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Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
is an important part of the country's culture. Romania has risen to prominence in a number of sporting areas in recent decades.
Association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
is the most popular sport in Romania, a nation of 20 million. The most successful club is Steaua Bucharest, who were the first Eastern European side to win the
European Cup The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robi ...
and the
European Supercup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was originall ...
in 1986. Romania is one of only four national teams from Europe that took part in the first
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
in 1930. The
Romania national football team The Romania national football team () represents Romania in men's international Association football, football, and is administered by the Romanian Football Federation (), also known as FRF. They are colloquially known as ''Tricolorii'' ("the T ...
has taken part in seven
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
s and had its most successful run during the 1990s, when they reached the quarterfinals of the
1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States w ...
, losing to Sweden in the
penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
. Romania was ranked third by
FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
in 1997. Other popular sports include
handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...
,
volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
,
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
,
rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
,
tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
, and
gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...
. Many Romanian athletes have achieved significant success and have won World and European championships in numerous sports during the years. Romania participated in the
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
for the first time in 1900 and has taken part in 21 of the 28 summer games. It has been one of the more successful countries at the
Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The 1896 Summer Olympics, inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, ...
, with a total of 307 medals won throughout the years, of which 89 gold ones, ranking 15th overall. Almost a quarter of all the medals, with 25 of them gold, were won in
gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...
. Romanian athletes have also won gold medals in other Olympic sports, such as
rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...
,
athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...
,
canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian. A few of the recreational ...
,
wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...
,
shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missile ...
,
fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...
,
swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...
,
discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field sport in which the participant athlete throws an oblate spheroid weight (object), weight called a discus in an attempt to mark a further distance than other competitors. It is a ...
,
weightlifting Weightlifting or weight lifting generally refers to physical exercises and sports in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells, barbells or machines. People engage in weightlifting for a variety of different reasons. These can ...
,
boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...
, and
judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
.


