David Popovici has complained numerous times about the poor training conditions he faces in Romania.
In his latest interview, Popovici, the Olympic champion in the 200-meter freestyle in Paris, criticized the lack of interest from politicians in sports and called for more support for his colleagues. The issue is that the pool at Lia Manoliu is extremely cold, and during the winter, a makeshift cover is placed over the pool, causing everyone to have respiratory problems due to the high chlorine levels in the water.
"If I were to bring my opponents or friends from other countries to visit or train with me at 'Lia Manoliu,' they would say I'm joking. They would say, 'No, no, this is a joke, take us to where you train!' I am convinced they wouldn't believe me," said the 20-year-old swimmer at the beginning of 2025, in a conversation with Micutzu on M.C.N. Podcast.
The American press reacted immediately after seeing David Popovici's statements: "Despite his success, including winning the gold medal in the 200m freestyle at the Olympics and the bronze medal in the 100m freestyle, Popovici described the relatively mediocre training conditions at the Lia Manoliu pool in the capital of Bucharest as a call for Romania to invest more in athletes at various levels," wrote SwimSwim.
"It becomes a miracle to achieve sports performance in Romania. That's why more involvement from the state is needed for sports. I might be a bit lucky because in periods when the chlorine levels become too high and it's unbearable, I go and train at Dinamo, my club. Other friends of mine, swimmers, go to Bulgaria, take a break from swimming, or manage somehow. It's not normal. There should be options, and I want to talk about this as much as possible!" added David Popovici.
D.A.