President of the National Paralympic Committee (CNP) Eduard Novak declared on Tuesday at the 'Lia Manoliu' National Sports Complex, on the occasion of the opening of the Parasport Camp 2025 - the first unified training camp for the national Paralympic teams - that Romania has the capacity to win around 15 medals at the Paralympic Games.

'Whereas in 2008 Romania had seven athletes qualified at the Paralympic Games and only six in 2024, I believe that Romania's real possibilities hover around 60-70-80 qualified athletes and roughly 15 medals in different sports. This is where we want to get. These four years, this term will be about effectively implementing Paralympic sport in Romania, within the dedicated 29 federations, both by teams and individually. It will be a very, very difficult job, because the athletes also have to understand that this is a true opportunity for them, but it also comes with some obstacles they have to overcome. (....) Yet I am optimistic that with some modifications of the law, with political and the authorities' support, in time, we can manage to remove these hindrances,' Novak declared.

The strategy of the National Paralympic Committee also provides for the identification of less known niche sports in which Romanian Paralympians stand better chances to win medals.

'In Paralympic sports it's like in the Olympics. There are some disciplines where top-achievement is extremely difficult, such as cycling has become. But, for example, Para-climbing is a niche sport which will make its debut in four years, in Los Angeles, and given our results, I think we can hope to scoop some medals. We have to think logically and very 'smart' as to which are the sports where we can truly deliver, and develop in those disciplines,' added Novak.

The CNP official also stated that Parasport Camp 2025 is a step forward in the attempt to promote Paralympic sport, which represents a possibility of affirmation for national federations.

'We must work on awareness of the fact that Paralympic sport is a huge possibility for national sports federations and it somehow falls within their responsibility to also deal with Paralympic sports, not only the Olympic ones. This is how it is all over the world. The vast majority of athletes are present here, except for basketball. (...) And it is a start for us, for the implementation of Paralympic sport in Romania,' Novak also said.

Apart from Paris 2024 Paralympic Games medalists Alexandru Bologa (judo) and Camelia Ciripan (table tennis), also attending the event organized at the 'Lia Manoliu' National Sports Complex on the occasion of the inauguration of the Parasport Camp 2025 were gymnastics coach Marius Urzica, boxers Lacramioara Perijoc and Claudia Nechita, weight thrower Rares Toader, vice president of the National Sports Agency Cosmin Gabriel Tabara Amanar, secretary general of the National Authority for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Romi Mihaiescu, and president of the Steaua Bucharest Sports Club Petrut-Danut Sarghe-Ciobanu. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Adrian Tone; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)