Young Italian rally driver Simone Tempestini and American basketball player Ashley Walker have received the Romanian citizenship and will be included in Romania’s national basketball and rally teams to represent the country in international competitions.

The Government approved the two athletes’ citizenship requests in the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, October 27, as requested by the Youth and Sports Ministry.

Simone Tempestini, 22, is one of the most talented young rally drivers in the world. He recently became a Junior WRC champion and won his second national rally title in Romania. He lives in Cluj-Napoca and is a member of the Napoca Rally Academy team.

Ashley Walker, 29, is an American professional basketball player. She plays for Romanian club CSM Targoviste in the top basketball league. Walker is from California and played in the US league WNBA, in Israel, Ukraine, and Turkey, before joining CSM Targoviste in 2013.

In 2015, Romania’s Government approved an Emergency Ordinance that allows foreign athletes to gain Romanian citizenship quicker than following the normal procedure. They would have to express their attachment to Romania and the country’s values, and to represent the country in international competitions.

In April, three foreign wrestlers got Romanian citizenship and joined the national wrestling team, namely Albert Saritov, and Ukrainians Kateryna Sassa and Kateryna Zhydachevska. Albert Saritov competed at the Rio Olympics and won a bronze medal for Romania.

editor@romania-insider.com