Minister Novak, after Olympics2020: We need to draw a pragmatic line, analyse and identify

Romania's Minister of Youth and Sports Eduard Novak has made a brief analysis of the four medals, one gold and three silver, won by Romania at the Tokyo Olympic Games, and said in a Facebook message that "a pragmatic line" must be drawn to identify the problems facing Romanian sports.

"A brief analysis of Romania's results at this edition of the Olympic Games: first of all, I would like to congratulate from the bottom of my heart all those who sacrificed themselves for four years in order to prepare and qualify for this edition, athletes, coaches, staff and all those who were with these wonderful athletes; but we need to draw a pragmatic line, analyse, identify the issues that are blocking us and we fail where others succeed. These games ended with the expected results. Expected, because, from 2016 until the end of the Olympic cycle, absolutely nothing changed. I mean the organisation of Romanian sporting, a clear direction, a strategy taken up by all those involved," the Minister noted on Facebook.

Eduard Novak identified 11 major problems facing Romanian sports:

"1. Disorganisation of sport. All the factors involved, all the financing ministries have their own interests, without a common, national interest.
2. Spending money on projects that are unsustainable and, moreover, are unsuitable for performance.
3. Exclusive funding of short-term projects without a clear Olympic purpose.
4. The level of professionalism and training of coaches and technical staff.
5. The coach training system.
6. The activity of sports clubs, very weak from all points of view.
7. Lack of sustainable, performance-focused multi-annual Olympic projects.
8. Coaches' pay system, which is not differentiated by performance levels.
9. Lack of personnel with sports competence at the ministry.
10. The lack of a clear strategy of the Romanian sports, which would set a direction of all those involved in sports.
11. Lack of specific infrastructure for sports that can bring us Olympic results."

In his opinion, a new sporting strategy is the solution.

"Drawing up the National Sporting Strategy for 2021-2032 will mend all these shortcomings stated above. Although there are problems and their integral solution is a long process, I have the greatest confidence that we have the chance to bring Romanian sport back on track. "Performance and competitiveness at international level! Sport is important for Romania," said Novak.

Romania finished 46th in the nation ranking by medals at the Tokyo Olympic Games. It won four medals, one gold in rowing, women's double sculls (Nicoleta Ancuta Bodnar, Simona Geanina Radis), and three silver medals, in women's fencing, epee individual (Ana-Maria Popescu), in men's rowing, pair (Marius Vasile Cozmiuc, Ciprian Tudosa) and men's four (Mihaita Vasile Tiganescu, Mugurel Vasile Semciuc, Stefan Constantin Berariu, Cosmin Pascari).