Romania seeks to uphold rich Olympic tradition in Beijing

07/08/2008

Romania has been a constant presence on Olympic medal podiums, and this year's competition does not intimidate its formidable athletes.

By Paul Ciocoiu for Southeast European Times in Bucharest -- 07/08/08

Fencer Mihai Covaliu of Romania practises on Friday (August 1st) ahead of the Olympics in Beijing. [Getty Images]

Romania's delegation to the Summer Games in Beijing includes 158 people, of whom 115 are athletes competing in 15 different sports. Having participated in the Games since 1924, Romania has won 284 medals, 82 of them gold. Past Romanian squads excelled in gymnastics, rowing and track and field. Among countries that have never hosted the Olympics, Romania ranks second only to Hungary for most medals won.

"We are going to Beijing in 15 sports. In each of them we stand a chance of winning medals, at least theoretically. ... Our goal is to have at least a two-digit medal total. It's a minimum that Romania must honour, taking into account not only its past laurels but also the reputation that Romanian sports and the Olympic movement enjoy worldwide," said Octavian Morariu, president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee (COSR), before the delegation headed to Beijing. He announced a record prize of 100,000 euros -- funded by the government and private sponsors -- for any Romanian gold medalist.

"I firmly believe that you will enrich our dowry of medals during these Olympic Games," said President Traian Basescu before the delegation departed. Basescu assured the Chinese authorities he would attend the opening ceremony despite appeals for a boycott. "I won't do it to raise political capital, to be together with other heads of state, but to be symbolically by the team's side," he added. Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu may attend the closing ceremony.

Morariu said judoist Alina Dumitru, the women's canoe team and the women's handball team have the greatest chance of taking medals in Beijing. The women's gymnastics team will try its best, but the Chinese are the favourites, as iconic gymnast Nadia Comaneci herself admitted to AFP. "It would be a mistake to say we will defend our Olympic title. We won the gold in Athens, but we were a different team in 2004," Nicolae Forminte, the women's gymnastics coach, said.

Like numerous other teams, the Romanian squad has faced drug scandals. At the end of July, it dropped two middle distance runners, Elena Antoci and Cristina Vasiloiu, who are under suspicion of abusing the banned substance erythropoietin (EPO). Earlier in July, the team expelled another middle distance specialist, Liliana Popescu, for failing a drug test.

The accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts Romania will win 19 medals in Beijing, matching what it won in Athens. The US firm had a 90% accuracy rate in predicting the results of the 2004 Games.