Jocul Oina

[Martta]

Theoldest direct mention comes from a diet manual of 1782 by medic Istvn Mtyus, who talks about the health benefits of oina.[4] However, it may have been attested as early as in 1364, during the reign of Vladislav, the Wallachian voivode.[5]

In recent years the Romanian oină Federation has launched a wide campaign to revive this kind of sport. Most of the traditional centres have been restored, and new areas have also been incorporated, so oină is practiced in more than 40 regions at the moment.[6]

In addition to spreading oină in the regions of Romania, the Romanian oină Federation actively popularizes this game outside the country organizing demonstration tournaments in different countries (Serbia, Japan, Indonesia, England, Poland, Germany, India, Pakistan, Croatia, Ukraine). For internationalization, the Federation establishes partnerships with institutions outside the country (as it was in Ukraine, India, Pakistan and England) or with people who want to help popularize this kind of sport. In cooperation with these people and institutions, the FRO creates study guides and handbooks on oină in various foreign languages.[7]

The in-game area is further split into the advance and return triangles and squares. At the intersection of the lines inside the game area and the pitch limits or other lines within the game area, there are circles which determine the positions of the midfielders ("mijlocași") and side players ("mărginași"). The 1m and 3m semicircles are used for batting and serving. A waiting line is drawn for attacking players to wait their turn to bat.

The teams have very different roles depending on whether they are at bat or at catch. At bat players are tasked to open a play and run the lanes until they cross the escape line. At catch players are tasked to hit the players running the lanes with the ball. There can be a maximum of two players running each lane at the same time. A player can be hit in both lanes once.

The team at bat is selected by a ritual where the players have to grab the bat, thrown by the referee, and the last one to be able to place at least four fingers on the bat wins. The game begins with the team at bat, with one of the players throwing the ball while another player of the same team has to hit it with a wooden bat ("btă") and send it as far as he can towards the adversary field. After that, if the ball is caught by the adversaries, the player can run (if he wishes, or if he is forced to run by the referee) the advance and return corridors/lanes ("culoarele de ducere și ntoarcere"), without being hit by the defenders. If he stops the ball with his palm, it is not considered a hit. The player is not allowed to catch the ball, and he must release it immediately. If the player doing a run is hit he goes out of field and into the back zone, or he finishes his tasks, depending on which lane he is running.

Oină and variants of the sport are also played in neighboring countries where there has been or still is a Romanian ethnic or cultural presence. As part of its program to bring oină to the spotlight again, the FRO has begun the process of creating an international federation.[10] A minimum of three national federations need to exist in order to form an international federation, and two exist already (the Romanian and Moldovan federations). The FRO has begun talks of founding oină clubs and federations in neighboring Bulgaria and Serbia,[11] and in Sweden.[12] Demonstration matches are to be held in Serbia.

Jocul solicită calități sportive complexe (viteză bună de alergare, reflexe rapide n mișcările de autoapărare față de loviturile mingii, precizie n aruncarea și lovirea mingii cu un baston sau btă). La data de 14 martie 2023, Camera Deputaților a votat ca oina să devină sportul național al Romniei iar ziua de 9 mai să devină Ziua Națională a Oinei.[1]

Jocul de oină este practicat continuu cel puțin din secolul al XIV-lea conform cronicilor și hrisoavelor timpului, fiind menționat prima dată documentar la 1364, n timpul domniei lui Vlaicu Vodă.[2]

O altă atestare documentară apare n anul 1596, cnd cosmograful italian Gian Lorenzo dAnania menționează jocul de oină n lucrarea Sistemul Universal al Lumii la capitolul descrierii Valahiei Superioare.

După cel de-al doilea război mondial, oina și recștigă popularitatea, organizndu-se o serie de competiții pe plan local și național cum ar fi: Cupa Speranțelor, Cupa Regiunilor, Cupa Romniei, Campionatul național de seniori și juniori, Cupa Orașelor, Cupa Satelor, Cupa Liceelor Agroindustriale, Campionatul Universitar, Dinamoviada, Spartachiada, Cupa Federației, Campionatul Școlar și altele.

n ultimii ani, Federația Romnă de Oină a demarat o amplă acțiune de revigorare a acestui sport. Au fost reactivate o mare parte dintre centrele de tradiție și incluse noi localități, astfel că n prezent practicarea oinei se face n peste 30 de județe.[3]

Zona n joc este de asemenea mpărțită n pătrate și triunghiuri. La intersecția liniilor din interiorul zonei n joc există cercuri de 2 metri care determină pozițiile mijlocașilor și mărginașilor. Cele două semicercuri sunt folosite pentru servirea și bătaia mingii. Există și o linie de așteptare pentru jucători care și așteaptă rndul.

