The Romanian Ski Biathlon Federation announced in a press release sent to AGERPRES that it currently has 24 athletes eligible for qualification to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina across all five of its disciplines: biathlon, snowboarding, alpine skiing, ski jumping, and cross-country skiing.

'The Romanian Ski Biathlon Federation (FRSB) announces the largest delegation in Romania's history for the Winter Olympics. For the first time, Romania has athletes eligible in points for qualification in all five disciplines managed by the federation: biathlon, snowboarding, alpine skiing, ski jumping and cross-country skiing,' according to the release.

Although the final list will be confirmed after competitions held until January 18, 2026, the FRSB leadership believes that Romania will certainly have at least 17 athletes qualified in the five Olympic disciplines, thanks to points accumulated in recent international competition seasons.

Currently, the athletes have eligible points for qualification to the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, which will take place from February 6 to 22, 2026. The exception is alpine skiing, where, according to international regulations, Romania will benefit from one allocated spot for women and one for men.

The total delegation currently is made up of 46 people: 24 athletes, 15 coaches, 6 technical staff members, along with Puiu Gaspar, the President of the Romanian Ski Biathlon Federation.

Gaspar stated that the large number of athletes eligible for qualification demonstrates that winter sports in Romania can grow and perform in the future.

'This is, without a doubt, a historic moment for the Romanian Ski Biathlon Federation and for winter sports in Romania. For the first time ever, we will have athletes qualified in all five disciplines we represent: biathlon, cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, snowboarding and ski jumping. The fact that we have reached this position reflects years of work, consistent investments in training and a remarkable effort from the athletes, coaches and technical staff. Moreover, we couldn't have achieved these results without the support of the National Sports Agency and the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, to whom we are grateful. We estimate that at least 17 athletes will be definitely qualified and after January 18, we will complete the delegation, which is set to be the largest in the history of the FRSB at the Winter Olympics. This is a major step forward and a significant responsibility. We aim to prove that Romania can be a worthy competitor at world level and our participation in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 shows that Romanian winter sports can grow, perform and inspire. I am proud of the entire team and confident in the current generation, which can open a new chapter for our Olympic future,' Puiu Gaspar said.

The list of the 24 eligible athletes is as follows:

Biathlon (8 athletes): Marian George Coltea, George Razvan Buta, Dmitrii Shamaev, Raul Antonio Flore, Cornel Dumitru Puchianu, Anastasia Tolmacheva, Andreea Mezdrea, Adelina Rimbeu. Staff: Gheorghe Stoian - Head Coach (men), Cristian Marian Mosoiu, Sorin Girbacea - Assistant Coaches (men), Gheorghe Vasile - Head Coach (women), Eva Tofalvi - Assistant Coach (women), Nicolae Vasile Tanase - Kinesiotherapist, Laura Munteanu - Doctor, Valeriu Tomescu - Scientific Consultant.

Snowboarding (2 athletes): Henrietta Bartalis, Kata Mandel. Staff: Geza Lorant Kinda - Head Coach, Zoltan Reisz - Assistant Coach.

Alpine Skiing (6 athletes): Maria Ioana Constantin, Sofia Maria Moldovan, Ania Caill, Alexandru Stefanescu, Raul Danciu, Andrei Tudor Stanescu. Staff: Andrei Szilagyi - Head Coach (women), Luigi Rossi - Assistant Coach (women), Andrei Burchiu - Head Coach (men), Emilian Marius Focseneanu - Assistant Coach (men), Dan Florin Tanase - Doctor.

Ski Jumping (4 athletes): Daniela Vasilica Toth, Delia Folea, Daniel Andrei Cacina, Mihnea Alexandru Spulber. Staff: Cristinel Florin Spulber - Head Coach (women), Adrian Corneliu Comanescu - Head Coach (men).

Cross-Country Skiing (4 athletes): Delia Ioana Reit, Paul Constantin Pepene, Florin Robert Dolahascu, Gabriel Cojocaru. Staff: Ioan Lungociu - Head Coach, Ioan Poponeci - Assistant Coach, Carlo Zoller - Serviceman, Stefan Cojocaru - Masseur. AGERPRES(RO - writing by: Marius Tone; EN - writing by: Rodica State)