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From Best to Worst? Romania and Its Nostalgia for Olympic Successes

2013; Routledge; Volume: 30; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/09523367.2013.773890

1743-9035

Simona Petracovschi, Thierry Terret,

Balkans: History, Politics, Society

AbstractWhile the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984 constituted Romania's best performance ever, 2012 London Olympic Games were characterised by the worst performance in its history. During the time between these two events, the country went from being a communist regime to a liberal government. This transition invites consideration of the transformation Romania's sports policy underwent and its repositioning with regard to the Olympic Movement, both before and after the 1989 turning point. Analysis suggests that, in failing to professionalise Romanian sport, the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee (COSR) was tempted to readopt a model of state-financed sport, with the aim of reinstating the nation to its former position among the world's sporting elite.Keywords:: RomaniaideologycommunismnostalgiaOlympism Notes 1. Romania was one of the rare allies of the USSR to not follow the call for boycott of the Los Angeles Olympic Games, launched by Moscow. 2. CitationAndreff and Andreff, “Economic Prediction of Sport Performances.” 3. http://www.goldmansachs.com/our-thinking/topics/global-economic-outlook/olympics-and-economics-.pdf (accessed November 2, 2012). 4. CitationRiordan, “Sports After the Cold War.” 5. CitationTismaneanu, Stalinism for All Seasons. 6. CitationTrond, Nationalism and Communism in Romania. 7. “The Political Concept and Actions of President Nicolae Ceausescu: The Noble Mission of Sport in the Struggle for Peace” (Sportul, no. 11 846, January 25, 1988). 8. According to Article 2 of Law 29 in 1967, concerning the development of physical education and sport, published in Buletinul Oficial, no. 114, December 29, 1967. 9. Defined as a ‘central specialised citizen-oriented organ’ under state control for the development of physical education and sport (CitationPostolache, Din istoria mişcării sportive muncitoreşti şi de mase, 257).10. CitationPostolache, Din istoria mişcării sportive muncitoreşti şi de mase.11. Arhivele Nationale ale Romaniei, ANIC, fond CC al PCR – Secţia Propagandă şi Agitaţie, dosar 54/1966, f. 3.12. CitationRiordan, Sport in Soviet Society.13. CitationNecula, “Daciada- un bun al intregului popor.” The term ‘Daciada’ highlighted the ‘dacique’ origins (people from north of the Danube) of the Romanian people.14. Sportul Românesc, January 21, 1992, Year II, no. 103.15. Lia Manoliu (1932–1998), Olympic champion (discus) in the Mexico Olympic Games in 1968 and two times bronze medal winner (Rome Games, 1960 and Tokyo Games, 1964) participated in six consecutive Olympic Games (Helsinki 1952–Munich 1972).16. Letter from A. Siperco to J.A. Samaranch, October 30, 1980, IOC Archives, Lausanne, File 6832.17. Ibid.18. Ibid. On this point, see CitationOusterhoudt, “Capitalist and Socialist Interpretations.”19. Arhivele Nationale ale Romaniei, ANIC, fond CC al PCR – Secţia Propagandă şi Agitaţie, dosar 5/1975, f. 146.20. Arhivele Naţionale ale Romaniei, ANIC, fond CC al PCR – Secţia Propagandă şi Agitaţie, dosar 54/1966, f. 3.21. He presided over the ROC from 1966 to 1974.22. Anghel Alexe, ROC President, and Alexandru Siperco, IOC member for Romania, to Avery Brundage, IOC President, July 8, 1968, IOC Archives, Lausanne, File no. 12823.23. Letter from Ioan Paun, ROC Secretary General, to Monique Berlioux, IOC Director, May 13, 1972, IOC Archives, Lausanne, File 12824. Reply from the IOC (Letter from Monique Berlioux to Ioan Paun, April 20, 1972, IOC Archives, Lausanne, File 12824, recalled that, according to Rule 35, ‘the maximum number of competitors entered by each NOC and for each event is fixed by the