Spain launches first para ice hockey team and seeks new athletes for national project
Spain has gained its first organized para ice hockey team, bringing this winter parasport into a new phase of development in a country that already has developed programs in several ice disciplines. The project is led by the Royal Spanish Ice Sports Federation, known as Fedhielo or RFEDH, and its beginning is linked to Madrid and Club Parahockey Madrid. According to a World Para Ice Hockey announcement from May 7, 2026, the Spanish capital is now home to the first such team in the country, while the federation plans to expand activities to other cities as well. The goal is not only to gather a group of recreational players, but to create the foundations for a regular system of training, competitions, and the long-term entry of Spanish athletes into international para ice hockey. The federation announced that, for the continuation of the project, it is seeking new athletes, partners, and sponsors, because the development of the sport requires specialized equipment, expert staff, and stable funding.
Open day in Madrid gathered the first interested players
The first concrete step was taken in February 2026, when a para ice hockey open day was held in Madrid. According to World Para Ice Hockey data, 17 new participants attended the event, and during the two-hour program they tried the equipment and the basic elements of the game for the first time. Among them were 11 athletes with impairments that may make them eligible to compete in para ice hockey, and after the initial introduction they expressed interest in continuing training. The participants came from different sporting backgrounds, including archery, golf, and handball, while among them was also a former para swimmer and Paralympic medalist. Such diversity, according to the approach being developed by Fedhielo, can be important because para ice hockey requires a combination of strength, coordination, speed of decision-making, and team discipline.
The open day had a dual role: it gave athletes their first experience on the ice, and it showed organizers the real level of interest in a sport that until now in Spain had not had a nationally structured base. According to the World Para Ice Hockey announcement, the federation is planning new open days in the coming months, primarily in Madrid, but potentially in other cities as well. The intention is to gather a sufficient number of players for the start of a regular competitive season in September 2026. Fedhielo also plans to rent an ice rink for the entire duration of the tournament, which shows that the project is being developed with the aim of creating an organized calendar, and not only occasional promotional activities. In a sport in which every new national structure must begin with basic logistics, this is an important step toward sustainability.
Fedhielo wants to develop the sport from beginner level to a Paralympic pathway
Fedhielo president Frank González told World Para Ice Hockey that the federation has, since its founding in 2006, been open to including new ice sports under its umbrella. According to him, para ice hockey opens the possibility of competition for players who cannot play hockey in a standing position, but want to develop a career in a fast and demanding team discipline. González emphasized that the project can become a development pathway toward a high sporting level and, in the long term, toward Paralympic status. That statement is important because it shows that Fedhielo does not view para ice hockey as an isolated initiative, but as part of the broader ice sports system. In practice, this means that the success of the project will depend on whether the federation manages to connect athlete recruitment, coach education, equipment availability, and competitive continuity.
The Spanish federation already has experience in managing ice hockey and other ice disciplines, but para ice hockey brings specific requirements. According to official RFEDH data, Spain’s senior men’s national team competed in 2026 in Division I Group B of the IIHF World Championship, while the women’s national team also had appearances in the international competition system. These programs show that there is institutional infrastructure for hockey in the country, but para ice hockey requires special equipment, adapted training sessions, and a classification system. According to World Para Ice Hockey, Fedhielo has already hired a person who works full time on the development of parasports within the federation. This is one of the key moves because the development of a new discipline cannot, in the long term, depend only on volunteer enthusiasm and individual promotional events.
The biggest challenges are equipment, expertise, and financial support
Fedhielo has already secured some of the basic prerequisites, but the available information shows that the project still needs to reach the level required for a stable season. González told World Para Ice Hockey that the federation has so far managed to acquire 12 sledges for play and one nine-seat van that should serve in the future for transporting players. However, he pointed out that additional financial support, more expert knowledge, and better staffing coverage are needed. According to him, the federation needs economic support from the government so that the project can progress in the best possible way. That statement shows that the development of para ice hockey in Spain is currently between initial success in recruitment and the demanding phase of institutional consolidation.
