Romania will be represented by two athletes, Mihaita Papara in para snowboard and Andrei-Sorin Popa in para alpine skiing, at the Winter Paralympic Games in Milan-Cortina (March 6-15, 2026), the National Paralympic Committee informs in a press release on Tuesday.
The participation of the two athletes was officially confirmed by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) through the approval of bipartite invitations, the mechanism by which Romania secured entry into the competition in the absence of direct quota places.
The President of the National Paralympic Committee (NPC), Carol Eduard Novak, underlined the importance of Romania's presence at the Milan-Cortina Paralympic Games.
'Romania's participation at Milan-Cortina 2026 is more than a sporting presence. It confirms that winter Paralympic sports are returning to the performance agenda, even in a difficult structural context. Mihaita Papara represents continuity and experience, while Andrei-Sorin Popa is the direct result of the development process launched in 2025 and of accelerated progress. Investment in identifying new athletes and in performance yields results, and Romania remains relevant in international Paralympic sport,' Novak said.
Mihaita Papara (46) will compete in the snowboard cross (SBX) and banked slalom (BSL) events. Active on the international circuit since 2014, he is Romania's most experienced para snowboard athlete, having also represented the country at the Winter Paralympic Games in PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022.
His record includes 38 World Cup starts, one World Championship podium, five European Cup podiums, repeated Top 10 finishes and third place in the overall world rankings (BSL & SBX) in the 2020-2021 season. At the World Championships he achieved notable results, including eighth place in La Molina (2015) and eighth place in the Dual Banked Slalom (2023). In the 2025-2026 season he won the silver medal in the overall European SBX standings (LL1 category), recorded two victories in the Nor-Am Cup (Big White, Canada), one win and a second place in the European Cup at Kuhtai, as well as a podium finish in Lenk (Switzerland). His recent results consistently keep him in the continental Top 5.
Andrei-Sorin Popa (38) competes in para alpine skiing, LW9-2 class (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.
Following a stroke in 2020 which affected his mobility, Andrei rebuilt his sporting career, and the 2025-2026 season marked his true debut on the international circuit, with the support of the National Paralympic Committee. Since December 2025, he has recorded 11 FIS international starts, four podium finishes and repeated Top 6 results. Notable performances include second place in Hinterstoder (Austria) and three third-place finishes in Rokytnice (Czech Republic) and Jasna (Slovakia).
Milan-Cortina 2026 will mark Romania's fifth participation in the Winter Paralympic Games, following the editions in 2010 (Vancouver), 2014 (Sochi), 2018 (PyeongChang) and 2022 (Beijing). Beyond continuity, the 2026 edition also brings a diversification of Romania's representation in winter Paralympic sport, as it will be the first time the country is represented in two disciplines.
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