Romanian Sports Minister Eduard Novak will compete at the Tokyo Paralympics, his third Olympic Games.
Eduard “Novak, a road and track racing cyclist, is currently training in Plovdiv, Bulgaria,” Ciprian Anton, the deputy president of the National Paralympic Committee, told Agerpres.
The minister, 45, won a gold and silver in London (2012), and silver in Beijing (2008).
Mr Novak was initially a speed skater He lost his right foot after he was involved in a car accident in Italy 1996 on the way to a competition.
He subsequently switched to cycling and emerged as a professional cyclist. He became minister in December 2020 and is a member of the party representing ethnic Hungarians.
The minister is training in Bulgaria as there is no available velodrome in Romania.
Along with other Romanian athletes, he is currently spending a fortnight in a “health bubble” while he prepares for his events, Mr Anton said.
Romania will send a team of seven athletes to the Tokyo Paralympics, which runs from between August 24 to September 5.
Romanian athletes will compete in table tennis, judo, athletics, cycling, and archery.
The seven athletes are Bobi Simion in table tennis, Alex Bologa , judo, Octavian Tucaliuc and Tabita Vulturar athletics, Eugen Pătru, archery, and Eduard Novak and Eduard Moescu, both in cycling.
Romania has won so far four medals at the previous Paralympic Games.
Alex Bologa won a bronze medal in judo in Rio in 2016.