Equipment is especially important in para ice hockey because players do not move on skates, but in specially constructed sledges. According to the official description of the International Paralympic Committee, athletes use sledges with double blades that allow the puck to pass beneath the structure, while two sticks are used for movement and play. Each stick has a part for pushing on the ice and a part for controlling the puck and shooting. This means that acquiring equipment is not comparable to simply borrowing standard hockey equipment, but requires adapted sledges, safety equipment, and people who know how to introduce athletes to movement technique. For athletes coming from other parasports, the first challenge is not only to understand the rules of hockey, but to master movement on the ice in a completely new body position.
Para ice hockey is one of the most attractive winter parasports
According to official information from the International Paralympic Committee, para ice hockey debuted at the Winter Paralympic Games in Lillehammer in 1994. The sport is intended for male and female athletes with physical impairments of the lower part of the body, and it is governed internationally by the IPC through the technical structure of World Para Ice Hockey. It is played according to the rules of the International Ice Hockey Federation, with adaptations that enable competition in sledges. Because of the speed of the game, contact, tactical complexity, and high level of physical effort, para ice hockey is considered one of the most attractive team winter sports in the international Paralympic program. The Spanish project is therefore developing in a discipline in which the entry of a new national program is demanding, but potentially visible on the international stage.
The classification rules of World Para Ice Hockey state that there is one sport class in this sport and that all players on a team must meet the minimum impairment criteria. Among the types of impairments listed in the official classification framework are limb deficiency, impaired muscle power, impaired passive range of movement, ataxia, athetosis, hypertonia, and leg length difference. Such a system is important for international competitions because it ensures that athletes compete within rules that determine eligibility and competitive equality. For Spain, which is only beginning to build a player base, this means that recruitment cannot be directed only toward general sporting interest, but must also include proper information for potential athletes about eligibility criteria. That is precisely why cooperation with international bodies and the experience of countries that already have programs may be crucial in the first seasons.
Spanish hockey has a long history, but the para program is starting from the foundations
Although para ice hockey is new in the Spanish sports system, ice hockey in the country has a long history. According to the International Ice Hockey Federation, Spain was admitted to the IIHF on March 10, 1923, at a time when the first artificial ice infrastructure was being developed in Madrid. The IIHF states that the Palacio del Hielo y del Automóvil opened on October 30, 1922, and that the first matches with Spanish clubs were played at the beginning of 1923. Spain competed at the European championships in 1924 and 1926, but then remained outside IIHF competitions for decades until its return in 1977. This historical framework shows that ice hockey in Spain is not a new sport, but also that its development depends on infrastructure, organization, and ice availability.
In the more recent period, RFEDH marked the hundredth anniversary of Spanish ice hockey, and Madrid hosted the IIHF World Championship Division II Group A in 2023. According to the official IIHF announcement, that event was part of a broader commemoration of the sport’s century-long history in the country. Such tournaments help the visibility of ice hockey, but para ice hockey has an additional task: it must reach athletes with disabilities who may never have considered an ice sport. In that sense, Madrid is a logical starting point because it already has sporting infrastructure and institutions capable of supporting a pilot program. Still, Fedhielo’s long-term goal, according to announcements published through World Para Ice Hockey, is not for the sport to remain tied only to the capital, but to create a broader national base through additional open days.
The project relies on foundation support and international cooperation
According to the statement by Fedhielo’s president published in the World Para Ice Hockey article, the federation is taking its first steps in cooperation with a foundation based in Madrid. The name of the foundation is not stated in the available announcement, so for now it is not possible to precisely describe the scope of its role. González, however, said that Fedhielo, with the support of World Para Hockey, considers the start of the project a good foundation for further development. That wording indicates that the Spanish federation is seeking a model in which domestic institutional work is combined with international knowledge and support. In a sport that requires specific technical preparation, the experience of other programs can help in coach education, training organization, and competition planning.
