Eduard Novak, the minister of Youth and Sports, is part of the Romanian team of athletes who will compete at the Tokyo Paralympics.

Novak, a road and track racing cyclist, is currently training in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Ciprian Anton, the vice-president of the National Paralympic Committee, told Agerpres.

He is training in Bulgaria as there is no available velodrome in the country. The only one, at the Dinamo Sports Complex, cannot be used as it is heavily degraded, Digi24.ro explained. 

Romania will send a delegation of seven athletes at the Tokyo Paralympics, scheduled to take place between August 24 and September 5. They will compete in table tennis, judo, athletics, cycling, and archery. 

The seven are Bobi Simion (table tennis), Alex Bologa (judo), Octavian Tucaliuc and Tabita Vulturar (athletics), Eugen Pătru (archery), and Eduard Novak and Eduard Moescu (cycling).

Romania has won so far four medals at previous editions of the Paralympic Games. Eduard Novak won three of them: gold and silver in London in 2012, and silver in Beijing in 2008. Alex Bologa won a bronze medal in 2016 in Rio in judo (60 kg category).

(Photo: Octav Ganea/ Inquam Photos)

simona@romania-insider.com