| Sylvana Mestre | |
| Birth Place: | Barcelona, Spain |
| Known For: | Chairperson of the International Paralympic Committee Alpine Skiing Sport Technical Committee |
| Awards: | Paralympic Order |
Sylvana Mestre (born 1956) is a former chairperson of the International Paralympic Committee Alpine Skiing Sport Technical Committee. She was awarded the Paralympic Order in 2015.
Mestre was born in Barcelona, Spain in 1956.[1] She considers herself Catalan and has taught her daughters the language.[2] Mestre admitted to having a difficult time learning both Catalan and Spanish in school after her family moved to Puigcerdà.[2]
After her husband's death, Mestre began working as a guide, and later a trainer, for children with disabilities.[1] She first participated in the Paralympic Games during the 1998 Winter Paralympics as a guide for visually impaired skiers.[3] From there, she was appointed a member of the International Paralympic Committee Alpine Skiing Sport Technical Committee from 2002 to 2006 before being elected chairperson.[4] While serving in her role as chairperson, Mestre co-founded a Spain-based program called Play and Train which provides disabled athletes a place to practice, learn and train[4] and served as the Alpine Skiing Technical Director for the Spanish Sports Federation for the Blind until 2010.[5] [6] She was also elected to the World Anti-Doping Agency Education Committee.[7] While on this committee, Mestre helped introduce stricter measures against doping such as increasing the sanction ban from two to four years.[8]
In 2012, Mestre was awarded the “Spirit of Sport Award” for her commitment and humanitarian spirit by the Global Association of International Sports Federations[9] and in 2013 was awarded the "2013 International Women’s Day Recognition Award" by the International Paralympic Committee Women in Sport Committee.[10] After the 2014 Sport Technical Committee election, Mestre was replaced as chairperson and undertook a new role overseeing development and youth programmes.[11] In 2015, she was awarded the Paralympic Order, the highest award of the International Paralympic Committee.[4] In 2017, Mestre was the recipient of the Pitu Figueras Prize by the Winter Sports Catalan Federation.[12] In 2018, Mestre was honoured with the "Mireia Tapiador Prize for the promotion of sport" by the City Council of Barcelona.[13]