Did you know…
Romanian national women’s volleyball team qualified for the 1980 Olympic Games.
Nadia Elena Comaneci is one of the symbols of the 1970s. Romania’s Nadia was the best athlete at the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympic Games. Nadia was 14 years old when she won three Olympic gold medals in Montreal’76. Nadia had also made history when she became the first Olympic gymnast to score a perfect ten points (unven bars). Her distinction was the most important moment in the Games. Anita Verschoth, who is a sportswriter, wrote: “She stunned the judges as well as the crowd not only with double somersaults and twists but also with an uncommon consistency and stability even in her most difficult moves. She displayed an unflappable confidence and more stamina and strength than seemed possible for a body as apparently frail as hers. When the competition was over, everybody was talking about Comaneci. She had put an emphatie end to the classical style, with its emphasis on maturity and ladylike grace”. Four years later, she won 2 gold medals at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow (Soviet Union). The following year Nadia won several medals at the1981Summer World University Games in Bucharest. Nadia was born on November 12, 1961 in Onesti, Romania.
This European country won two gold medals at the 1999 IAAF World Track and Field Championships in Seville (Spain ).
The most popular sports in Romania are soccer, handball, gymnastics, aquatics, tennis, volleyball, basketball, water polo, shooting, boxing and athletics.
Dinamo Bucharest was one of the most famous handball clubs in the world. This club won many international tournaments in Europe. Other popular clubs were Stiinta Bucharest (European champion), Uni Timisora, Rapid Bucharest (Continental champio ), Steaua Bucharest (European champion)…
Romania sent 63 athletes to the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.
Bucharest hosted the 1981 World University Games. More than 2,900 athletes from 86 countries competed in 10 sports. Romania had many winners: Emilian Nicula, Kurt Szilier, Dan Odorhean, Nadia Comaneci, Emilia Eberle , Doina Melinte, Florenta Craciunescu-Tacu and Carmen Bonaciu.
This European country participated in the Francophonie Games in 2001.
Romania won the gold medal in water polo in the World University Games in 1977.
The best Olympic athletes are: Nadia Comaneci (gymnastics), Viorica Viscopoleanu (long jump/ track & field/ Olympic champion, 1968), Lia Manoliu (discus throw /athletics/ gold medalist, 1968), Iolanda Balas (high jump /athletics/ gold medalist, 1960 & 1964), Mihaela Penes (javelin throw/ world champion/ Tokyo 1964), Ivan Patzaichin (kayak / world champion/ Mexico City 1968), Ion Drimba (fencing/ Olympic champion/ Mexico City 1968), Nicolae Martinescu (wrestling/ world champion/ Munich 1972), Corneliu Ion (rapid-fire pisto/ shooting/ Moscow 1980), Sanda Toma (single sculls/ rowing/ Moscow 1980), Doina Melinte (800m/ track & field/ Los Angeles 1984), Maricica Puica (3,000m/ athletics/ Los Angeles 1984), Ekaterina Szabo (floor exercises/ gymnastics/ Los Angeles 1984), Simona Pauca (balance beam/ gymnastics/ Los Angeles 1984), Paula Ivan (1, 500m/ track & field/ Seoul 1988), Daniela Silivas (asymmetrical bars/ gymnastics/ Seoul 1988), Sorin Babii (free pistol/ shooting/ Seoul 1988), Lavinia Milosovici (floor exercises/ gymnastics/ Barcelona 1992), Elisabeta Lipa (single sculls/ rowing/ Barcelona 1992), Laura Badea (foil individual/ fencing/ Atlanta 1996), Simona Amanar (side horse vault/ gymnastics/ Atlanta 1996), Gabriela Szabo (5,00m/ athletics/ Sydney 2000), Mihai Claudiu Covaliu (sabre individual/ fencing/ Sydney 2000), Dina Monacu (100m & 200m backstroke/ swimming/ Sydney 2000), Marius Urzica (pommeled horse/ gymnastics/ Sydney 2000), Camelia Potec (200m freestyle/ aquatics/ Athens 2004), Catalina Ponor (floor exercise/ gymnastics/ Athens 2004)…
This European country won the gold medal at the 1970 World Women’s Handball Championships in Amsterdam (Holland).
Elisabeta Lipa was the flag bearer of the Romanian Olympic team at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Greece.
Bucharest hosted the World Women’s Handball Championships in 1962. Final standings:
1.Romania
2.Denmark
3.Czechoslovakia
From 1924 to 2004, Romania -former socialist republic- has won 283 Olympic medals (82 golds, 88 silvers, 113 bronzes). Unlike Bulgaria, Cuba, North Korea, Poland, Vietnam, Hungary and Ethiopia, Romania did not boycott the Olympic Games in 1984. This European country sent 127 athletes to the Olympic Games in the United States.
Hosts………………..Gold……Silver… Bronze…Total….Ranking
Paris-1924……………0………..0…………1…………1……….23
Berlin-1936…………..0………..1…………0…………1………25
Helsinki-1952……….1……….1…………2…………4………23
Melbourne-1956……5……….3…………5………..13………9
Rome-1960…………..3……….1…………6………..10……..11
Tokyo-1964……………2………4…………6…………12…….14
Mexico-1968………….4………6…………5…………15…….12
Munich-1972…………3………6…………7…………16…….13
Montreal-1976………4………9……….14…………27………9
Moscow-1980………6……….6………13…………25………7
Los Angeles-84…..20…….16……..17…………53………2
Seoul-1988…………..7……..11……….6…………24………8
Barcelona-92……….4………..6……….8…………18…….14
Atlanta-1996…………4……….7……….9…………20……..14
Sydney-2000………11……….6……….9…………26……..11
Athens-2004………..8……….5………..6…………19……..14