Team sports


Football

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
is the most popular sport in Romania. The most internationally known Romanian player is
Gheorghe Hagi Gheorghe Hagi (; born 5 February 1965) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is currently the owner of Liga I club Farul Constanța. Deployed as an attacking midfielder, Hagi was considered one of the best players in ...
, who played for Steaua București (Romania),
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
,
FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça (), is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of ...
(Spain), and
Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Galatasaray and familiarly as Cimbom, is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul including basketball, wheelchair ...
(Turkey), among others. Other famous Romanian players include:
Nicolae Dobrin Nicolae Dobrin (; 26 August 1947 – 26 October 2007) was a Romanian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder and a manager. Nicknamed ''Gâscanul'' ("The Gander") or ''Prințul din Trivale'' ("The Prince of Trivale"), he is considered o ...
,
Ilie Balaci Ilie Balaci (; 13 September 1956 – 21 October 2018) was a Romanian football player and manager. A midfielder, he spent 12 of his 15 years as a professional with Universitatea Craiova, appearing in more than 300 official games with the club a ...
,
Dudu Georgescu Dudu Georgescu (born 1 September 1950) is a retired Romanian footballer who played as a forward and former coach. Club career Georgescu was born in Bucharest on 1 September 1950. He started his career at Progresul București, making his Divi ...
,
Florea Dumitrache Florea Dumitrache (22 May 1948 – 26 April 2007) was a Romanian professional footballer who played as a striker. Dumitrache spent most of his senior career at Dinamo București, appearing in over 200 league matches and winning three national ...
,
Mircea Petescu Mircea Viorel Petescu (15 May 1942 – 16 December 2018) was a Romanian professional footballer, coach and sports agent.Dan Coe Daniel Coe (8 September 1941 – 19 October 1981) was a Romanian football defender. He was part of the Romanian team that reached quarterfinals at the 1964 Summer Olympics, and later participated at the 1970 FIFA World Cup, 1970 World Cup. Club ...
,
Cornel Dinu Cornel Dinu (born 2 August 1948) is a Romanian retired professional footballer and manager who played as a sweeper or a defensive midfielder. He started out his playing career at hometown club Metalul Târgoviște in 1965, and went on to spen ...
,
Marcel Răducanu Marcel Răducanu (born 21 October 1954) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Club career Marcel Răducanu was born in Bucharest on 21 October 1954. He grew up in the Pantelimon neighborhood and s ...
,
Mircea Lucescu Mircea Lucescu (; born 29 July 1945) is a Romanian professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player, currently the head coach of the Romania national football team, Romania national team. He i ...
,
Anghel Iordănescu Anghel Iordănescu (; born 4 May 1950), is a Romanian former footballer and former manager, who played as a forward. In 2007, Iordănescu retired from football, and the following February, after his predecessor resigned, he became a member ...
,
Ion Dumitru Ion Dumitru (born 2 January 1950), commonly known as Liță Dumitru, is a Romanian former professional footballer, and manager who played as a midfielder, currently technical director at Liga II club Concordia Chiajna. Career A Romanian inter ...
,
Rodion Cămătaru Rodion Gorun Cămătaru (; born 22 June 1958) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Club career Universitatea Craiova Rodion Cămătaru was born on 22 June 1958 in Strehaia, being given his Divizia A debut at ag ...
, Ladislau Boloni,
Silviu Lung Silviu Lung (; born 9 September 1956) is a former Romanian footballer who played as a goalkeeper, who serves as a goalkeeping coach for Romania U20. Club career Lung was born on 9 September 1956 in Sânmiclăuș, Satu Mare County, Romania and ...
,
Mircea Rednic Mircea Rednic (born 9 April 1962) is a Romanian professional football coach and former player who played as a defender, who is currently the head coach of Belgian Pro League club Standard Liège. Playing career Corvinul Hunedoara Rednic, ni ...
, Gheorghe Popescu,
Dan Petrescu Daniel "Dan" Vasile Petrescu (; born 22 December 1967) is a Romanian football manager and former player who is currently in charge of Liga I club CFR Cluj. As a player, Petrescu was deployed as a full-back or a winger and began his career a ...
,
Constantin Gâlcă Constantin "Costel" Gâlcă (born 8 March 1972) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is currently in charge of Liga I club Rapid București. Equally at ease as a defensive or central midfielder and possessing an a ...
,
Miodrag Belodedici Miodrag Belodedici (; ; born 20 May 1964) is a Romanian former professional association football, footballer who played as a sweeper (association football), sweeper. Nicknamed ''The Deer'' due to his elegant Tackle (football move), tackles, he ...
,
Dorinel Munteanu Dorinel Ionel Munteanu (; born 25 June 1968) is a Romanian football manager and former player. A former midfielder, Munteanu is the most capped Romanian player of all time, with a total of 134 appearances and 16 goals. He played in two edition ...
,
Bogdan Stelea Bogdan Gheorghe Stelea (; born 5 December 1967) is a former Romanian professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Having played professionally into his 40s, he played for all three major Liga I clubs in his country's capital, and also sp ...
, Ioan Lupescu,
Ilie Dumitrescu Ilie Dumitrescu (; born 6 January 1969) is a former Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is currently a television sport pundit for Digi Sport. As a player, he was a winger who notably played in the Premier League with ...
,
Viorel Moldovan Viorel Dinu Moldovan (born 8 July 1972) is a Romanian football manager and former player. A former striker, Moldovan most successful years of his career were playing for Neuchâtel Xamax and Grasshoppers between 1996 and 1998 in Switzerland ...
,
Florin Răducioiu Florin Valeriu Răducioiu (born 17 March 1970) is a Romanian former professional association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker, currently television pundit for Orange Sport (Romania), Orange Sport. He ...
,
Adrian Ilie Bucurel Adrian Ilie (born 20 April 1974) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Nicknamed ''The Cobra'', he is best known for his spell with Valencia in Spain. He played for the Romania national team in one Worl ...
,
Bogdan Lobonț Bogdan Ionuț Lobonț (; born 18 January 1978) is a Romanian professional football coach and former player who played as a goalkeeper, currently technical director at Liga III club CSM Olimpia Satu Mare. He amassed 86 appearances for the Rom ...
,
Cosmin Contra Cosmin Marius Contra (; born 15 December 1975) is a Romanian football manager and former player. Primarily an attacking-minded right-back, he was also deployed as a midfielder. He played professionally in three countries his own notwithstanding ...
,
Cristian Chivu Cristian Eugen Chivu (; born 26 October 1980) is a Romanian professional football coach and former player who is the current head coach of Serie A club Inter Milan. A defender, he began his career with hometown club CSM Reșița before moving ...
,
Adrian Mutu Adrian Mutu (; born 8 January 1979) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player. During his playing career, he was deployed as a forward or an attacking midfielder. Mutu started his career playing two years for Argeș Pite� ...
,
Răzvan Raț Răzvan Dincă Raț (; born 26 May 1981) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a left-back. He made a name for himself in Romania at Rapid București, with whom he won two national titles, one national cup and one supercup ...
,
Dorin Goian Dorin Nicolae Goian (born 12 December 1980) is a Romanian professional Association football, football manager (association football), manager and former football player, currently technical director at Liga IV club CSM Cetatea Suceava, Cetatea S ...
and
Lucian Sânmărtean Lucian Iulian Sânmărtean (born 13 March 1980) is a Romanian former professional association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or a winger (association football), winger, currently he is the assistant coach of the Roman ...
. In 1986, the Romanian football club Steaua București became the first Eastern European club ever to win the prestigious European Champions Cup title. They reached the final again in 1989, but lost to
A.C. Milan (), commonly referred to as Milan or AC Milan () mainly outside of Italy, is an Italian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Founded in 1899, the club competes in the Serie A, the top tie ...
. Other important Romanian football clubs are
Dinamo București A dynamo is a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator. Dynamo or Dinamo may also refer to: Places * Dinamo (Moscow Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia * Dinamo (Yekaterinburg Metro), a station of the Yekaterin ...
, Universitatea Craiova,
Rapid București Rapid(s) or RAPID may refer to: Hydrological features * Rapids, sections of a river with turbulent water flow * Rapid Creek (Iowa River tributary), Iowa, United States * Rapid Creek (South Dakota), United States, namesake of Rapid City Sport ...
,
FC Argeș Pitești Asociația Clubul Sportiv Campionii Fotbal Club Argeș, commonly known as FC Argeș Pitești (), Argeș Pitești or simply FC Argeș, is a Romanian professional football club based in Pitești, Argeș County, that competes in the Liga I. The te ...
,
FC Petrolul Ploiești Asociația Clubul Sportiv Petrolul 52, commonly referred to as FC Petrolul Ploiești (), Petrolul Ploiești or simply Petrolul, is a Romanian professional Association football, football Club (organization), club based in Ploiești, Prahova Count ...
,
UTA Arad Asociația Fotbal Club UTA Arad (), commonly known as UTA Arad or simply UTA (''Uzina Textilă Arad''; ), is a Romanian professional football club based in the city of Arad, Arad County that competes in the Liga I. The team was founded in 1945 ...
and
FC Timişoara FC may refer to: Businesses, organisations, and schools * Fergusson College, a science and arts college in Pune, India * Finncomm Airlines (IATA code) * FranklinCovey company, NYSE stock symbol FC * Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in Pakis ...
. The Romania national team has taken part in seven
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
s, and had its most successful run through the 1990s, reaching the quarter-finals of the
1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States w ...
in the United States, when the "Golden Generation" was at its best. The National Arena Stadium in
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
hosted the
2012 UEFA Europa League Final The 2012 UEFA Europa League Final was the final match of the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League, the 41st season of Europe's secondary club association football, football tournament organised by UEFA (after the UEFA Champions League), and the 3rd season ...
.