IOC, following agreement with the international federation concerned. The number of competitors entered may not exceed: a. for individual events, 3 competitors per country (without substitutes) for Summer and Winter Olympic Games; b. for team sports, one team per country, with the IOC fixing the number of substitutes in agreement with the international federation concerned’).24. Letter from Ioan Paun, ROC Secretary General, to Monique Berlioux, IOC Director, May 13, 1972, IOC Archives, File 12824.25. Letter from Anghel Alexe, ROC President, and Alexandru Siperco, IOC member for Romania, to Avery Brundage, IOC President, July 8, 1968, IOC Archives, File 12823.26. CitationWood, “Superpower;” and CitationKerr, “The Impact of Nadia Comaneci.”27. CitationWilson, “The Golden Opportunity;” and CitationIonescu and Terret, “A Romanian Within the IOC.”28. CitationZyser, “Phone Call From China.” In 1984, however, the press suspected the LAOOC of having paid all the costs, to encourage Romania to participate and thus break the boycott called for by the USSR. Cf. Peter Ueberroth to A. Samaranch, July 30, 1984, IOC Archives, File 12824.29. “The Telegram Sent by the RSR Olympic Delegation to the PCR Central Committee, to Comrade Nicolae Ceausescu – PCR Secretary General and to the RSR President” (Sportul, no. 10 783, August 15, 1984).30. In Moscow, the Romanian medal winners belonged to 20 sports clubs located in 11 provinces, in addition to the capital.31. “Statistics and Observations Following the Participation of Romanian Athletes in the Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games. Growth of Olympic Potential is Secured by the General Resources of the Sport Movement” (Ziarul Sportul, no. 10 794, August 29, 1984).32. “Parade of Athletes on the Anniversary of 23 August” (Sportul, no. 10 791, August 23, 1984).33. “Romania Created Modern Gymnastics” (Sportul, no. 10 697, May 7, 1984).34. “Ceausescu and Sport” (Evenimentul Zilei, June 20, 2011).35. His brother had illegally left Romania for Germany during the dictatorship.36. Law nr. 1/1985 concerning the self-monitoring, economic–financial self-management and self-financing of territorial administrative units.37. “The Political Concept and Actions of the President Nicolae Ceausescu: The Noble Mission of Sport in the Struggle for Peace” (Sportul, no. 11 846, January 25, 1988).38. Letter from General Marin Dragnea, ROC President, to J.A. Samaranch, November 13, 1981, IOC Archives, Lausanne, File 12824.39. Samaranch to Ceausescu, July 21, 1981, IOC Archives, Lausanne, File 12824.40. Coubertin's formula that out of 100 people involved in physical culture, only 50 would continue doing sport, 20 of them would specialise and only 5 would be capable of achieving remarkable results (widely acknowledged because of its famous geometrical symbol of the pyramid), has clearly served as a symbol for the way Olympic sport and many national sport systems have been organised for nearly 100 years.41. CitationRiordan, “The Impact of Communism on Sport;” and CitationGirginov, “Capitalist Philosophy and Communist Practice.”42. CitationCourtney and Harrington, Relaţii româno-americane.43. National press at the time felt that the result was satisfactory, but also that it could be improved. “The Results of the Games Could be Much Better” (Sportul, October 4, 1988).44. CitationRiordan, “Sports After the Cold War.”45. “Supra licit ROC” (Sportul Românesc, January 21, 1992, Year II n°103).46. CitationRiordan, “Sports After the Cold War.”47. Law for physical education and sport, no. 69/2000, Title X.48. Decision of Romanian Government, no. 1447 of November 28, 2007, concerning the acceptance of financial norms for sport, published in: MONITORUL OFICIAL No. 823 of December 3, 2007.49. “Adrian Nastase has Received the Mercedes he Won in a Wager With Ioan Tiriac” (Adevărul, November 5, 2004). http://www.adevarul.ro/actualitate/Adrian-Nastase-Mercedesul-Ion-Tiriac_0_65993842.html# (accessed