Joy, Emotion, Tradition, Friendship, Sport, and Fair Play! All of These Were Experienced by Children and Sports Enthusiasts from the Brașov Region and Bucharest Who Participated in the 41st Edition of Olympic Day in Șirnea, Held on June 23-24
At the foot of Piatra Craiului, cultural and sports events were held under the motto “Citius Altius Fortius”, where children competed in the School Olympic Pentathlon for the 3rd Millennium, participating in sports, theoretical, and artistic events. Sports enthusiasts participated in the traditional “Olympic Day” Cross and the velomarathon race on the Brașov – Șirnea route.
Additionally, the event included cultural moments, musical concerts, and dancing. The artistic program was provided by the Efthymos Ensemble, the “Amadeus” Ensemble from Zărnești, the “Astra Junior” Ensemble from Săcele, and the Poiana Mărului Elementary School Ensemble.
Midsummer Night was also celebrated and marked according to customs and traditions, through a series of events that began with the evening service, followed by a literary gathering and the picking of midsummer flowers with musical accompaniment. The night ended with the event “Illuminated Night”, the entire program being complemented by music and poetry with the “Gaudeamus” Quartet.
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TEMAD was present again this year alongside athletes, offering all participants WD-40 products and discount vouchers.
Photo source: AOR Filiala Brașov
40th Edition of Olympic Day, Șirnea 2022
The jubilee edition of Olympic Day, reaching its 40th edition, took place on June 22-23, 2022, in the locality at the foot of Piatra Craiului, gathering approximately 400 child participants.
At the start of the cross, students from 22 schools in Brașov, athletes from the biathlon and cross-country skiing sections of the Dinamo Râșnov School Sports Club, children from a camp in Șirnea, and juniors from the fencing section of a club in Ukraine who came from Bucharest to Șirnea specifically for Olympic Day were gathered.
The cross start was, as every year, given at the Heroes’ Monument, and the arrival of participants and cyclists who started the traditional 42 km velomarathon took place at the Olympic Arena.
The Olympic Flame was carried by Maricica Puică, a gold medalist in the 3000 m event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The lighting of the Olympic Torch took place at the Nicolae Frunteș Museum, according to the Olympic ritual, and five vestal virgins carried it on the specially arranged pedestal in the Arena.
Among the celebrities present at this year’s events were Simona Amânar, director of AOR and multiple Olympic champion in artistic gymnastics, Mihai Covaliu, president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee (COSR), and special guests from the Greek locality of Olimpia.
The artistic program was provided by the beloved folk music performer Veta Biriș, the “Eftimos” Ensemble from Brașov, the band “Trei Parale”, and the “Astra Junior” folk ensemble from Săcele.
Midsummer Night was also celebrated according to customs and traditions, being complemented by music and poetry.
TEMAD was present again this year alongside young athletes, offering participants products from BISON, UHU, and WD-40.
Photo source: AOR Filiala Brașov, https://www.cosr.ro/
39th Edition of Olympic Day, Șirnea 2021
Since January 1948, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) established June 23 as “Olympic Day” to mark the creation of the international Olympic forum on June 23, 1894, in Paris. Currently, “Olympic Day” is celebrated by hundreds of thousands of people in over 170 countries.
It has become a tradition for “Olympic Day” to be marked in the tourist village of Șirnea, in Brașov County, where Professor Radu Frunteș has organized, for years, numerous cultural and sports events accompanying the celebration.
The 39th edition was held under the Olympic motto “Citius, Altius, Fortius”, and this tradition was not interrupted even by the pandemic.
Evanghelie Zappa 1800-1865
“We will celebrate the personality of Evanghelie Zappa (a figure who contributed to the revival of the Olympic Games – n.r.), a Romanized Greek who organized, for 40 years, the first Olympic Games before Athens. (…) Continuing this chain, the revival of the Olympic Games, and here we are preparing for the Tokyo Games.
We have very beautiful images, and we have a film presenting the ceremony from last year at Olimpia, when the Olympic Flame was lit. It is a historic moment. The torch burned for a year until the Games were organized,” conveys Professor Radu Frunteș.
Sports Competitions began on Tuesday, June 22, with 26 children starting the “School Olympic Pentathlon for the 3rd Millennium”, participating in sports, theoretical, and artistic events. They were awarded with sweets and school supplies from Temad Romania.
On the morning of June 23, the Brașov-Sirnea Velomarathon started. A route of over 45 km, crowned by the passion, dedication, and sporting spirit of an impressive number of cyclists of all ages.
The program was complemented by the presentation of the book “HONOR OF EVANGHELIE ZAPPA” (Romanism – lenity – Olympism) by author Nicolae Postolache at the Nicolae Frunteș Museum, followed by a short film screening – Ceremony of Lighting the Olympic Flame for the Tokyo 2021 Games.
Maricica Puică and Mihai Covaliu Alongside Children from Șirnea
The representative cross of Olympic Day couldn’t be missing from the event, with children from various schools in Brașov County participating.
The cross was led with the Olympic flag in hand by Maricica Puică, an Olympic champion in athletics, and at the finish line, the children were greeted by Mihai Covaliu, also an Olympic champion and president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee (COSR). He presented all of them with medals and diplomas, considering them all winners.
After the cross ended, the Olympic Spirit was enlivened by five vestal virgins who carried the Olympic Rings and symbolically lit the Olympic Flame for each of the 31 editions of the Summer Olympic Games to date. The message from IOC President Thomas Bach, transmitted by Mihai Covaliu, added solemnity to the beautiful event.
The artistic moments continued with the beloved folk music performer Veta Biriș, the “Eftimos” Ensemble from Brașov, the band “Trei Parale”, and the “Astra Junior” folk ensemble from Săcele.
For the first time on Olympic Day, several members of the Brașov Philharmonic were present at the Olympic Arena in Șirnea to greet the cyclists participating in the traditional velomarathon BRASOV – ȘIRNEA “en-fanfare”. The philharmonic subsequently supported an honorary concert named “Honor of Evanghelie Zappa”.
For a complete presentation of the event + photo & video gallery, click HERE.
