OMV Petrom continues to support Romanian women’s gymnastics

• Approximately EUR 140,000 for the project "Country, country, we want champions!" in 2024
• The Olympic team that represented Romania at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris was made up of 5 gymnasts, 4 out of which trained within the "Country, country, we want champions!" program fully financed by OMV Petrom
• OMV Petrom allocated around EUR 3 million to support Romanian women’s gymnastics, from 2014 until now

OMV Petrom, the largest integrated energy producer in Southeast Europe, extends the partnership with the House of Champions Foundation and supports the continuation of the "Country, country, we want champions!" program with approximately EUR 140,000. The objective of the program is to relaunch Romanian women’s gymnastics.

OMV Petrom's sponsorship will ensure optimal training conditions for the young athletes: improvement of training conditions, organization of camps and participation in national and international competitions, provision of sports materials and equipment, nutritional supplements and medical examinations. There will also be special training activities for the coaches. These aim at perfecting the technique of teaching high difficulty elements, notions of entering competition form, as well as the acquisition of first aid skills in case of accidents, but also provision of psychological support when needed.

The project "Country, country, we want champions!" started in 2014, at the initiative of the internationally recognized coaches Mariana Bitang and Octavian Bellu, with the support of OMV Petrom. So far, the company has allocated around EUR 3 million to finance the program and the women's gymnastics team.

Alina Popa, OMV Petrom CFO: "I am extremely happy that we, OMV Petrom, support the talent, work and dedication of gymnasts and that we constantly invest in the future of Romanian gymnastics. Over the years, the gymnasts from the program "Country, country, we want champions!" have won numerous medals at international competitions and we are delighted to be with them and to support these achievements that inspire and give pride to all Romanians."

Mariana Bitang, President of the House of Champions Foundation: "After 10 years since the start of the national project to relaunch Romanian gymnastics "Country, country, we want champions!", the developments of our gymnasts have brought Romania back into the limelight of the Olympic ramp in Paris 2024 thanks to the constant investment in performance by OMV Petrom and the House of Champions Foundation. Congratulations, girls! Your performance is an inspiration!”

The gymnasts from the program "Country, country, we want champions!" have obtained numerous medals at international competitions: 15 medals at the European Junior Championships, 5 medals at the European Youth Olympic Festival, 1 silver medal at the World Junior Championship, 9 medals at World Cups, 3 medals at the European Senior Championships and a medal at the Olympic Games.

Four of the five gymnasts who made up the Olympic team that represented Romania at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris were part of the "Country, country, we want champions!" program. These athletes qualified in six Olympic finals: the team final where they finished in seventh place, the individual-compound final - two athletes, the beam final and the floor final. In the floor final, Ana Bărbosu won the bronze medal, while Sabrina Maneca Voinea placed fourth.

About OMV Petrom 

OMV Petrom is the largest integrated energy producer in Southeastern Europe, with an annual Group hydrocarbon production of approximately 41 million boe in 2023. The Group has a refining capacity of 4.5 million tons annually and operates an 860 MW high-efficiency gas-fired power plant. The Group is present on the oil products retail market in Romania and neighbouring countries through approximately 780 filling stations under two brands – OMV and Petrom.

OMV Petrom is a company in which, as of end-2023, Romanian shareholders hold over 43% of the shares (of which the Romanian state, through the Ministry of Energy, holds 20.7%, and 22.5% are owned by pension funds in Romania, to which are added almost 500,000 individual investors and other Romanian entities). OMV Aktiengesellschaft, one of the largest listed industrial companies in Austria, holds a 51.2% stake in OMV Petrom, and the remaining 5.6% are held by other foreign investors. Of the total shares of OMV Petrom, 28.1% represents the free float on the Bucharest Stock Exchange.

OMV Petrom is one of the largest contributors to the state budget, with approximately 42 billion euro in taxes and dividends paid between 2005 and 2023. During the same period, the company invested approximately 18 billion euro.

Since 2007, OMV Petrom has included corporate responsibility principles into its business strategy. Between 2007 and 2023, the company has allocated around 160 million euro to develop communities in Romania, focusing on environmental protection, education, health, and local development.

On July 29th, 2020, OMV Petrom announced its support for the recommendations issued by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) regarding risks and opportunities on climate change. OMV Petrom annually reports on the progress made in implementing these recommendations.