Four great retired Romanian athletes - Nadia Comaneci, Camelia Potec, Gabriela Szabo and Gheorghe Hagi - have agreed to be members on the board that will select the projects submitted for funding under the - Investing in Children , Investing in the Future' Growth Programme, initiated by the Romanian Government.
All of them are quoted in an official press statement as saying very clearly that their presence on the board does not reflect any political sympathy, given that the programme is the initiative of a government endorsed by a political party.
''All four of them will cast a vote of confidence on all the projects they will consider eligible for the Growth Initiative - Investing in Children, Investing in the Future in a completely politics-free debate framework. Their choices will come from an impartial approach to each application and they will represent only one voice when approving or choosing a project eligible for funding. The only condition for a project to be considered is to meet the requirements described in the legislation governing the setting up of the programme."
The need to start a programme to develop sports in Romania has been felt more strongly in recent years, according to the statement, as increasingly fewer Romanian athletes have reached the medal podium at prestigious international athletic meets, primarily because Romania has not had a selection base for child and junior athletes.