Handball

Handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...
is one of the most popular sports in Romania. The
Romania men's national handball team The Romania men's national handball team is governed by the Romanian Handball Federation () and takes part in international handball competitions. Romania was for many decades the most successful nation in handball with 4 gold ...
has won the Handball IHF World Cup four times (1961, 1964, 1970, and 1974). The only other team to have matched this record is Sweden in 1999 and France in 2011. The
Romania women's national handball team The Romanian women's national team represents Romania in senior women's international handball and is controlled by the Romanian Handball Federation, the governing body for handball in Romania. It competes in the three major intern ...
has won the Handball World Cup in 1962. Steaua,
Dinamo A dynamo is a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator. Dynamo or Dinamo may also refer to: Places * Dinamo (Moscow Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia * Dinamo (Yekaterinburg Metro), a station of the Yekaterinb ...
and
CSM București Clubul Sportiv Municipal București, commonly known as CSM București is a Romanian professional multi-sports club based in Bucharest. Departments Active branches: *Athletics *Basketball *Dancesport *Handball *Judo *Scrabble *Volleyball Defunct ...
have also won several European titles over the years. Romania has produced many great handball players, including
Gheorghe Gruia Gheorghe Gruia Marinescu (October 2, 1940 – December 9, 2015) was a Romanian handball player, coach, and sports official. Born in Bucharest, Gruia won two gold medals in the 1964 World Handball Championship and the 1970 World Championship. In ...
,
Alexandru Dedu Alexandru Mihai Dedu (born 15 September 1971 in Ploiești) is a retired Romanian handballer who played for the Romanian national team in line player position. He was part of the Romanian team which ranked eight at the 1992 Summer Olympic Ga ...
,
Vasile Stângă Vasile is a male Romanian given name or a surname. It is equivalent to the English name Basil which is of Greek origin and means "King". It is also used by the Megleno-Romanians. As a given name As a surname *Cristian Vasile (1908–1985), R ...
, Mircea Costache II,
Petre Ivănescu Petre Ivănescu (15 April 1936 – 1 April 2022) was a Romanian handball player and coach who played for CS Dinamo București (handball), Dinamo București and for the Romania men's national handball team, Romania national team. Coach Team ...
,
Cornel Penu Cornel Penu (born 16 June 1946) is a retired Romanian handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players a ...
,
Alexandru Buligan Alexandru Buligan (born 22 April 1960) is a retired Romanian handball goalkeeper who played a record of 280 international games for Romania. He won bronze medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics and the 1990 World Championships. At the club level he ...
, Marian Dumitru, Cristian Gaţu and Cristian Zaharia. On the women's side, the top Romanians include: four times
IHF World Player of the Year The IHF World Player of the Year is a handball award given annually to the player who is considered to have performed the best in the previous season, both at club and international competitions. It is awarded based on votes from experts, media a ...
winner
Cristina Neagu Cristina Georgiana Neagu (; born 26 August 1988) is a Romanian former professional handballer. Often considered the best player in the world and rated by many in the sport as the greatest of all time, Neagu is the only female handball player in ...
,
Luminița Dinu Luminița Dinu (née Huțupan; born 6 November 1971) is a Romanian handball player. She is considered a handball legend in Romania. She received a silver medal at the 2005 World Championship and was named goalkeeper of the All-Star Team. She wa ...
,
Mariana Tîrcă Mariana Tîrcă (born 9 October 1962) is a retired Romanian handball player. She is considered a living legend of the Romanian and international handball, being voted top 5 women handball players of the 20th century. She has played 335 games fo ...
,
Narcisa Lecușanu Narcisa Georgeta Lecuşanu (née Paunica; born 14 September 1976 in Bacău, Socialist Republic of Romania) is a retired Romanian handballer who played for the Romania women's national handball team, Romanian national team. She received a silver ...
, Valentina Elisei and
Cristina Vărzaru Cristina Georgiana Vărzaru (born 5 December 1979) is a Romanian retired professional handball player who last played for CSM București. She was a member of the Romanian national team. She was included in the European Handball Federation Hall ...
.


