Two athletes to represent Romania at Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games

Romania’s National Paralympic Committee officially announced that two athletes will represent the country at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games, a competition that will bring together the best Paralympic athletes in the world in winter disciplines between March 6-15.

Mihăiţă Papară (para snowboard, class SB-LL1) and Andrei-Sorin Popa (para alpine skiing, class LW9-2, standing) were confirmed as participants in the competition by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation.

Born on January 6, 1980, Mihăiţă Papară will compete in the Snowboard Cross (SBX) and Banked Slalom (BSL) events. He is the most experienced Romanian athlete in para snowboarding and represented Romania at the PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games. His participation at Milano-Cortina 2026 marks his third consecutive Paralympic appearance.

Papară’s record includes 38 World Cup starts, one world podium, five European Cup podiums, repeated Top 10 finishes, and a 3rd place in the overall world ranking (BSL & SBX) in the 2020–2021 season. In the 2025-2026 season, he earned a silver medal in the European overall ranking at SBX (LL1 category), two victories in the Nor-Am Cup (Big White, Canada), one victory and one 2nd place in the European Cup at Kühtai, as well as a podium in Lenk (Switzerland). His recent results consistently keep him in the continental Top 5, according to the official press release.

Andrei-Sorin Popa, born on February 25, 1987, will compete in para alpine skiing, class LW9-2 (Standing), in the Slalom (SL) event. In this category, athletes compete in a standing position, and results are adjusted through the FIS factoring system to ensure competitive fairness between classes.

After suffering a stroke which affected his mobility in 2020, Andrei rebuilt his sporting path, and the 2025–2026 season marked his real debut on the international circuit. Starting in December 2025, he recorded 11 international FIS starts, four podiums, and repeated Top 6 finishes. Among the notable results are a 2nd place in Hinterstoder (Austria) and three 3rd places in Rokytnice (Czech Republic) and Jasná (Slovakia).

Milano-Cortina 2026 will mark Romania’s fifth participation in the Winter Paralympic Games, after the 2010 (Vancouver), 2014 (Sochi), 2018 (PyeongChang), and 2022 (Beijing) editions.

(Photo source: paralimpicromania.ro)