November 3, 2012).50. Special Eurobarometer 334 /Wave 72.3, Sport and Physical Activity, http://ec.europa.eu/sport/news/eurobarometer-survey-on-sport-and-physical-activity_en.htm51. Decision of Romanian Government no. 994 of September 3, 1990.52. “Tăriceanu Does Not Wish to Have a Ministry for Sport” (Prosport, August 30, 2008). http://www.prosport.ro/alte-sporturi/alte-sporturi/tariceanu-nu-vrea-minister-pentru-sport-3084125 (accessed November 1, 2012).53. “Băsescu Wishes to Have a Ministry for Sport, Tăriceanu Thinks it is Too Late” (Gândul, August 28, 2008). http://www.gandul.info/news/basescu-vrea-minister-al-sportului-tariceanu-crede-ca-este-tarziu-3017330 (accessed November 1, 2012).54. CitationGrosset and Attali, “The French National Olympic and Sports Committee.”55. “Ion Tiriac and Octavian Morariu Ask Adrian Năstase to Disband the National Agency for Sport” (Adevărul, February 3, 2004). http://www.adevarul.ro/sport/Octavian-Morariu-Nastase-Agentia-Nationala_0_70793929.html# (accessed November 3, 2012).56. The President of the Romanian Wrestling Federation is a politician.57. “Who is Afraid of the Reform of the COSR?” (Jurnalul Naţional, August 19, 2012). http://m.jurnalul.ro/editorial/cui-ii-este-frica-de-reforma-cosr-621479.html (accessed November 1, 2012).58. http://www.tolo.ro/2012/08/11/cosr-vrea-tot-sportul-de-performanta-recunosc-de-bunavoie-ca-sint-pucist/59. The study has been widened on an ad hoc basis to include more newspapers.60. Jurnalul Naţional, July 23, 2012.61. Prosport, July 27, 2012.62. Prosport, July 26, 2012.63. The referendum was the result of conflict between President Traian Băsescu and his Prime Minister Victor Ponta, appointed in May 2012. The disagreement concerned, more particularly, management of the economic crisis. Băsescu was accused of having breached the Romanian Constitution and imposed austerity measures. The Constitutional Court finally invalidated the referendum on account of too low a turnout. Traian Băsescu was reinstated on August 28, 2012. See “Roumanie: le président Traian Băsescu sauve son siège”, (Le Monde, August 21, 2012).64. Gândul, July 28, 2012.65. Gândul, August 9, 2012.66. Gazeta Sportului, August 3, 2012.67. Adevărul, August 5, 2012.68. Jurnalul Naţional, August 8, 2012.69. Gândul, August 14, 2012.70. For example, CitationMaguire, “Sport, Identity Politics, and Globalization.” The article particularly explores the British case.71. CitationTodovora, “Introduction.”72. CitationJameson, “Nostalgia for the Present.”73. CitationHutcheon, “Irony, Nostalgia, and the Postmodern.”74. CitationBerdhal, On the Social Life of Postsocialism; CitationHann, Postsocialism; and CitationTodorora and Gille, Post-Communist Nostalgia.75. CitationBartmanski, “Successful Icons of Failed Time.”76. CitationPopescu-Sandu, “Let's All Freeze Up Until 2100 or So.”77. CitationGeorgescu, “Ceausescu Hasn't Died.”78. CitationIonescu and Terret, “A Romanian Within the IOC.”79. After Nadia Comaneci's retirement from competition, she was forbidden to leave Romania, even though she was invited to numerous competitions and international sports events. She decided to leave the country illegally in December 1989, shortly before the revolution and fall of the communist government. She now lives in the United States.80. Prosport, July 26, 2012.Additional informationNotes on contributorsSimona PetracovschiSimona Petracovschi completed her PhD at the Henri Poincaré University of Nancy, France, in 2005. She now works as a lecturer in Sport Sociology at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport in the West University of Timisoara, Romania.Thierry TerretThierry Terret is Professor of Sports History, former Director of the Centre de Recherche et d'Innovation sur le Sport at the University of Lyon, France, and Rector of La Réunion Island. His main research focuses on gender, politics and transculturalism.