Volleyball

Romania is represented by the men's and women's national volleyball teams, which are governed by Federaţia Română de Volei and take part in international volleyball competitions. Both the men's and women's teams have won several medals at international competitions over the years, especially in the 1950s and 1960s. The men's national volleyball team also won a bronze medal at the 1980 Olympics. Its most recent notable results include the Final 4 of the 2010 Men's European Volleyball League. The performance was also repeated in the next year. At club level
Dinamo București A dynamo is a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator. Dynamo or Dinamo may also refer to: Places * Dinamo (Moscow Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia * Dinamo (Yekaterinburg Metro), a station of the Yekaterin ...
,
Rapid Rapid(s) or RAPID may refer to: Hydrological features * Rapids, sections of a river with turbulent water flow * Rapid Creek (Iowa River tributary), Iowa, United States * Rapid Creek (South Dakota), United States, namesake of Rapid City Sport ...
and
CSM București Clubul Sportiv Municipal București, commonly known as CSM București is a Romanian professional multi-sports club based in Bucharest. Departments Active branches: *Athletics *Basketball *Dancesport *Handball *Judo *Scrabble *Volleyball Defunct ...
have won several European titles. The city of Bucharest hosted the Final Four of the
2017–18 CEV Women's Champions League The CEV Champions League was the highest level of European club volleyball in the 2017–18 season and the 58th edition. The Turkish club VakıfBank Istanbul won its fourth overall and second consecutive title. The Romanian club CSM Volei Alba Bl ...
.


Basketball

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
is a very popular sport among Romanian youth, although its results, both past and present, are more modest than other Romanian team sports.
Gheorghe Mureșan Gheorghe Dumitru Mureșan (; born 14 February 1971), known as ''the Giant'' () is a Romanian-American former professional basketball player. At , he is one of the two tallest players to have played in the NBA. Early life Mureșan was born in T ...
was the first Romanian to enter
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
, and he became known as the tallest man ever to play in that league. Other prominent Romanian basketballers include Mihai Albu, Dragoș Nosievici, Costel Cernat,
Constantin Popa ''Not to be confused with Constantin Popa (military officer), a Romanian general who was awarded the Dutch Order of Orange-Nassau in 1975.'' Constantin Popa (; born February 18, 1971) is a Romanian-Israeli professional basketball coach and forme ...
, Virgil Stănescu and
Vlad Moldoveanu Vlad-Sorin Moldoveanu (born 11 February 1988) is a Romanian former professional basketball player who last played for Dinamo Bucharest. He also represents the Romanian national basketball team in international competition. Standing at , he playe ...
. In 2016, Romania was chosen as a host for the 2017 FIBA EuroBasket. Romania will host the
2020 FIBA Under-17 Women's Basketball World Cup The 2020 FIBA Under-17 Women's Basketball World Cup () would have been an international basketball competition to be held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. It would have been the sixth edition of the FIBA Under-17 Women's Basketball World Cup. Sixteen na ...
with
Cluj-Napoca Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...
as the host city between August 15 and 23 2020.