Jocul ncepe cnd cineva din echipa la bătaie aruncă mingea n aer n timp ce un alt jucător din aceeași echipă trebuie să o lovească cu un baston din lemn și să o trimită ct poate el de departe. După aceea, dacă mingea este prinsă de echipa din teren, jucătorul trebuie să alerge (cu sau fără alt coechipier) pe culoarul de ducere iar apoi pe culoarul de ntoarcere ncercnd să nu fie lovit de către echipa la prindere. Dacă oprește mingea cu palma, nu este considerat "lovit". Jucătorul nu are voie să prinda mingea și trebuie să i dea drumul imediat. Dacă jucătorul este lovit pe culoarul de ducere, acesta este nevoit să se ducă n zona de fund. Dacă este lovit pe culoarul de ntoarcere, el este eliminat din joc.

De fiecare dată după ce mingea bătută aterizează pe unul din caree/triunghiuri i se acordă un punct echipei la bătaie. Se acordă două puncte dacă mingea trece de linia de fund și niciun punct dacă mingea iese din teren pe lateral.

Bastonul trebuie sa fie rotund pe intreaga lungime. Manerul bastonului de bataie trebuie sa fie prevazut cu santulete inelare de 2 mm latime si adancime, departate unul de altul la 2 cm pe o lungime de circa 20 cm pentru a nu aluneca din mana la bataia mingei.

In scopul asigurarii unei prize mai bune se poate infasura pe manerul bastonului, pe aceeasi lungime, o panglica cauciucata. Bastonul poate fi prevazut cu opritor, care face parte din lungimea bastonului.

The beginnings of this game are lost in the mists of time. Shepherding has been one of the basic occupations of the Romanian people for centuries. Oina was created by shepherds who, in the solitude of the mountains, invented this beautiful game, eager to spend their rest time practising a game that reminded them of their occupation.

So, having its origins in the Romanian villages, this old game was passed down from generation to generation. It constantly evolved, played in different ways and with various names in different areas of Romania.

Initially, the ball was made from cow hair, which was wet and shaped by hand. Then it began to be tied up or braided with string. Later, the ball was made of patches of skin, filled with hair - which is how it is made today.

It was not until the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century that the first official game regulations appeared, drawn up and printed under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and applied uniformly throughout the country.

Spiru Haret was the Minister of Education between 1897 and 1910. He reformed the modern Romanian education system, and instituted annual school oina competitions in 1898, which led to the sport becoming popular.

Clubs were disbanded or reorganised, and the sport was only played in a fewcentres, due to lack of money, fame, media exposure and other factors. As it was not considered to be a profitable short and medium term investment, and a local sport without regular external trips and international networks, no sponsors were found.

Since July 3 2014, oina has become Romania's national sport. A national program - 'Rediscover oina' - was launched, to promote a niche sport that has not disappeared due to the tenacity of some people.

Oina is a sport in which the players of a team play differently in one half of the game than they do in the second half. In one half, a team is 'pitching' and, in the second half, the same team is 'catching'.

When the team is 'pitching', the main goal is to get as many extra points from hitting the ball with the stick and to pass as many untouched teammates as possible. The 'catching' team has the mission to prevent the opponent from getting points, catching any flying ball that comes into the field, and hitting as many opponents as possible.

Despite the fact that they seem quite similar (and some would say that they have common origins), oina and American baseball are different in terms of regulations, number of players, equipment, size of the field and many others. Oina is also similar to sports in other countries, such as Schlagball in Germany, jeu de paume in France, or pespallo in Finland.

Oina is a sport which has been preserved over centuries for a number of reasons. The expenses generated by its practice are minimal. In addition, the game is accessible to players young and old. And last but not least, the game has survived because of people's passion for the sport, their customs and traditions.

Oina game was included in the National Inventory of Living Elements of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the registration documentation being approved by the National Commission for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture. A living tradition of the national cultural heritage, oina game is part of the archaic family of stick and ball games, practiced in different cultures.

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