biathlete Dmitry Shamaev who has been playing for the Romanian national team since 2021, told why the sport is not at all popular in the country.
Shamaev started playing for Romania in 2021. Earlier, as part of the Russian junior team, he became the world champion as part of the relay team, and Dmitry is also the winner of the Russian championship.
Is biathlon popular in Romania?
He is the most unpopular there. Fans do not come to competitions in Romania. Sometimes, for example in a taxi, they ask me what I’m doing. I say biathlon, and they ask, “What is it?” And so I explain that it’s skis and a gun, you run, then you shoot. They don’t really know what biathlon is. Summer sports are highly developed in Romania: rowing, martial arts and football of course. They invest a lot of money in football, but, as statistics show, they don’t know how to play (smiles).
— How many people participate in the national championship of Romania?
– 10-11 men go to the start, but probably six or seven people are competitive.
– Do many children practice biathlon?
– Actually, yes. It is clear that this is relative, if we compare it with Russia – a completely different scale. But a lot of kids are involved and there are a lot of young coaches. People train. I don’t know, maybe one day Romania will be the leading country in biathlon (smile). I think our team membership motivates both coaches and athletes.
– Do they show biathlon on TV?
– As far as I know, they show, but during competitions the mixed zone, where correspondents from different countries meet their athletes and ask them questions, Romanian athletes just pass. Nobody ever waits for us there,” Shamaev told with a laugh.
Source : MatchTV
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