Begun in 2009, the adidas-Boulder Wave Romania Development Program aims to help develop the next generation of track and field athletes from Romania. The plan of the first years was to recruit half a dozen young women distance runners and provide them with the support to develop their athletic talent and professional careers. In the first years, the athletes lived and trained together under the guidance of a head coach; received physical therapy, massage, and meals; trained and competed in full adidas gear; and received monthly stipends, all through the support of the program’s main sponsor. The umbrella organization set up to oversee the program is called Fundatia Atletis. Boulder Wave represents all of these athletes and provides overall management of the program.
From the summer of 2011, the program has been expanded to ten athletes, who each now train with their personal coaches. The program has born fruit, as seen by the athletes’ first victories and podium finishes in Romanian national championships, and slowly growing participation in international competitions such as the European Cross-Country Championships, the Nova series of Great Run events, and regional international championships representing Romania.
