Romania sends a 101-strong delegation to the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Quite a few of the
athletes are former Olympic medalists, world or European champions. At home,
all hopes are pinned on them for top-flight performance and medals. We won’t
fail to say that some of Romania’s great names in world sports have not been
included in the delegation. The greatest Romanian woman tennis player of all
time, Simona Halep will not be travelling to Japan. We recall Simona has been
WTA number 1 tennis player for 64 weeks. Halep won two Grand Slam tournaments,
in Roland Garros, in 2018, and in Wimbledon, in 2019. Simona Halep compelled
recognition in 22 WTA tournaments. Simona participated in the London Olympics,
in 2012, where she was eliminated from the competition’s very first round. Fears
caused by the ZIKA virus kept Ms Halep away from the Rio Olympics, in 2016. Simona is currently 9th-placed, according to WTA rankings. We recall the Romanian
sustained an injury during the Rome tournament in May this year. Simona Halep has
not recovered fully recovered, so she is set on letting everybody know she
shall not be putting too much stretch on herself. Halep will not have her
comeback on court earlier than August 2021, when she will be participating in
the Cincinnati tournament, most likely.
Romanian
tennis cannot rely on Horia Tecau either. Tecau is one of the world’s best men’s
doubles tennis players. For the Olympic Games in Japan, Horia does not have a partner
with whom he can team up in the men’s doubles or in the mixed doubles, In the men’s
doubles, Tecau should have teamed up with Florin Mergea, but the latter tennis
player’s too low WTA ranking, 165th, officially denies Mergea
participation in the Tokyo Olympics. In the mixed doubles, Simona Halep should
have been Tecau’s partner.
Also
absent from the Romanian delegation travelling to Japan is one of the world’s
greatest handball players, Cristina Neagu. Romanian’s women’s handball team has
failed to secure a place in the Olympics. We recall that the national team of Norway
and Montenegro outclassed Romanian at the pre-Olympic tournament held in May
this year. The International Handball Federation designated Neagu the world’s
best handballer four times, in 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2018, an absolute first for
a woman handballer. Cristina Neagu has been the captain of the national team
since 2016. In 2010, Cristina walked away with bronze at the European
Championships jointly hosted by Denmark and Norway. Cristina Neagu also won
bronze in 2015, at the World Championships held in Denmark, The Romanian has
already participated in two editions of the Olympic games, in Beijing, in 2008
and in Rio, in 2016.
Weightlifter
Loredana Toma is another absentee from the Romanian delegation. One of the best
weightlifters of the moment, Loredana was given a one-year ban by the
Romanian Weightlifting Federation, as a result of numerous anti-doping
violations. Practically, the ban has officially denied Romanian weightlifters’
participation in the Tokyo Olympics. In the 64-kilogram category, Loredana Toma
is at the top of the world rankings, so her chances to winning a medal would
have been undoubtedly high.
(Translation by Eugen Nasta)