Rugby union

Rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
is a relatively popular team sport played in Romania, with a tradition of more than 100 years and were bronze medalists when Rugby was included in the 1924 Paris Olympic Games. The
Romania national rugby union team The Romania national rugby union team, nicknamed Stejarii (''The Oaks''), has long been considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations Championship, Six Nations. They have participated in all but one Rugby World Cup and cu ...
competed at every
Rugby World Cup The Men's Rugby World Cup is a rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams, the winners of which are recognised as the World championship, world champions of the sport. The tournament is administer ...
up until 2019, where the team were disqualified for fielding ineligible players in the qualifying campaign. They returned to compete at Rugby World Cup 2023. The Romanian CEC Bank SuperLiga is the Premier Club Rugby Competition in Romania which first commenced in 1914 and has been played almost uninterrupted since then.


Individual sports


Fencing

Fencing as a sport was introduced in Romania in the 19th century by French masters. The first national fencing competition was held in 1921 and the
Romanian Fencing Federation The Romanian Fencing Federation () is the governing body for the sport of fencing in Romania. Affiliated to the International Fencing Federation since 1914, it is a member of the European Fencing Confederation and of the Romanian Olympic and Spor ...
was created in 1931. The first Romanian fencer to reach the podium in a major international competition was
Maria Vicol Maria Vicol (née Taitiș, 17 October 1935 – 13 March 2015) was a Romanian foil fencer, Olympic bronze medalist in 1960 and an Olympic team bronze medalist in 1968. Career Vicol took up fencing at Progresul Bucharest, where she was trained ...
, who earned a silver medal at the 1956 Junior World Championships in
Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
. Since then, fencing has brought Romania eight Olympic team medals and seven Olympic individual medals, including three golds:
Ion Drîmbă Ionel Alexandru "Ion" Drîmbă (also Drâmbă, March 18, 1942 – February 20, 2006) was a Romanian fencer. He competed at the 1960, 1964 and 1968 Olympics and won the first ever Olympic gold medal in fencing for Romania in 1968. Biography Dr ...
(
foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...
) at the
1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...
in
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, Laura Badea (foil) at the
1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, and Mihai Covaliu (
sabre A sabre or saber ( ) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the Early Modern warfare, early modern and Napoleonic period, Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such a ...
) at the
2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...
in
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
. Romanian fencers also earned 13 gold medals in
World Fencing Championships The World Fencing Championships is an annual competition in fencing organized by the International Fencing Federation. Contestants may participate in Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre events. History The FIE first organiz ...
and 13 gold medals in
European Fencing Championships The European Fencing Championships is an annual top-level European fencing competition organized by the European Fencing Confederation. History The first competition bearing the name of "European Fencing Championships" was held in Paris in 1921 ...
. Six Romanians feature in the Hall of Fame of the
International Fencing Federation The International Fencing Federation (''Fédération Internationale d'Escrime'') commonly known by the acronym FIE, is the international Sport governing body, governing body of Olympic Games, Olympic fencing. Today, its head office is at th ...
: Laura Badea, Mihai Covaliu, Ana Pascu,
Petru Kuki Petru Kuki (born 22 May 1955) is a Romanian épée and foil fencer. He competed at the 1976, 1980 and 1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an ...
, Ioan Pop and Reka Szabo. Three Romanian athletes are currently amongst the ten top-ranked fencers:
Ana Maria Brânză Ana Maria Popescu, formerly known as Ana Maria Brânză (, born 26 November 1984), is a Romanian left-handed épée Fencing, fencer. Popescu is a four-time team European champion, 2013 individual European champion, and two-time team world champi ...
and
Simona Gherman Simona Gherman (née Alexandru; born 12 April 1985) is a retired Romanian épée fencer, European champion in 2012 and 2016. She was twice team World Champion in 2010 and 2011 and five-time team European Champion in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014, and 20 ...
in women's
épée The (, ; ), also rendered as epee in English, is the largest and heaviest of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. The modern derives from the 19th-century , a weapon which itself derives from the French small sword. This contains a ...
and
Tiberiu Dolniceanu Tiberiu Dolniceanu (; born 3 April 1988) is a Romanian sabre fencer, European champion in 2013 and bronze medal in the 2013 World championships. As part of Romania's sabre team, he won the team silver medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics and the ...
in men's sabre.


