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Takudzwa Chitsiga Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Paralympic coach Oripa Mubika’s efforts were finally rewarded after she won the 2022 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) International Women’s Day Recognition Awards yesterday.
Mubika won the leadership award as Singapore’s Paralympic champion, Yip Pin Xiu, picked the emerging leadership award, while Paralympics New Zealand walked away with National Paralympic Committee and International Federation Award.
IPC announced the three outstanding winners of the 2022 as a way of observing the International Women’s Day, which was celebrated yesterday.
The leadership award won by Mubika recognises sustained and consistent leadership over a period of time, advocacy, overall contributions and impact promoting and supporting women in sport.
Candidates considered included coaches, current or former athletes, administrators and officials; and it was Zimbabwe’s Mubika who emerged victorious.
Mubika was one of the few female Para sport coaches in Zimbabwe before the country joined the IPC.
As NPC Zimbabwe secretary-general, she has facilitated the introduction of sitting volleyball in 2016, increased female representation on the board to 50 per cent, and ensured that at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, NPC Zimbabwe had their first female coach.
The Awards primarily recognise women in the Paralympic Movement who inspire and emulate the Paralympic ideals and serve as positive role models, with the winners being decided by the IPC’s Women in Sport Committee, chaired by Rita van Driel.
“I want to congratulate the winners on their well-deserved recognition and on opening up new opportunities for women across the whole Paralympic spectrum; you are an inspiration to us all.
“We had so many strong applications from across the world, which is testament of the increase in number of women leading our Movement, and I want to thank everyone who entered.
“It is very important for the IPC Women in Sport Committee to have strong female representation in leadership positions across the Paralympic Movement to get more women involved and, therefore, make it more diverse and inclusive,” said van Driel.
Previous Winners
2021 – Kate Caithness (Leadership), Zahra Nemati (Emerging Leadership) and World Para Powerlifting (National Paralympic Committee/International Federation)
2020 – Paulina Malinowska-Kowalczyk (Builder), Maha Bargouthi (Next Generation) and Paralympics Australia (NPC/IF)
2019 – Deepa Malik
2018 – Dr. Hayat Khattab
2017 – Dr. Cheri Blauwet
2016 – Carla Qualtrough
2015 – Chantal Petitclerc
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