ABSTRACT
This chapter offers analysis of the development of sport in post-socialist Romania, adopting a sociological lens. It presents some statistical data to illustrate sporting performance (such as Olympic medal counts), with data obtained from the National Institute of Statistics, the Ministry of Sports, the Ministry of Finances, the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee and various sporting federations. The chapter addresses the structure of Romanian sport and the processes that have shaped sporting performance. It presents aspects of socialist sport embedded within Romania’s historical context, focusing on key actors and their positions within internal hierarchies and the dynamics of the field. The chapter outlines the nature and impact of commercialisation and commodification in contemporary Romanian sport. With respect to Romania’s sporting prowess, despite periods of success in select sports that were once subject to cultural significance and economic investment, the modern era has seen an overall decline in performance as evidenced by medal counts.
