THE OLYMPIC GAMES Warning sign: we only still matter in five sports

Many are summoned, and few are chosen, and this also applies when it comes to the participation of our athletes in the Olympic Games of London. Prior to the last three days of the competition, the number of medals won by our country could be considered a step forward compared to the previous edition, in Beijing, but doesn't hold up to the comparison with those won in the glory years between 1976 and 2000. With a little luck, the Romanian mission could match the performance it had at the Olympic Games of Rome (1960) when it won 10 medals. This edition clearly proves that we can only rely on 4-5 disciplines to bring us medals, whereas for the rest the only principle that still applies to is: "what matters is to participate". It is obvious that this state of things is the result of insufficient funding, but it doesn't make it any less true that in certain disciplines, the athletes and their trainers have allowed themselves a lot of slack, and they look at the international competitions as mere travel opportunities.

So far, Romania has won 9 medals (2 gold -5 silver -2 bronze): gold - Alin Moldoveanu (shooting) and Sandra Izbaşa (gymnastics - vaulting); silver - Alina Dumitru, Corina Căprioriu (both in judo), Roxana Cocoş (weightlifting), Cătălina Ponor (gymnastics - floor) and the male fencing team; bronze - the female gymnastics team and Răzvan Martin (weightlifting). The conclusion is simple, at this moment we have five athletic disciplines in which we won medals (gymnastics, weightlifting, judo, shooting, fencing) two which counted in the finals (rowing and kayaking), and the rest were far below expectations. Athletics and swimming disappointed compared to the achievements they showed in the previous editions, and the much-praised and talked about female fencing team provided us with an unpleasant surprise. All of our athletes disappointed so far, in the London Olympics. None of the athletes participating in the contest succeeded in qualifying in the final rounds, as competing for the medals seemed to be a far too ambitious goal. It needs to be said that athletes accounted for the bulk of the Romanian mission which traveled to London. Looking at the medals which were won by Romania in each discipline, it can be seen that only gymnastics and fencing have constantly won at every edition of the Olympics; rowing, athletics or boxing crosses haven't done so well. Our female gymnasts won 72 medals in the 20 editions of the Olympics in which they participated, rowing won 37, athletics 35, kayaking 34, fighting 32, boxing 25, fencing 15, shooting 15, weightlifting 13, and in the other disciplines we won less than 10 medals.

From the point of view of the Olympic and Athletic Romanian Committee the goals have been reached, in terms of the minimum number of medals, but it is obvious that a state of discontent is brewing. As it was seen, the trainer of the rowing team, Mircea Roman, resigned, the coordinating trainer of the fencing team, Dan Podeanu, announced he would abandon his position as well, and in spite of the good results, the two gymnastics trainers, Octavian Bellu and Mariana Bitang, don't seem willing to sign new contracts. This warning signal should be construed correctly, or else, four years from now at the Olympics to be held in Brazil, we may experience a serious disappointment.