The year 2016 is a full of sports events, with the Rio Olympic Games and the UEFA Euro 2016 championship being the most important. Here's a list of events either happening in Romania, or where Romanian teams also take part.

Romania will not only participate in both this major events, but it will also host some important events as well, such as the FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships, the European Junior Wrestling Championship, the Fed Cup, the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy, and the Bucharest Marathon.

The 2016 Summer Olympic Games will take place in Rio de Janeiro between August 5 and August 21. More than 10,000 athletes from 206 countries will compete in the event, fighting for more than 300 gold medals. However, Romania’s delegation will be smaller than in previous editions. Some 80 athletes are to represent the country at the Olympics, but it all depends on the women’s handball team. Find out more about the Olympics here.

This year’s European football championship (UEFA Euro 2016) will take place between June 10 and July 10. Romania was drawn into the tournament’s group A, and will meet France, Switzerland, and Albania. On June 10, Romania’s football team will play the opening match against hosts France. Next, Romania’s team will play against Switzerland on June 15 and against Albania on June 19. Find out more here.

The Lillehammer 2016  Winter Youth Olympic Games will be organized between February 12 and February 21, and Romania will also be represented by 22 athletes. They will compete in nine of the Games’ 15 sports. Over 70 nations will be represented in the sports program of Lillehammer 2016. Find out more about the event here.

Three Romanians will also take part in the upcoming 6633 Arctic Ultra, which is considered one of the world’s toughest ultra marathons. The marathon will take place in March, and the three Romanians, namely Andrei Rosu, Vlad Tanase, and Tiberiu Useriu hve already started training for the big challenge by sleeping outside during the freeze that took over Romania this January.

When it comes to tennis, Romania’s Simona Halep might also win her first Grand Slam tournament this year. Although she was eliminated in the first round of the 2016 Australian Open, the Romanian could still fight to win one of the other Grand Slams this year, such as the Roland Garros, Wimbledon, or US Open. She also represented Romania at this year’s Fed Cup, alongside Monica Niculescu, Andreea Mitu, and Raluca Olaru. Romania played against but lost to Czech Republic in Cluj-Napoca this February.

Romanian Horia Tecau also has good chances to win a Grand Slam title this year. In 2015, the Romanian and his Dutch teammate Jean-Julien Rojer won the doubles’ final of the Wimbledon tennis championships. This year, Tecau made it to the mixed doubles final at Australian Open, but only came second.

Romania also hosts another tennis tournament this year: the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy. More information about this year’s edition of the event will be posted here.

Two other international sporting events are to take place in Romania this year: the FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships 2016, which will be held in Rasnov, central Romania, between February 21 and February 28, and the European Junior Wrestling Championship, which will be organized in Bucharest between June 21 and June 26. Moreover, Bucharest will also host the first edition of the European Snooker Championship this October. The exact venue is yet to be announced.

The 2016 Bucharest Marathon, one of the biggest running events in Romania, will take place in Bucharest on October 8 and October 9. More information to be announced here. Moreover, the OMV Petrom Bucharest Half Marathon will also return with a new edition on May 14-15. Find more info here.

The Color Run also comes back to Romania this year. The event will take place in four Romanian cities, namely Bucharest (April 16), Cluj-Napoca (June 11), Timisoara (June 25), and Mamaia (July 30). More information here. Another fun marathon in Romania is the Sand Marathon. A new edition of the event will take place in Mamaia seaside resort on March 27. More information to be announced here.

The charity mountain bike race Maratonul Vinului (Wine Marathon) will also return with a new edition this year. The race will take place on June 4. More information will be announced here.

The third edition of Transylvania Trail will be organized in Bran, in central Romania, on August 26 and August 27. The participants can choose from three types of trails, namely the Trail Silvania (26 km), the Ultra Trail Vlad Tepes (52 km), and the Ultra Trail Dracula (106 km). Find more information here.

Other sporting events in Romania this year:

• Red Bull Romaniacs – July 12-16, in Sibiu. More information here
• BikeRace Brasov – June 5, in Brasov mountain resort. Find out more here
• Transylvanian Bear Race – June 4, in Transylvania. Find out more here
• Edelweiss Night Run - May 14, in Campulung Moldovenesc. More information here
• Dynamite Days skydiving event – May 18-22, in Bucharest. More information here
• Snowchallenge (Corporate Ski & Snowboard Race) – February 20-21 and February 27-28, in Sinaia mountain resort. More information here

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com