Radio Romania International Sports club

Romania at the European Games in Krakow

Florin Orban, 21.06.2023, 13:45

One of 2023’s most important
sports events is underway in Poland’s Krakow. The European Games, until July 2nd
brings together almost 7,000 athletes of 48 countries, competing in 19 sports
disciplines. Representing Romania are 150 athletes, of whom 74 compete in the
women’s version of the event and 76 will prove their mettle in the men’s
version of the competition. The Romanian athletes will take the start in
athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, cycling, judo, Kayak-canoe, karate,
rugby in 7, ski jumps, diving, fencing, taekwondo, table tennis, teqball, target
archery, shooting sports and triathlon. Several world and European champions
are part of the Romania delegation, among whom the two athletes who will bear
the flags at the Games’ opening ceremony: men’s canoe world and European
champion, rower Cătălin
Chirilă, and the European title holder in the hammer throw event, athlete Bianca
Ghelber.

In the Olympic
sports disciplines where events as part of the Games are jointly hosted by
Krakow and Malopolska Polish province, results in all disciplines also count
towards the qualification to the 2024 edition of the Paris Olympics. For that particular
reason, the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee has been very keen on the
Romanian delegation’s auspicious participation in the Polish event. Talks with
the federations that will participate in the European Games, have revealed a
stated aim of 12-14 medals, the president of the Olympic and Sports Committee
Mihai Covaliu has stated in Bucharest.

We recall
that 4 years ago at the European Games in Minsk Romania came in 26th
according to the nations’ competition final rankings, wit 10 medals Of those
two were gold, three silver and five bronze, Gold went to the winner of the 10m
air rifle event, Laura Georgeta Coman, and Cătălin Chirilă and Victor
Mihalachi, winner of the men’s pair 1,000m race. Silver went to Dacian Barna and
Andreea Bogati in the aerobic gymnastics mixed pairs event. In table tennis, the
mixed doubles pair made of Ovidiu Ionescu and Bernadette Szőcs and Romania’s women’s
table tennis team also walked home with silver. In sambo, the winners of the
bronze medals were Daniela Poroineanu, in the 56-kilogram category, Anda
Mihaela Vâlvoi, in the 64-kilogram category and Alina-Petronela Păunescu, in
the 80+kilogram category. In
wrestling, bronze also went to Kriszta Incze, in the 62-kilogram category. Also
bronze went to the aerobic gymnastics team.