Sport

Sporting chances

By Vivid writer: Andrew Begg

Romania already has its next sporting superheroes, but sometimes the hardest thing to see is right in front of your eyes

Posted: 11/12/2009

Ciprian Balanescu, Romania's triathlon champion, represents a more wholesome role model than any pretentious footballer.

It might be unfair, but it's interesting nevertheless to compare Romanian attitudes to sport to those of the country I grew up in, Australia. My childhood was largely spent outside, kicking a football around or playing cricket, tennis or golf until we were called in for the evening meal, and having eaten, we'd resume our game until it was too dark to play any longer. The school I went to prided itself on its sporting prowess; it was clear that students who were good at sport were admired by teachers and students alike, particularly if they were involved in one or more of the major sports, the glamorous Australian Rules football and cricket, and to a slightly lesser extent, athletics and rowing. The school invested heavily in these sports, and in my final year finished top in all four in its eleven-school association. Everything else was considered a minor sport back in those days, including swimming, tennis, soccer, rugby, hockey, and golf, although the school was up there amongst the best schools in each of those sports too.

Sport has one huge natural advantage in Australia that European countries don't have: space. And with Australia's long sporting tradition, and government enthusiasm to continually feed and invest in it, the sporting facilities are really second to none there. It's difficult to imagine a square kilometre of a stretch of suburbia in an Australian city without a football ground or park. Little wonder then, that for a country of 20 million people it punches way above its weight in sporting terms.

It's a pity too that the Romanian governments fail to indulge its sports stars like Australia has always done. Even the least sporting minded people feel a twinge of national pride at a big sporting meeting, world championships or Olympics when a fellow countryman is first over the line, leaps the highest or the furthest, and then steps ontoon the victory dais to receive the gold medal while the national anthem plays. Every nation needs its sporting icons, and Romania has dined out on its world famous three for about as long as it is possible to dine out on anything. Since Gheorghe Hagi's retirement nine years ago no sportsman or sportswoman has captured the imagination of the nation as did Hagi, Ilie Nastase and Nadia Comaneci, nor had the world class performances to justify the adulation. Every nation needs their superheroes, and Romania is well overdue for a new one. What sport will provide Romania's next great sporting hero?

Two sports that, from a very low base, seem to have real momentum gathering behind them are the endurance events, marathons and triathlons. The growing enthusiasm amongst amateur sportsmen for running was very much in evidence at this year's Bucharest City Marathon. All capital cities should have a marathon, and finally Bucharest has a marathon that it can be proud of. It was very much a community event; besides the main event, there was a half-marathon, a relay and a 4-kilometre race designed especially for children. Having consolidated its success last year with greater attendance and better all-round organisation this year, this event is capitalising on Romanians' growing awareness of the necessity of a healthier lifestyle and the importance of regular exercise. This year's event was run in cold and damp weather but it didn't deter thousands of participants, including hundreds of children, who ran a short race especially designed for them. For a role model any aspiring long-distance runner need look no further than the current Olympic marathon champion Constantina Tomescu-Dita, who won gold at the Beijing Olympics in a time of 2:26.44.

Similarly, the numbers competing in triathlons and similar endurance events such as mountain biking racing are becoming much greater than before. In 2009 organisers remarked how attendances at events around the country often doubled over 2008 numbers, as more and more people get involved. You only need to walk in a park in Bucharest to know that cycling and running is a lot more popular than it used to be; two years ago, there were just three bike shops in Bucharest, and now there are upwards of 30. Swimming is growing in popularity too, and triathlons give people who want to compete the opportunity to pit their skills against others in all three disciplines. Moreover, triathlons are great fun and not as exhausting as marathon running. Over the last few years triathlons have been the preserve of a fairly small but committed group of enthusiasts but 2009 marked the year when triathlons attracted sponsors, became better organised and moved towards the mainstream. The best example of a well-organised triathlon was the Mamaia Triathlon Challenge, organised by Vlad Stoica, in September.

Romania's best triathlete is Ciprian Balanescu. In Romania, Balanescu wins every triathlon he enters by some distance; indeed, he has won the national title every year for the last five years, and was the only competitor at Mamaia to complete the event in less than two hours. Balanescu has the right attitude and is young enough to still improve by some capacity - one gets the impression that all he really needs to match it with the world's best is an opportunity, which means a sponsor with a view. He's young, presentable and self-effacing and could well be a sponsor's dream. Marketing executives should be encouraged to consider hitching their company to his wagon, put their logo on his clothes and have him feature in their ads, rather than any spoilt, moody, pretentious, soccer player.

In Australia Constantina Tomescu-Dita and Ciprian Balanescu would be household names. In Romania, it shouldn't be too long until they are. 2009 was a good year for marathon and triathlon events, and from here they will only grow in popularity as sponsors realise their marketing potential, and so promote the national awareness of champions like Tomescu-Dita and Balanescu.

Comments:

1.
Tuesday 16th February 2010 at 10:02 Sandor Boldizsar said: "Andrew, True & well written! Big thanks, in the name of romanian AG triathletes! Ciprian truly deserves this chance! I've just uploaded his interview at Cupa ALUTA-triatlon Reci (22.08.2009): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY6th1mi0aY GOOD LUCK Cipi!"