business reasons to host events and building robust support for competing athletes.”

The latest study collected expenditure and budget data between July 17 and October 2, 2024, from a sampling of U.S.-based adapted sport entities to capture and project the economic power of the national adapted sports industry. Organizers emailed surveys to 292 contacts at 207 organizations. Data from 44 organizations were included in the report.

Among the study’s highlights:

• The organizations represented in the survey account for about 14 percent of the total number of adapted sport organizations in the U.S. market.
• The average economic impact of adapted sport and para events (only) from reporting organizations totaled $12.5 million in 2023.
• The study also found that adapted sport organizations are excited about the increased visibility and awareness the 2028 Paralympic Summer Games in Los Angeles will bring to the Paralympic movement in the United States.

“Factoring in the impact of local participants, day-traveler participants and overnight participants, it is evident that adapted sports are a thriving part of the sports tourism industry,” said Cole McKeel, vice president of partnerships with the Huddle Up Group. “Our consulting work shows communities across the country are placing more of an emphasis on these events and for great reason.”

The full report is available for download here.

The 2028 Paralympic Summer Games in Los Angeles will be pivotal for the International Paralympic Committee in building awareness of the sports and athletes who compete, said Craig Spence, the IPC’s chief brand and communications officer, at the annual Adapted Sport Leadership & Business Symposium (LABS).

Spence, for who Paris was his seventh Paralympic Games, was part of a panel on highlighting language when describing adaptive sports during its recent rise in attention and with LA28 on the horizon.

“Paralympic sport is high performance sport,” Spence said. “There are very few people in the world who can run the 100 meters in under 11 seconds. In the Paralympics, we have multiple athletes who can do that.”

Spence has been part of the IPC’s work in branding and marketing athletes with intentional language in the Paralympic Games. One example is “why say participating? You go to the Paralympics after years of training to compete,” he said.

The growth of Paralympic sport has been explosive; Spence said the IPC social media channels this year has registered around 1.5 billion views and is working with international federations on increasing coverage of Para athletes in between Games cycles.

Toyota is a key part of the Paralympic marketing landscape and the Toyota Mobility Foundation recently signed an agreement with the International Paralympic Committee on programs aimed to develop sports for persons with disabilities. Dedra DeLilli, the vice president of marketing communications for Toyota North America, said during the LABS event that Toyota has contributed nearly $6 million since 2021 to the Paralympic movement.

“Mobility is part of who we and what the Olympic and Paralympic partnership has done for us is delivering on our objective,” she said. “It’s been easy to continue supporting the Paralympic movement and Paralympic athletes particularly because it’s been one of the most successful efforts we’ve had in brand metrics.”

“We’re celebrating our athletes a whole lot more,” added Christina Schwab, the Team USA women’s wheelchair basketball coach in Paris. “We’re seeing our athletes get so much more media attention, so much more sponsorship. It’s a big shift in the Paralympic movement and it’s overdue.”

The conference also showcased other ways adaptive sports is changing the sports industry. Emily Jagos, innovation apparel design director at Adidas, described the year-plus process in designing wheelchair basketball kits after working with Adaptive Sports Northwest, an organization in Portland.

“It was really important to immerse ourselves in the community and take the approach of listen, learn and observe,” Jagos said. “Across the board, integration into the communities that we’re designing with and for and a sense of co-creation has been really important.”

This year’s event marked the fifth anniversary for LABS since it began during the pandemic in 2020. The 2023 Adapted Sports Industry Economic Impact Study, reflecting 2022 events, totaled $139.1 million, demonstrating an increase of 78 percent over the previous report.

The impact on adaptive sports for destinations was also discussed with Turnstone and Visit Fort Wayne as a case study. The 2024 National Wheelchair Basketball Association Women’s and Military Division Wheelchair Basketball National Championships were held in the destination earlier this year. An international event this year at Turnstone also resulted in 3,000 room nights.

“That snowball effect does take effect,” said Stasha Carrasquillo, Turnstone Center chief marketing technology officer. “Working with Visit Fort Wayne on some bids for tournaments, we’ve sometimes had to go outside our own facility for some multi-sport events. That gives us the chance to take an event to another venue and once we figure out the accessibility piece, the venues see it’s not so hard (to host events).”

The success of Turnstone has led to increased interest on adaptive sports as well.

“There’s other venues reaching out to Turnstone on how to make their venues more accessible,” Nicolle Campbell, director of sales for Visit Fort Wayne. “It’s opened up their eyes to additional sports that they can support and bring in.”

Progress Sought in Collegiate Space

Oluwaferanmi Okanlami called for equitable access on the collegiate level during the event. Okanlami is the director of student accessibility and accommodation services at the University of Michigan, where he oversees the adaptive sports & fitness program. He was a track and field athlete at Stanford and earned his MD from the University of Michigan before matching into Orthopedic Surgery at Yale. At the beginning of his third year he experienced a spinal cord injury.

“That is one thing we don’t have in a widespread way … as a disabled student-athlete, you don’t have the options that a non-disabled student-athlete has,” Okanlami said, adding “that doesn’t mean the NCAA couldn’t stand up, speak up and lead to provide more access to adaptive sports regardless of whether you’re a Paralympic athlete or if you’re varsity level.”

Three collegiate national championships had adaptive sports activations as part of a project between the NCAA Office of Inclusion and United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. The USOPC, NCAA and National Wheelchair Basketball Association presented a Team USA vs. College All-Star Game during halftime of the Division I Women’s championship game in Cleveland. Collegiate wheelchair tennis had a presence at the NCAA Division I championships and the national collegiate wheelchair championships in the 100-meter races were part of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

“We want to get to the point that it’s not just an exhibition,” Okanlami said. “By supporting para athletes in the collegiate space, institutions are able to show that they care for all students.”