The women's table tennis team of Romania, which he got his first world medal the other day the country's team after 26 years, winning bronze at the World Championship held in London, returned to the country last night at around 01:00.
The athletes who represented Romania with honor, being defeated only by the strongest team in the world, China, world champion for the seventh time in a row, were applauded on the plane, then greeted with flowers at the airport in Otopeni.
Three of the players, Bernadette Szocs, Elizabeta Samara and Andreea Dragoman, spoke to the media representatives. Their interviews had a common theme: the fact that the Romanian State has not awarded table tennis performances for about two years. They collected, says Eliza Samara, “a lot of money to receive”.
Bernadette Szocs, upon returning to the country: “A lot of money to take, it would be nice to receive”
“It would be nice [să primim banii]there is a lot of money to be had, but I don't want to comment anymore. I also said it after the National Championship, I have nothing to add. I said it once, I think it was very well understood.
We are waiting for the premieres. We work, but we also do it for pleasure. I love what I do and I wouldn't give table tennis for anything. I also want to mention my club, which supported me every time. We really have the necessary training for performance sports”, said Bernadette Szocs, Romania's number 1 player at the moment.
Regarding winning the first medal after a quarter of a century, the athlete from CSA Steaua Bucharest said that it was “a dream come true. I have no words, I made history again. I am very proud of the result I achieved and from now on I hope to bring even better results”.
Andreea Dragoman: “I haven't received the rewards yet. The motivation may be lost”
“It's 1 o'clock in the morning, we're coming after a tough competition, but we're happy when we're greeted with flowers, by so many people who supported us and are with us. The applause from the plane? We didn't expect it to already be known that we brought this medal for Romania. We're very happy about this.
It's a hard feeling to describe, we can't describe it in words. It doesn't happen every day, not even every year. It happened after 26 years, for us the first time. We are proud of ourselves, it is a unique feeling.
I've had results and they're still coming, like I brought this medal, but the reward hasn't come yet. The motivation may also be lost because of this, that we are not getting the reward and we are not appreciated. I think it's about a bit of involvement. If it is wanted, I think it is possible”, Andreea Dragoman also said.
Elizabeta Samara: “And the pleasure kind of goes away. I have a lot of money to receive”
The veteran of the team, Elizabeta Samara, aged 37, accentuated the dissatisfaction among the players:
“The idea is this: I, personally, still have the motivation to play, to fight, but that motivation also comes, a little, financially. It's our daily work and for two years we haven't received even a prize, let it be there. Nothing!
We win, we stay in the gym for hours, we get injured, we recover, we recover. It is also necessary financially, otherwise you are playing for fun, but even that pleasure kind of goes away. I have a lot of money to receive. I won't say how many, but many. And the girls from other sports. I hope to receive as soon as possible.
I don't know how they would do it [politicienii]how would they react if they won something and didn't get their money. We hope to receive.
As I said before, we still have motivation, desire, pleasure, but not receiving for two years, I'm going. At least for me. I'm not young anymore. I would like to play for two more years, there is still motivation, but the hunger goes through my stomach”.
Regarding the course from the World ChampionshipSamara put her feelings on the wallpaper:
“It's my first world team medal. To be very honest, at home, when I saw our group, the group of death, China, Taipei and Korea, I said, 'Dude, let's at least win one match, so it's a little bit easier for us to get to the quarters.'
But when I saw that match by match we played not well, but very well, we came out 2nd in the group and when I saw that in the 8th we are not playing against Germany, but against France, that we are playing Holland, Egypt and France for the medal… Mmm, I told myself that this is a unique, achievable chance“.
