or1980v2pt1

"The procession of the flame
demonstrated our faith in the Olympic
ideal. It has shown even more clearly
the meaning of friendship among the
peoples. The preparation and organisation
of the relay has stimulated the
popular movement for physical culture
in our republic."
At 10.00 a.m. on the border bridge
into Romania, which is symbolically
named Friendship, the relay across
Bulgaria came to its conclusion. On the
last stage the torch had been carried
by Olympic Champion Iordanka
Khristova and now she passed it
over to Olympic Champion Dimitru
Pyrvulesku.
In Romania the relay passed
through 89 towns, villages and hamlets.
Young men and women in the uniform
of various sports clubs stood by the
side of the first few kilometres of the
relay route through Romania.
Thousands of people with flowers had
turned out to meet the flame
and applauded the relay as it
passed.
The first stage of the relay through
Romania was concluded with a ceremony
in Bucharest: 40,000 people
crowded into the Dynamo Stadium
while thousands of people filled the
streets outside. The ceremony included
a full sporting programme.
Among those taking part in the relay
in Romania were pioneers and labour
veterans, Merited Masters of Sport and
beginners.
On one of the stages the torch was
carried by Ion Gudju, the 83-year-old
president of the Romanian chess federation
who has kept up his high spirits
and his sporting form. He passed on the
relay to Leon Rottman, twice champion
at the Melbourne Olympics. Leon crossed
over Lake Kherestrau in a small
boat and handed the flame to Felix
Tsopescu, who had taken part in the
1936 Olympics. This 76-year-old veteran,
having completed his distance on a
bicycle, passed the torch to his son,
Constantine, one of the leading
272
commentators on Romanian television.
Included in the escort column in
Romania was a car from the Romanian
Federation of Radio Enthusiasts which
carried the call sign "Olympic". In five
days more than 2,000 radio link-ups
with radio sportsmen of more than 40
countries were made, descriptions of
the ceremonial meeting of the flame
were broadcast.
The festival of meeting the Olympic
flame in Romania was accompanied by
exhibition displays of gymnastics and
rhythmic gymnastics, mass athletics
events, wrestling, football, volleyball
and handball matches. More than 80
mass sports events took place during
the passage of the relay through the
country.
As in Bulgaria and Greece the relay
in Romania had called forth great
enthusiasm from among the population.
We knew earlier that the 1980
Olympics' relay would create a big
interest, said deputy leader of the
escort group from the Romanian NOC
A. Vrabija, but all the same we had not
expected such as enormous number of
people who would like to take part in
the festival of welcoming the flame. The
relay has helped us in the development
of sports.
The passage of the relay through
the USSR began on July 5.
The transfer of the Olympic flame to
Soviet athletes took place on the
frontier bridge over the River Prut,
close to the Moldavian village of
Leusheny.
The Olympic flame in Romania