Walter Lambertus was a Romanian rower who represented his nation at the 1976 Montréal Olympics. Lambertus competed in the single sculls at the Games, where he finished fifth in the B Final to place 11th overall. During the Games he went to the immigration centre in Niagara Falls and applied for permanent residency. He travelled from the Olympic Village and stayed with relatives whilst his application was processed. Lambertus told reporters that he wanted to stay in Canada “for freedom” but was worried about the impact of defecting. He remained in Canada until his death in March 2019.
Romania