What Is Holding Women Back and What Needs to Change
Monika Teves playing with all girls team Aisawan Girls at Formosa Paintball International Open Competition, Taiwan in March 2026.
KC offers a quieter perspective:“ I felt grateful. It may have been small, but it matters that it happened. I believe the more we show up consistently, the more we make the space feel real and possible for others to step into when the timing feels right for them.”
Both views are true at the same time.
The rest of 2026 does offer women’ s paintball events in Asia- few, but real. Southern Legion’ s 3v3 Girls runs on 5 September in Malaysia. The MBPP Mayor’ s Asia Cup in Penang on 26-28 June is targeting four teams for its All Girls( Valkyries) division. Modest numbers, yes. Behind every one of those teams is a group of women who chose to show up and that deserves far more support than it currently gets.
What Is Holding Women Back and What Needs to Change
The barriers are real and layered, and each of us names them differently. Monika’ s barrier was not fear— it was invisibility.
What changed everything was three words from KC:“ come and try.” That was 2023. Monika has not left the field since.
KC identifies something deeper and less talked about:“ It’ s not just about fear or cost. It’ s the pressure of being seen, judged, or feeling like you might not belong, especially in a male-dominated environment. That makes it harder to take the first step, even if the interest is there.”
Fidah, as ever, cuts to the bone:“ Priorities in life. You can feel all of the above, but if paintball is not part of your priorities, it doesn’ t matter.”
All three are right. All three point to the same conclusion: the solution is not a single initiative. It is sustained, visible, welcoming communitybuilding- on and off the field.
On what tournament organizers can do, they offer complementary ideas. Monika calls for more women-only opportunities:“ Tournaments, clinics, or training sessions so more people feel encouraged to join and the community can grow.”
“ I was familiar with paintball but I didn’ t know where to play and who to play with,” she says. www. paintball. media
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