Oină

Oina is a Romanian ball sport ( racquetball game), distantly related to the German Rounders. It was first mentioned during the reign of Vlaicu Voda in the year 1364. At that time it was spread all over the Principality of Wallachia as game of the shepherds. ( " Oi " means " sheep "). In neighboring Transylvania and Transylvania (then belonging to Hungary ) described Stefan Matyus from Cluj ( Kolozsvár ) the game in 1762 for the first time in Diaetaetica. He recommended it to strengthen the body and mind.

It was in the territories that now belong to Romania, also known by various other names: In Transylvania as Matca, Matca mare, HALCA or Baciu ( at Blaj ). In Sibiu there was talk of fuga, in Braşov by a de - lunga. In Bukovina it was called odoliu.

One of the first modern Olympic Games (1896 ) Romania offered to send two Oina teams, but the proposal was rejected by the International Olympic Committee, "because Oina is played in any other country ". 1899 decreed by the Minister of Education, Spiru Haret that Oina should be operated in all schools in physical education and organized even the first annual school competitions.

Today there are two national associations: the Federatia Română de Oină in Bucharest ( Romania) and another one in Chisinau (Moldova).

Championships will be held in Romania in five categories: Seniors, 2 Juniors classes 2 students classes ( for urban and rural schools).

Differences and similarities to baseball:

• Equal weight of the ball ( around 140 grams)
• Longer and sleeker bat when Oina,
• A game only takes 30 minutes for the Oina,
• Elongated playfield Oina (70 x 30 m, for youths 57 x 26 m ),
• Oina teams have 11 players; Baseball teams, however, 9

Swell

• Marcus Rosenstein: The ball sports lexicon. The ball and ball games in the world, Berlin ( Weinmann ), 1997. ISBN 3-87892-062-8
• The Romanian Oina Association ( S.U. ) Website