Sebastian Huluban, State Secretary for Defence Policy and the chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Stefan Danila met with the team of military sportsmen at the defence ministry, on Thursday, 19 July. The team will represent Romania at the highest sports competition of the world - the Olympic Games in London, 2012.

The state secretary conveyed the following message to the present sportsmen: 'I know you are the backbone of Romania`s national team participating in the Olympic Games, in the sports you perform. On behalf of the military leadership and the entire Romanian Armed Forces I wish you luck and may we hear the national anthem more often then once'.

'Steaua' Bucuresti, the sports club of the military will be represented at the Olympic Games by a delegation that consists of 24 sportsmen, five coaches and an international fencing referee. Military sportsmen will represent Romania in judo, gymnastics, fencing, canoeing, weight lifting, polo, swimming, athletics and boxing.

There are three Olympic champions among the military sportsmen, namely Captain Alina Dumitru (judo), Captain Camelia Potec (swimming) and Sergeant Sandra Izbasa (gymnastics), who are going to defend their titles.

The members of the strong women fencing team will be present at the competition as well, namely Captain Ana Maria Branza, WO Simona Gherman and WO Anca Maroiu, twice world champions (in 2010 and 2011) and triple European champions (in 2010, 2011 and 2012).

The national team includes Sergeant Major Eniko Mironcic, who got a bronze medal at the Olympics in Beijing, in 2008, corporals Traian Neagu, Gavrila Petrus and Toni Ioneticu, European vice champions in canoeing, the European vice champion in weight lifting, Roxana Cocos and Sergeant Major Mihai Dragusin, the goalkeeper of the national polo team.

Colonel George Boroi, commander of the military sports club, hopes this year`s Olympic Games will bring as much as four to six medals.

MoND Press Office