Oina

Oină is a Romanian traditional sport, similar in many ways to baseball and lapta. The name "oină" was originally "hoina",[1] and is derived from the Cuman word oyn "game" (a cognate of Turkish oyun).[2] The oldest mentions come from the 14th century.[3] The oldest direct mention comes from diet manual from 1782 by medic Istvan Natyus, who talks about health benefits of oina.[4] Oină was first mentioned during the rule of Vlaicu Vodă in 1364, when it spread all across Wallachia. In 1899, Spiru Haret, the minister of education decided that oină was to be played in schools in physical education classes. He organized the first annual oină competitions. The Romanian Oină Federation ("Federaţia Română de Oină") was founded in 1932, and was reactivated at the beginning of the 1950s, after a brief period when it was dissolved. Today, there are two oină federations: one in Bucharest, Romania and another one in Chişinău, Moldova.