SPORTS
Romanian flagbearer takes aim at Olympic qualification
Baku, June 12, AZERTAC
Olympic shooting champion Alin Moldoveanu is honoured to be Romania’s flagbearer for the Baku 2015 European Games Opening Ceremony.
The 32-year-old won gold in the men's 10m air rifle at London 2012 and will lead Romania’s contingent of 147 athletes into the Baku Olympic Stadium on Friday evening (12 June).
"It's an honour for me," Moldoveanu said. "For every sportsman and athlete it is an honour to be the flagbearer for their nation. It is a good feeling."
Moldoveanu will compete in the 10m air rifle, which will be the first medal event at the Baku Shooting Centre when competition begins there on 16 June.
After his flag-bearing duties on Friday are completed, Moldoveanu will turn his attention to his real goal at the inaugural European Games, which is to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
But if he doesn't manage to qualify for Rio 2016 in Baku, Moldoveanu hopes that another event in Azerbaijan later in the year will help him achieve his goal.
The next ISSF World Cup takes place in the city of Gabala, Azerbaijan, in August and that event is also a Rio 2016 qualifier.
Moldoveanu said: "The objective is to qualify for the Olympic Games and we will see if I can manage it. These European Games are an opportunity to qualify, so it is good for us.
"I have another World Cup at the beginning of August which is also a qualifier for the Olympic Games. If I don’t qualify here then I need to prepare for that."