Haydar Çetinkaya
Haydar Çetinkaya (born 1976) is a Turkish para-Nordic skier who competes in the LW2 disability class. He is Turkey’s first international para-Nordic skier.
He was born in 1976 in Gerede, Bolu Province, Turkey, and he lives in Bolu. He works as a sport executive and coach and sits on the Board of Directors of the Turkey Ski Federation, overseeing the national cross-country ski team.
In March 2018, he became the District Sports Director of Gerede. He founded the Arkut Cross-country Skiing and Biathlon Center in Gerede, where he has coached many skiers.
In late March 2022, while helping prepare the track for the Balkan Cup at Arkut Center, his shoelace got caught in a snow groomer. He was trapped under the machine, but colleagues helped him and medical staff treated him on the scene. He suffered a serious injury to his left leg and later returned to skiing using a prosthetic leg after rehabilitation.
In December 2022, Çetinkaya represented Turkey at the 2023 FIS Para Nordic World Cup in Vuokatti, Finland. He competed in the LW2 men’s standing 10 km event but did not finish.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:25 (CET).