Gymnastics

Romania holds a long tradition in artistic gymnastics, especially in the ladies competition.
Gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...
is responsible for the majority of Romania's Olympic medals, gold, silver, and bronze. The most famous Romanian gymnast is
Nadia Comăneci Nadia Elena Comăneci Conner (; born November 12, 1961) is a Romanian retired gymnast. She is a five-time Olympic gold medalist, all in individual events. In 1976, at the age of 14, Comăneci was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score ...
, who was the first gymnast to ever score a perfect 10 at the Olympic Games, during the
1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...
. She also won three gold medals, one silver, and one bronze, all at the age of fourteen. Her success continued in the
1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad () and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russ ...
, winning two gold medals and two silver medals. At the 1976 Olympic Games,
Teodora Ungureanu Teodora Ungureanu (born 13 November 1960) is a Romanian former gymnast who competed at the 1976 Summer Olympics. She is a three-time Olympic medalist (two silver and one bronze) and a world championships silver medalist. After retiring from gymn ...
did very well too, but did not receive as much fame as Nadia. Other famous gymnasts include: Daniela Silivaş,
Ecaterina Szabo Ecaterina Szabo (, ; born 22 January 1968) is a former Romanian Artistic gymnastics, artistic gymnast who won 20 Olympic, world and continental medals. Szabo won gold medals in the 1984 Summer Olympics, 1984 Olympics in three individual events ...
,
Lavinia Miloşovici In Roman mythology, Lavinia ( ; ) is the daughter of Latinus and Amata, and the last wife of Aeneas. Creation It has been proposed that the character was in part intended to represent Servilia Isaurica, Emperor Augustus's first fiancée. Stor ...
,
Gina Gogean Gina Elena Gogean (born 9 September 1977) is a retired artistic gymnast from Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north ...
,
Simona Amânar Simona Amânar (; born 7 October 1979) is a Romanian former artistic gymnast. She is the 2000 Olympic all-around champion, and a seven-time Olympic and ten-time World Championship medalist. Amânar helped Romania win four consecutive world te ...
,
Andreea Răducan Andreea Mădălina Răducan (; born 30September 1983) is a Romanian sports announcer, journalist, and retired gymnast. Răducan began competing in gymnastics at a young age and was training at the Romanian junior national facility by the age of ...
, Maria Olaru,
Cătălina Ponor Cătălina Ponor (; born 20 August 1987) is a Romanian former Artistic gymnastics, artistic gymnast who competed at three Summer Olympic Games: 2004 Summer Olympics, 2004, 2012 Summer Olympics, 2012, and 2016 Summer Olympics, 2016. She won three ...
,
Sandra Izbaşa Sandra or SANDRA may refer to: People * Sandra (given name) * Sandra (singer) (born 1962), German pop singer * Margaretha Sandra (1629–1674), Dutch soldier * Sandra (orangutan), who won the legal right to be defined as a "non-human person" Pla ...
,
Larisa Iordache Larisa Andreea Iordache (; born 19 June 1996) is a Romanians, Romanian former Artistic gymnastics, artistic gymnast. She represented Romania at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Romania at the 2012 Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal with the team, a ...
,
Ana Bărbosu Ana Maria Bărbosu (born 26 July 2006) is a Romanian artistic gymnastics, artistic gymnast. She won the bronze medal in the Gymnastics at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Women's floor, floor exercise at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. She is also ...
, and
Sabrina Voinea Sabrina Maneca-Voinea (born 4 June 2007) is a Romanian artistic gymnast. She is the 2024 European balance beam and floor exercise silver medalist and the 2023 European floor exercise bronze medalist. She represented Romania at the 2024 Summer ...
. Top Romanian men's gymnasts include:
Marius Urzică Marius Daniel Urzică (born 30 September 1975 in Toplița, Romania) is a Romanian gymnast. Urzică is an Olympic champion, a three-time world champion and a three-time European champion on pommel horse. He competed at three Olympic Games, medali ...
and
Marian Drăgulescu Marian Drăgulescu (born 18 December 1980 in Bucharest) is a former Romanian artistic gymnast. During his senior gymnastics career he won 31 medals at Olympic Games at World and European Championships, of which eight are gold medals at the World ...
. Gymnastics has a very long tradition in Romania, which goes back in time decades before the major success of Montreal. Romania was also successful in the 1950s, when
Elena Leușteanu Elena Leușteanu-Popescu (later Teodorescu, 4 July 1935 – 16 August 2008) was a Romanian artistic gymnast who competed at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics. During her career she won three Olympic bronze medals, one world bronze medal and five ...
won an individual Olympic medal in 1956.


