“Romanian Table Tennis Federation is one of the best in our sport”
President of the Romanian Olympic Committee Alin PETRACHE paid an official visit today to the “Romeo Iamandi” the venue for the 2015 ROMSTAL European Youth Top 10. Former captain of the national rugby team spent his time looking the matches and had the meeting with the hosts Romania Table Tennis Federation President Cristinel ROMANESCU and RTTF Marketing Manager Beatrice ROMANESCU as well as with the ETTU President Ronald KRAMER and Secretary General Richard SCRUTON.
It is the second time that Romania organized the Top 10 Event and the hosts could not choose better timing for such event. It came after the Romania’s Women Team won silver and Elizabeta SAMARA won gold and silver at the LIEBHERR European Championships in Ekaterinburg.
“Romanian Table Tennis Federation is one of the best in our sport. They already have the medals from the World and European Championships and I hope we will have one too from the Olympic Games in Japan 2020 ” said PETRACHE.
Why not in Rio 2016?
“We will have the representative there but I am speaking about the medals.”
President pointed at one important thing.
“I am aware of the situation in the European table tennis in this moment. I saw the national teams of Germany and Netherlands playing with players with a Chinese background. I know that our federation gives great effort to have only Romanian players but maybe we can think about some Chinese players who will enhance the national team. It is something what we can think about. I know the situation in rugby handball football. They have naturalized players and looking globally it is not bad thing.”
How many Romania’s athletes are qualified so far for the Olympic Games in Rio?
“We have the decrease in numbers comparing to previous Olympics; only 30. Usually at this time we had 65 -70 qualified athletes. That is why we need a new Strategy and Program for 2020 24 28…In addition we want to put the Olympic Committee at the top of the triangle in which we take care of the top sport Federations are taking care of the professional sport whilst Ministry of sport is taking care of the base. Only with great cooperation between all the subjects we can make good result for future. “
A lot of efforts are already made.
“We identify the age between 18 and 23 as a very critical period for the athlete. It is the time when they cannot find good club they are not juniors any more and they have to start to think how to earn the money. Many of them disappear at that time. That is why we launched the program to help them stay in the sport. We have national Olympic Centers all over the Romania. For table tennis we have two in Constanca and Bistrita” said ROC President Alin PETRACHE.
During a short meeting at the stands with ETTU president Ronald KRAMER agreed the historically important rôle of Romanian table tennis in Europe.
“And possibly now even more than ever the Romanian Table Tennis Federation under the present leadership of Christinel (and of course Beatrice) ROMANESCU is probably one of the most productive and devoted federations in Europe. Organising the Romstal European Youth Top-10 is another proof of their dedication and love for the game of table tennis” said Ronald Kramer.
President Alin PETRACHE began his career at the ‘Locomotiva’ sports club and then played for Dinamo Bucharest; from there he transferred to RUFC London Scottish F.C. He then successively played for the French clubs RC Paris Bordeaux Begles RC Toulon and AS Beziers.
