Olympic official Covaliu meets ForMin Aurescu on Romania's participation in Olympic Games

Chairman of the Romanian Olympic Committee (COSR) Mihai Covaliu and Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu met on Wednesday to discuss Romania's participation in the Olympic Games in Tokyo this year, according to a press statement released by the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE).

"Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu had a meeting on Wednesday, February 24, 2021, with the Chairman of the Romanian Olympic Committee (COSR), Mr Mihai Covaliu, and members of the COSR leadership. The meeting took place as part of a constant dialogue between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and COSR on co-operation and coordination for the smooth participation of team Romanian in the Tokyo Olympic Games, which will take place this summer, and for setting up a House of Romania at the Romanian Embassy in Japan," according to MAE.

Aurescu underlined the diversity and complexity of the Romania-Japan bilateral agenda in 2021, which landmarks, besides Romania's participation in the Tokyo Olympic Games, includes the celebration of the centennial of Romanian-Japanese diplomatic ties and the completion of a founding document for the Romania-Japan Strategic Partnership.

Regarding the participation of Romanian athletes in the Olympic Games, the head of Romanian diplomacy assured of the full support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this endeavor, both in dialogue with Japanese officials and in co-operation with host cities for Romanian athletes, in organising pre-Olympic Games training camps, especially amidst the developments in the COVID-19 pandemic and the rules imposed by the host country to contain COVID-19.

At the same time, regarding the organisation of a House of Romania at the Romanian Embassy in Japan, Aurescu underlined the support of the MAE for the organisation of a rich sports and culture programme that promotes Romanian sports and cultural values. The House of Romania will include both an online and an in-person component, with the participation of the Japanese public and interaction with Romanian athletes, depending on the future developments in the epidemic.

Aurescu also underlined the support of the MAE for the development of sports diplomacy as a relevant component of Romania's public and cultural diplomacy, including by continuing and deepening dialogue with institutional partners in this area.

In his turn, Covaliu thanked MAE for supporting the participation of Romanian athletes in the Tokyo Olympic Games and voiced COSR's interest in defining a more complex and attractive programme for the House of Romania initiative.

The Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled for 2020, have been postponed due to the global pandemic and subsequently rescheduled from July 23 to August 8, 2021. The Paralympic Games have been postponed from August 24 to September 5, 2021.