Tennis

Ilie Năstase Ilie Theodoriu Năstase (; born 19 July 1946) is a Romanian former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the inaugural world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 40 weeks. Năstase is one of ten play ...
, a famous Romanian tennis player, is another internationally known Romanian sports star. He won several
Grand Slam Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games Athletics * Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league Auto racing * ...
titles and dozens of other tournaments and was the first player to be ranked as number 1 by ATP from 1973 to 1974; he also was a successful doubles player.
Virginia Ruzici Virginia Ruzici (born 31 January 1955) is a Romanian former professional tennis player. She won the 1978 French Open – Women's singles, 1978 French Open singles championship. Career Ruzici became a professional tennis player in 1975. One of h ...
was a successful tennis player in the 1970s. Ilie Năstase and
Simona Halep Simona Halep (; born 27 September 1991) is a Romanian former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 64 w ...
are the only Romamian tennis players to have achieved no. 1, in the ATP and WTA, respectively. Romania reached the
Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and contested annually between teams from over 150 competing countries, making it the world's largest annual ...
finals three times (1969, 1971, 1972). Other popular men's tennis players include
Ion Țiriac Ion Țiriac (; born 9 May 1939), also known as the "Brașov Bulldozer", is a Romanian businessman and former professional tennis and ice hockey player. He has been president of the Romanian Tennis Federation. A former singles top 10 player o ...
and
Andrei Pavel Andrei Pavel (born 27 January 1974) is a Romanian tennis coach and former professional tennis player. He achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 13 and won three titles, including the 2001 Canada Masters. He also reached a care ...
. As for active players, the top Romanians on the men's side are the doubles players,
Horia Tecău Horia Tecău (; born January 19, 1985) is a Romanians, Romanian former professional tennis player who specialised in doubles. He is a three-time Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam champion, having won the 2015 Wimbledon Championships – Men's doub ...
and
Florin Mergea Florin Mergea (; born 26 January 1985) is a Romanian former tennis player and a doubles specialist. He has reached the final of the ATP World Tour Finals in 2015 and won an ATP Masters title at the Mutua Madrid Open earlier that year. He achi ...
, who also brought Romania's first olympic medal in tennis, a silver in 2016. In women's tennis, Magda Rurac,
Virginia Ruzici Virginia Ruzici (born 31 January 1955) is a Romanian former professional tennis player. She won the 1978 French Open – Women's singles, 1978 French Open singles championship. Career Ruzici became a professional tennis player in 1975. One of h ...
,
Irina Spîrlea Irina Spîrlea (born 26 March 1974) is a retired tennis player from Romania who turned professional in 1990. She won four singles and six doubles titles. Spîrlea reached her career-high ranking on the WTA Tour on 13 October 1997, when she becam ...
, and
Ruxandra Dragomir Ruxandra Dragomir Ilie (born 24 October 1972) is a retired tennis player from Romania. She won four singles and five doubles titles on the WTA Tour during her career. The right-hander reached her highest individual WTA ranking on 25 August 199 ...
are among the top Romanian players of all time. Among active players, the top Romanians include
Simona Halep Simona Halep (; born 27 September 1991) is a Romanian former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 64 w ...
,
Sorana Cîrstea Sorana Mihaela Cîrstea (; born 7 April 1990) is a Romanian professional tennis player. In singles, she achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 21 on 12 August 2013. In doubles, her career-best ranking is No. 35, which she reached on 9 March ...
,
Mihaela Buzărnescu Mihaela Buzărnescu (born 4 May 1988) is a Romanian tennis player. She has a career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 20, achieved on 6 August 2018. Her best doubles ranking of world No. 24, she reached on 22 October 2018. She won one singles tit ...
, Irina Begu,
Monica Niculescu Monica Niculescu (born 25 September 1987) is a Romanian professional tennis player. She has been WTA rankings, ranked by the Women's Tennis Association, WTA as high as No. 28 in singles and No. 11 in doubles. She has won three singles and 10 dou ...
. Simona Halep has won two
Grand Slam Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games Athletics * Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league Auto racing * ...
singles titles: the
2018 French Open The 2018 French Open was a Grand Slam (tennis), major tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It took place at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from 27 May to 10 June and consisted of events for players in singles, doubles and m ...
and the
2019 Wimbledon Championships The 2019 Wimbledon Championships was a Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam tennis tournament that took place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The main tournament began on Monday 1 July 2019 and fi ...
, and was the year-end No. 1 in 2017 and 2018.


Oină

Oină ''Oină'' () is a Romanian traditional Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game, similar in many ways to baseball. History The name "oină" was originally "hoina", and is derived from the Cuman language, Cuman word ''oyn'' "game" (a cognate of the ...
is a traditional Romanian sport with similarities to
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
.


