Bucarest, 27th September – Romanian Olympic Committee inaugurated Tuesday, in the presence of Romanian President Traian Basescu, its new Olympic House building which will also house the new headquarters of Olympic and Sports Museum.
At the official opening, NOC’s president Octavian Morariu welcomed IOC President Jacques Rogge, EOC President Patrick Hickey, Secretary general Raffaele Pagnozzi and a number of EC Members, Ambassadors and representatives of the Romanian Government, authoritative delegates from European NOCs and sports federations.
Numerous sports personalities were also in attendance, among them Romanian Comaneci and Ion Tiriac, Nicu Vlad, Ivan Patzaichin, Iolanda Balas, Elizabeth Lipa, Doina Melinte with 70 other Olympic medals.
On that occasion, five pine trees were planted in the courtyard of the new headquarters, while guests had the chance of touring the NOC’s headquarters and the Olympic and Sports Museum. The idea of realizing the new facility had been launched a decade ago, by former NOC president Ion Tiriac. In 2002, the Romanian Rugby Federation led then by Octavian Morariu, provided the land on which the state of the art building is now standing.
The ceremony ended with a press conference by Presidents Octavian Morariu, Jacques Rogge and Patrick Hickey. EOC President wished great success to the Romanian athletes at the Olympic Games in London in 2012, providing support for the preparation and smooth running of winter European Youth Olympic Festival, to be held in Brasov in February 2013.
IOC President Jacques Rogge congratulated those who had high house Olympic athletes but also the all Romanians for the results obtained and expressed hope that they will have good performances in the forthcoming London Olympic games. “It is a wonderful thing to have a museum that promotes Olympic values and a place where champions in sports can give their meeting, “said Jacques Rogge.
Octavian Morariu, in return stressed the inauguration was “a special day” for the history of Romania and not only of sport. He added: “it is a day that marks the fulfillment of an old wish of the Olympic Movement and sport in our country, that of having our own museum. We therefore consider it most appropriate to tribute this to all of our great champions, coaches, doctors and auxiliary medical personnel, technicians, managers and the athletes in sports administration, all those who contributed to the remarkable performance of Romanian sport ” .
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