Octavian Morariu (born 7 August 1961) is a Romanian former

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 ...

player and coach, and is currently the President of

Rugby Europe Rugby Europe is the administrative body for rugby union in Europe. It was formed in 1999 to promote, develop, organise, and administer the game of rugby in Europe under the authority of World Rugby (the sport's global governing body). However, it ...

Career

He is the son of former Romania rugby union international Viorel Morariu and Cornelia Timoșanu, a former

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 ...

player for Romania, which finished second at the 1956 FIVB Volleyball World Championship in France. Morariu played as a number eight for Rugby Club Grivița Roșie in his youth. He played in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

for ASPTT Paris and was also invited to play for the

Barbarians A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...

. He earned two caps for

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 ...

between 1984 and 1985. From 2001 to 2003, Morariu served as president of the Romanian Rugby Federation, and from 2004 to 2014, he was president of the

Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee The Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee (, COSR) is responsible for Romania's participation in the Olympic Games. History The Romanian Olympic Committee () was formed in 1914 in Bucharest. In 2004 it changed its name to ''Romanian Olympic an ...

. Since 2013, Morariu has served as president of

, the governing body for rugby union in Europe. He was unanimously reelected for a second term in 2016. In 2013, Morariu became a member of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

(IOC). He was a member of the International Relations Commission from 2014-2015 and has been, since 2015, a member of the Public Affairs and Social Development through Sport Commission.

Orders

* Chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite: 2014

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morariu, Octavian 1961 births Living people Sportspeople from Bucharest Romanian rugby union players Romanian rugby union coaches Romania international rugby union players Romanian expatriate sportspeople in France Barbarian F.C. players Rugby union number eights Rugby union players from Bucharest Engineers from Bucharest Romanian International Olympic Committee members Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite Presidents of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee Presidents of the Romanian Rugby Federation