Israel at the 2026 Winter Paralympics

Sheina Vaspi had made her Winter Paralympic debut at Beijing in 2022, where she finished 15th in alpine skiing.[2] She did not compete in the slalom there after a schedule change moved the event to Shabbat.[2] Milano Cortina was her second Winter Paralympic appearance, and she remained the only Israeli, man or woman, to have represented the country at the Winter Paralympics.[2]

Vaspi grew up in a Chabad home in Yesud Hama’ala in northern Israel and lost her left leg in a traffic accident as a young child.[5] In January 2025, she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her only knee, sidelining her for months.[5] The injury followed a fall at 120 kilometres per hour; she qualified for the Games after undergoing physiotherapy and rehabilitation in Thailand without surgery, then returning to training.[2] Vaspi said the recovery was especially challenging because the injured knee was her only one.[5]

Her preparations also took place against a background of war and personal loss.[5] Her cousin, Cpt. (res.) Arnon Benveniste Vaspi, had been killed while fighting in Gaza in November 2023, and she said his example gave her strength to continue.[5] The Games opened amid war; an Associated Press report dated the start of Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran to February 28, less than a week before the ceremony.[4] Vaspi said it was difficult to concentrate on training while people she loved were spending nights in shelters.[4]

The Milano Cortina Games took place across Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo, and Tesero, with opening ceremonies in Verona.[1] About 665 athletes competed in 79 medal events across six sports.[1] Para-alpine skiing was staged at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo, with downhill, slalom, giant slalom, super-G, and super combined events in standing, sitting, and vision-impaired categories.[1]

Vaspi did not enter the women’s downhill because it was scheduled for Shabbat, when she does not compete.[4] Before the Games, she was also expected to miss the slalom, scheduled for Saturday, March 14, unless weather forced a change of date.[4]

In the women’s standing super-G, Vaspi missed a gate, skied out of the course, and did not cross the finish line.[6] It was her first event, and she was due to compete in the combined the following day.[7]

Vaspi finished 12th among 15 skiers in the women’s standing alpine combined.[8] The competition consisted of a super-G run and a slalom run: she placed 11th in the super-G portion and 13th in the slalom portion, producing her 12th-place combined result.[8] The finish was a personal best.[3]

Vaspi left Milano Cortina without a medal, with 12th in the standing alpine combined her best result.[4] By March 12, she was not expected to compete again because of her lingering injury and Shabbat observance.[4] She expressed frustration with her performance because she believed she had more to give, while also saying she was proud to have appeared for Israel.[4]

Contemporary coverage differed over Vaspi’s combined-event placing. A March 10 headline listed her 13th, while the accompanying text ranked her 12th overall; a separate report also gave 12th and described it as a personal best.[7][3] The body-text accounts thus agree on 12th place despite the conflicting headline.

Vaspi’s second appearance continued Israel’s Winter Paralympic representation through a single athlete, its first and still only Winter Paralympian at the time.[5] Explaining her decision to persevere through the difficult period before the Games, she said: “Without me, the flag of Israel won’t be at the Paralympic Games, and in my eyes it’s so important just to be there.”[5]

At the Games, Vaspi described receiving support from other athletes and emphasized her pride in displaying Israel’s flag.[4] Speaking about the flag on her helmet, she said: “I’m really happy I had the chance, like, at least to have it big on the helmet and show up, because I’m really, really proud of where I come from.”[4]