In the same announcement, World Para Ice Hockey stated that the international ranking currently includes 18 countries, while the sport continues to expand into new regions. Recent friendly matches by Hungary against Austria and Slovakia, as well as the participation of Mexico and Brazil in a World Para Ice Hockey development camp, were cited as examples. These data show that Spain is not an isolated case, but part of a broader trend in which para ice hockey is trying to expand beyond traditional centers. For new programs, this can be encouraging because the initial international competition is not as unattainable as in some already fully developed sports. On the other hand, the number of countries in the ranking shows that this is a discipline in which building a stable national team and national system still requires years of work.
The first season would be an important test of sustainability
If Fedhielo manages to gather a sufficient number of athletes by September 2026, the first competitive season could be a key test for the entire project. According to the World Para Ice Hockey announcement, the federation wants to launch a regular season and secure an ice rink for it during the tournament. This would allow players not to remain only at the level of occasional training sessions, but to gain experience of matches, competition rhythm, and team organization. For athletes who are only entering para ice hockey, a competitive environment is important because it accelerates learning and creates motivation to continue working. For the federation, such a season is an opportunity to assess how many players are ready for a regular program and what additional investments are needed.
At this stage, it has not yet been officially confirmed how many clubs or teams will take part in a possible first competition, nor whether the format will rely only on Madrid or on multiple cities. According to the available information, the priority is to recruit enough players and secure partners who can help with logistics and funding. It has also not been officially confirmed when Spanish para ice hockey might target its first international appearance, so such ambitions should for now be viewed as a long-term development direction, not as an immediate plan. Still, the very fact that the first team has been founded and that the federation is talking about a regular season represents a significant shift. For a sport that is starting almost from zero in Spain, the first months will be crucial for creating a community of players, coaches, and supporters.
Broader significance for parasport in Spain
The launch of the first para ice hockey team has significance that goes beyond the hockey community itself. According to information published by World Para Ice Hockey, Fedhielo has engaged a person responsible for the development of parasports as part of the project, which points to a broader intention of opening ice disciplines to athletes with disabilities. In the European sports space, such projects often depend on connecting federations, local clubs, foundations, public institutions, and sponsors. The Spanish example shows how a new discipline can be launched through a relatively small, but clearly structured beginning: an open day, the first group of interested athletes, equipment, transport, and a competition plan. Whether that beginning grows into a national program will depend on how quickly the financial and organizational challenges are resolved.
For potential athletes, the message of the project is clear: para ice hockey in Spain is no longer just an international sport watched from the outside, but a discipline that can now be joined through a domestic program. For Fedhielo, the coming months bring the task of turning initial interest into regular training sessions and a competitive structure. For international para ice hockey, Spain’s entry means the possibility of expanding the base in a country with a long hockey history, but without a previously developed para ice hockey system. According to the available information, the project is still at an early stage, but it already has the basic elements needed for continuation: the first athletes, an institutional leader, initial equipment, foundation support, and the announcement of a competitive season. It is precisely this combination that will decide whether the Madrid beginning becomes the foundation of lasting Spanish para ice hockey.
Sources:
- World Para Ice Hockey / International Paralympic Committee – announcement about the launch of the first Spanish para ice hockey team, the open day in Madrid, Fedhielo’s plans, and statements by Frank González (link)
- World Para Ice Hockey / International Paralympic Committee – official description of the sport, rules, and equipment in para ice hockey (link)
- World Para Ice Hockey / International Paralympic Committee – classification rules and eligibility criteria for para ice hockey (link)
- Real Federación Española Deportes de Hielo – official information about Spanish ice hockey national teams and international appearances (link)
- International Ice Hockey Federation – historical overview of Spanish ice hockey and the hundredth anniversary of Spain’s membership in the IIHF (link)