About Wrestling
Wrestling, a sport as old as the world
The procedures of the wrestling technique met even today in the wrestling sport are found in the Egyptian frescoes since 1500 before Christ. But, the same as for other classic disciplines, Ancient Greece represents the place of birth and enforceability of wrestling as one of the noblest human competition.Besides even since 1896 the Athenian Olympic Games included wrestling in the competition schedule. But, even before it was established as an Olympic sport, wrestling had its privileged place in World’s mythology not as a rough, unleashed force, but as a real art that brought up the procedural abilities, skillfulness , versatility, ingenuity, courage and force. Only so the legendary Theseus could defeat the Minotaur in battle, only in this way describes Homer in Iliad the confrontations between Ajax and Ulysses.
The legends, the fairy tales in every nation are abundant flourished with moments in which primordial characters fight without weapons, assuring the triumph of good and justice. Romans had a true calling for the competition through the fair fight. What other way but through fight without any tool or technical object did the Prince Charming defeat the Ogre?The wrestle, the popular name of fighting, is an instinctual valence found at every man since birth. Even since the baby rises to walk he wrestles with all items and beings around, this manifestation being the symbol of the most sublime human competition in which competitors confronts with their bare hands, “armed” only with what nature gave each one of them, physically and spiritually.In the modern age, even before it became the sports discipline known as Wrestling (free wrestle and wrestle), the wrestle was at a premium for romans: “brave”, “shepard”, or “bear” were the real attractions at fairs and markets.
Young and old people, citizen and villager: they would gather all to admire the manly, force, bravery and cleverness of the wrestlers.Besides, the popular competition, so wide spread, represented naturally the land where the sport of Wrestle was born. That is why, after only few years since the inclusion of wrestling in the Olympic schedule, at Athens, in 1896 showed up the first wrestler athlete in our country – Mitica Dona, and in 1906, a century ago it was organized the first national championship, and the first wrestling international tournament in Romania!
Then, winning all trammels and difficulty, immediately after 1930 the profile Federation was born, the first administration official that today got to 75 years of existence. At this anniversary time, looking back at all that happened with the sport of wrestle in the world and in our country, it can be said that, even it represents one of the oldest sport competition, wrestling succeeded to adapt continuously to the time, to modernize itself, this way remaining permanently a sport alive, a point of interest for the oldest and most important games: Olympics. The sport of the physically and mentally strong ones, this daring discipline that can be played only by the ones capable of sacrifices, of permanent and honest confrontation with themselves and with their opponents, was very popular among Romanian people.Unfairly, to many times avoided by the public attention and recognition, the members of the wrestling family minded their own business seriously and profoundly. Over the years, as in a real relay race of generation, they handed over one to another the flame of the unsifted labor, their iron discipline, fierceness, work, valorizing at the most their talents they got from the nature.For years people talked about a Romanian wrestling school.
It’s highest symbol being the emeritus coach ION CORNIANU, one of the biggest figures in the history of wrestling, the one that coordinated our national lot for 4 decades, having his signature inlaid on 161 Olympic medals, world and European earned by the Romanian athletes.The natural recognition of the Romanian technician’s value came also from the international forums that chose him for 20 years as the president of the coach committee of the International Wrestling Federation.ION CORNIANU – „the father” of wrestling sport in Romania, was chosen for more than two decades also in the the Executive Bureau of the International Federation, performing as well as international referee for more than 30 years.The Romanian sport treasury would be today a lot more deficient without the contribution in gold, silver and bronze which glows on the hundreds of medals brought to Romania from all the European and World competition by its brave wrestlers.The strong men, came from the ancestral wrestle, represented worthily their country and people, even if only rarely their hard work and their success were compensated fairly.
Throughout three decades no less than 7 Romanian braves wrestlers won the ultimate laurels – the ones for Olympic champions.On the way of the eternal glory opened by DUMITRU PARVULESCU in Rome in 1960, walked also in triumph: GH. BERCEANU, NICOLAE MARTINESCU, STEFAN RUSU, VASILE ANDREI, ION DRAICA VASILE PUSCASU.These men are, like the biblical legends, the 7 Romanian heroes in the universal pantheon of one of the oldest and cleanest sports: wrestles.At anniversary time we make an observation, apparently common, but which forms a real symbol for the dedication and grace of every Romanian for the wrestling sport and at the same time a pleading towards the people authorized to aim their attention at one the fundamental sport which assures the health, energy and balanced development of the people and also the victory which brings fame in World’s Rings.
As opposed to any other sport discipline big champions of wrestling weren’t born and didn’t raised only from a specific geographic area in Romania, but, representing a big Romania, with all it’s regions. Wrestling champions come from all corners of the country, wide, for example Romania’s map in wrestling sport reflected through the 7 Olympic heroes: Bucharest gave Dumitru Parvulescu, Oltenia – Gheorghe Berceanu and Nicolae Marinescu, Bucovina – Stefan Rusu, Ialomita – Vasile Andrei , and Moldova gave Vasile Puscasu.Now, in anniversary moments for the wrestling sport and, federation looking back to everything that was we are looking towards the future. In 2008, at Beijing, the Olympic Games calls a new ultimate competition. There will be two decades since the last Olympic title. Today’s Romanian wrestlers, their mentors have the deity to resume the series of big Olympic triumphs, they are binded by the tradition, binded by the real story of the wrestle sport in Romania, so honestly and pathetically sprang from the words of the first Romanian Olympic champion in wrestling, DUMITRU PIRVULESCU.
