Romania To Field 105 Olympic Hopefuls, Its Largest Delegation Ever

June 28, 2008 11:00 a.m. EST

Bucharest, Romania (AHN) - Romanian Olympic Committee announced on Friday the fielding of a 105-athlete delegation that will compete in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The national squad which will enter in 15 Olympic events which include athletics, handball, gymnastics, wrestling, swimming, weightlifting, fencing, table tennis, judo and boxing, is the largest Olympic delegation the country has so far fielded for an Olympic. Romania first participated at the Olympics during the 1900 Games.

A traditional powerhouse in gymnastics, Romania is expected to send 12 entries in the sport. Over the years, Romanian gymnasts have brought home a total of 56 medals including nine medals captured by the renowned Nadia Comaneci in the 1976 Montreal Games and in the Moscow Olympics in 1980. Comaneci, who was only 14 years old when she competed in Montreal, became the first gymnast in the history of Gymnastics to garner the highest possible score including the first "perfect 10" awarded in the compulsory routine in the uneven bars. She finished her Olympic career with nine 10's and bagged five gold medals.

Aside from gymnastics, Romania is expected to field its largest contingent in athletics with 20 while handball has 14 hopefuls.

Another sport the Romanians have dominated is the rowing event, where Olympian Elisabeta Lipa has made her niche over the years. In the last two Olympics, Lipa has captured eight medals which include four golds at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and another five gold medals in the recent Athens Games.

Romania is currently ranked 13th on the all-time Olympic Games medal list with a total of 284 medals--82 gold, 88 silver and 114 bronze.