Yesterday was what we might call our last day with gymnastics. This involves the Olympics at least. We donât have the gymnasts, we donât have the coaches. The situation is dramatic, taking into account the fact that the World Championship is to start three months from now.
The Romanian Gymnastics Federation (RGF) has decided to dissolve the Olympic team and coaches Octavian Belu and Mariana Bitang asked for the termination of their contracts. A few days ago, Monica Rosu was forced to give up on the exercises due to medical reasons, and yesterday, the other gymnasts, Catalina Ponor, Floarea Leonida and Daniela Sofronie have been sent to continue the preparation at their clubs. In the same time, Alexandra Eremia had already been disposed, because she was recovering from the appendicitis operation and because of the weight excess.
HISTORY. The situation of the womenâs Olympic gymnastics team had started to get tensed at the beginning of this year, when Oana Petrovschi sued the teamâs coaches, asking 30,000 euros from them, for being forced to train when her medical condition didnât allow her that. This lawsuit started another one in which Octavian Belu was accused of having claimed money that werenât supposed to be his. After that, Belu and Bitang announced they had resigned as the coaches of the Romanian womenâs gymnastic team. In time, the lawsuits ended, the federation and the Romanian Olympic and Sportive Committee (ROSC) intervened, so the two valuable coaches signed new contracts on the 7th of April. "The contracts are for four years, but they will be renegotiated every year or every six months if needed", Ioan Dobrescu, the ROSC general secretary, was announcing then. According to some sources, the coaches were about to receive a monthly fee of 5,000 US dollars from the ROSC, and the costs for the gymnasts were to be paid by the federati
