ParalympicsGB have announced their seven-person wheelchair curling squad ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.

The squad includes trailblazing English athletes who are set to become the first representatives from outside Scotland to take to the ice for Great Britain in wheelchair curling at a Paralympic Games.

The first English international to represent ParalympicsGB at a Paralympic Games was Ken Dickson, who represented his country at the inaugural Paralympic Games in Turin (2006), but as an alternate he never actually took to the ice.

On the team selection ahead of the Paralympic Games, ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission Phil Smith said, “I’m really excited to see our wheelchair curling squad in action at Milano Cortina 2026. The growth of the British wheelchair curling programme since Beijing 2022 has been a highlight of the past few years, and we’re seeing the fruit of that now, with a number of Paralympic debutants from across the country and now the opportunity to field athletes in two events – the mixed doubles and team disciplines. I know the squad will do all they can to deliver incredible performances to give fans back home plenty to cheer about through the Games.”

Yorkshire-born Scottish international Jo Butterfield MBE is looking to make history by becoming the first British athlete to win gold at both summer and winter Paralympic Games, after her Rio 2016 club throw gold.

Butterfield tasted success at the first time of asking in wheelchair curling, as she won the mixed team event bronze on her debut at the World Wheelchair Curling Championships in Canada two years ago.

On her potential history-making Paralympic games, Butterfield said, “Ever since I first became a Paralympian, I’ve carried the dream of not just competing but of pushing boundaries and seeing what’s possible. To now have the opportunity to go for gold at both a Summer and a Winter Paralympic Games is something I’m incredibly proud of, a goal I set myself when I first transferred to wheelchair curling in 2023, and it’s a challenge I’m fully committed to embracing.”

Following her time away from the ice for cancer treatment and her Riga International Mixed Doubles tournament success, she will join Newcastle-born English international Jason Kean in the mixed doubles event at the Milano Cortina games.

Kean and herself have already secured their place in the history books as the first British athletes to compete in the new event of wheelchair curling mixed doubles at a Paralympic Games.

On her partnership with her Riga International-winning partner, Kean, Butterfield said, “It’s not been a smooth journey, but if I’m honest, that makes this opportunity all the more meaningful, and what makes this even more exciting is sharing it with Jason. Although we’re both English, we’ve come through different systems, me competing for Scotland where I live and Jason coming through the England setup.

But that’s the beauty of the Paralympics; it’s the one year that brings the home nations together and gives us an opportunity to try this partnership.”

English athletes Karen Aspey and Stewart Pimblett will also make their Paralympic debuts in the mixed team event as they join skip Hugh Nibloe, who has been selected for his third games.

Nibloe, who is the only member of the squad to have competed at a Paralympic Winter Games before, has previously won silver and bronze medals in both wheelchair curling disciplines at world championships and will be hoping to add a Paralympics medal to his tally.

He, Aspey and Pimblett are also joined in the mixed team event by Scots Austin McKensie, who made his World Championship debut as vice skip in Ayrshire, and Graeme Stewart, a multiple-sport para-athlete who has also collected 30 caps for Scotland in wheelchair rugby league.

On being selected for the 2026 Paralympic Games, 43-year-old Nibloe said, “To be selected to represent ParalympicsGB is a huge honour and a career highlight, but I am hoping this will be third time lucky for me, as I want to return as a medallist this time. The past Paralympic cycle has been the most competitive so far, which is a huge tribute to the work that has been done off the ice, and, in particular, the development of wheelchair curling in England, tapping into a massive talent pool, can only be good for our sport. With the support we receive in all areas, we have been given every opportunity to maximise our potential, and it is now down to us as athletes to take it.”

The Wheelchair Curling schedule at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Games starts on the 4th March 2026 and will be concluded by the Mixed Team Gold Medal Game on the 14th March.