Romania's team of 150 athletes is set to be its biggest to date at a European Games ©COSR

Romania has named a team of 150 athletes for the Kraków-Małopolska 2023 European Games here, with hammer thrower Bianca Ghelber and canoeist Cătălin Chirilă set to carry the country's flag at the Opening Ceremony.

Ghelber and Chirilă are two of the leading names in the Romanian team.

One of 38 athletes selected to compete in athletics, Ghelber today won the women's hammer throw event in division two at the European Athletics Team Championships, being staged in Chorzów as part of the European Games.

She triumphed in her discipline at last year's Munich 2022 European Championships.

Chirilă is the men's C1 1,000 metres world and European champion, and a gold medallist at the last European Games in Minsk with Victor Mihalachi in the C2 1,000m.

He also took the oath of athletes on behalf of his team-mates prior to the Romanian delegations departure for Poland.

Chirilă is one of five canoe sprint athletes who are part of the Romanian team, with Chirilă's C1 500m competition due to be held on Friday (June 23) and Saturday (June 24).

In total, Romania is due to be represented in 18 of the 29 sports on the programme.

Diver Amelie Foerster is its youngest athlete at 15, with teqball player Ilyes Szabolcs its oldest at 36.

The team is its largest at a European Games to date, slightly beating the 147 at Baku 2015.

Romania's European hammer throw champion Bianca Ghelber is set to be one of its flagbearers at tomorrow's Kraków-Małopolska 2023 Opening Ceremony ©Getty Images
Romania's European hammer throw champion Bianca Ghelber is set to be one of its flagbearers at tomorrow's Kraków-Małopolska 2023 Opening Ceremony ©Getty Images

A total of 123 Romanian athletes competed at Minsk 2019.

At Kraków-Małopolska 2023, the team is due to be accompanied by 39 coaches, 15 medical personnel, nine team officials and one mountain bike specialist, with Dragoș Tătaru serving as Chef de Mission.

Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee President Mihai Covaliu expressed his confidence in the selected athletes' potential to medal.

"The challenge you will experience at the European Games Kraków-Małopolska 2023 should be an opportunity for you to show that you are prepared and that you will fight for the team and for everyone who supports you," he said, as reported by news.ro.

"I know what pressure and surpassing limits mean, what it demands, but I also know that you are strong and capable of stepping onto the podium."

Romania earned three golds, five silvers and four bronzes at the first European Games in Baku in 2015, followed by two golds, three silvers and five bronzes at Minsk 2019.

Kraków-Małopolska 2023 is due to run from tomorrow until July 2.