Vasile Citea elected president of Romanian Boxing Federation

Vasile Citea was elected president of the Romanian Boxing Federation (FRB); he defeated on Thursday his opponent Mihai Lauruc in a 88-to-38 vote of the Extraordinary Assembly of the Federation, attended by 129 of the 152 affiliated members. Three of the members left before the voting. 

Former amateur world champion Mihai Simion retired from the race during the assembly. Another candidate, former Federation honorary president Mihai Craiu, did not attend, but sent a letter announcing his withdrawal and urging his supporters to vote for Citea. 

The newly elected president announced that his priority is reorganization: "We will draw up the federation's organization chart, then find the solution to pay something to the ANAF (National Tax Administration)." 

Citea, a former FRB vice president, also voiced his regret for a confirmed embezzlement within the federation, and blamed it on poor management. 

"The Federation is in bad shape, but our results are good - for instance, one boxer is qualified to the Olympics, and three or four other still stand chances," he said. "I hope Mihai Nistor wins another Olympic gold medal for the Romanian boxing, 60 after the first one obtained by Nicolae Linca in 1956," he added. 

Citea also vowed to step down if he fails to cope with the task. He criticized his predecessors, former boxers Rudel Obreja, who failed to help from his high position in the International Federation, and Leonard Doroftei, who could not do more. "It was our fault to count on him," he said about Doroftei, a former world champion who resigned from the FRB leadership on November 13, three years after his election. AGERPRES