Boxing

Boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...
is popular in Romania, especially in the TV broadcastings. Famous boxers include: Nicolae Linca,
Francisc Vaştag Francisc is the Romanian-language form of Francis. In other cases Francisc is the Romanianized form of the Hungarian name Ferenc. Notable people with the name include: *Francisc Hossu-Longin *Francisc Rainer *Francisc Șirato, Romanian painter ...
,
Mihai Leu Mihai Leu also known as Michael Löwe (born 13 February 1968, in Hunedoara) is a Romanian former professional boxer who competed between 1991 and 1997. He held the WBO welterweight title in 1997. Leu retired after one title defense, against Mich ...
,
Lucian Bute Lucian Bute (born February 28, 1980) is a Romanian-Canadian former professional boxer who competed from 2003 to 2017. He held the IBF super-middleweight title from 2007 to 2012. Personal life Lucian Bute was born on February 28, 1980, in Peche ...
,
Leonard Doroftei Leonard Dorin Doroftei (, also known as ''Leonard Dorin''; born 10 April 1970) is a Romanian former boxer, the WBA Lightweight World Champion from 5 January 2002 to 24 October 2003. Amateur highlights Doroftei took up boxing at the age of 14 a ...
, and
Adrian Diaconu Adrian Diaconu (born 9 June 1978) is a Romanian former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2011, and held the WBC light-heavyweight title from 2008 to 2009. As an amateur he won a silver medal in the middleweight division at the 1999 ...
.


Rowing and canoeing

Romanian oarspeople have brought numerous successes, including 35 Olympic medals (18 gold) for
rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...
and 34 medals (10 gold) for
canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian. A few of the recreational ...
. Romania is a leading rowing nation. Often boasting many wins each year in the Junior World Rowing Championships. In the under-23's age level, Romania often field a strong team. Often medalling in the women's events. The Romanian Senior Women's rowing team is particularly strong. They have been the poster child team as regards women's rowing. They consistently perform in the coxed women's eight. In the Olympics, they won the women's
coxless pair A coxless pair, abbreviated as a 2- and also known as a straight pair, is a racing shell used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two rowers, who propel the boat with sweep oars. The crew consists of a pair of rowers, each ...
.


Chess

Chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...
is fairly popular among some groups, especially retired people and mathematicians. The highest
FIDE rating The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in zero-sum games such as chess or esports. It is named after its creator Arpad Elo, a Hungarian-American chess master and physics professor. The Elo system wa ...
Romanian player is the grandmaster
Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu (born 1 August 1976) is a Romanian chess grandmaster. His peak FIDE rating was 2707 in October 2005, when he was ranked fifteenth in the world, and the highest rated Romanian player ever. Only in September 2022 his rating ...
.


Motorsports

Transilvania Motor Ring is the first permanent circuit in Romania, and was opened in November 2018 near
Târgu Mureș Târgu Mureș (, ; ; German language, German: ''Neumarkt am Mieresch'') is the seat of Mureș County in the historical region of Transylvania, Romania. It is the list of cities and towns in Romania, 16th-largest city in Romania, with 116,033 ...
.


Other sports

Romania had significant success in the 20th century in athletics.
Iolanda Balaș Iolanda Balaș (, , later ''Balázs-Sőtér Jolán''; 12 December 1936 – 11 March 2016) was a Romanian athlete, an Olympic Games, Olympic champion and Women's high jump world record progression, former world record holder in the high jump. Sh ...
and
Lia Manoliu Lia Manoliu (; 25 April 1932 – 9 January 1998) was a Romanian discus thrower who won one gold and two bronze Olympic medals. She was the first track and field athlete to compete at six Olympics (1952–1972). Early life; sports and educat ...
are important names of the mid-20th century.
Table tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...
is also a sport with good results in Romania.
Angelica Rozeanu Angelica Rozeanu (née Adelstein; 15 October 1921 – 21 February 2006) was a Romanian table tennis player of Jewish origin, the most successful female table tennis player in the history of the sport, winning the women's world singles title 6 ye ...
achieved major success in this sport in the 1950s.
Elizabeta Samara Elizabeta Samara (born 15 April 1989 in Constanța) is a professional Romanian table tennis player. She won European titles in singles, doubles and team events at the European Championships and has represented Romania four times at the Summer Ol ...
is a contemporary table tennis three-time European champion.


Olympics

Maybe slightly surprising for a country of its size, Romania has been one of the most successful countries in the history of the
Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The 1896 Summer Olympics, inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, ...
( 15th overall) with a total of 307 medals won throughout the years, 89 of which are gold medals. Romania has appeared in 21 of the 28 Summer Olympic Games. The nation debuted at the
1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics (), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from 14 May to 28 October 1900. No opening or closin ...
, appeared again three times between the World Wars, and has competed at every event since the
1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in ...
. At the winter Olympics Romania won only one medal, at the
1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. The 1968 Winter Games marked the first time ...
with two-man bobsleigh team led by
Ion Panțuru Ion Panţuru (11 September 1934 – 17 January 2016) was a Romanian bobsledder. He competed in two-man and four-man events at the 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1976 Olympics and served as the Olympic flag bearer for Romania in 1964 and 1972. Panţuru to ...
and Nicolae Neagoe.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sport In Romania