Gheorghe Plagiano was Romania’s first Olympic competitor when he competed in shooting at the 1900 Olympics, placing 13th in trap shooting. Originally born out of wedlock to Alexandru Plagiano and Wilhelmina Sieffert, his birth was legitimized at age 18 after his father married Sieffert. The family were wealthy landowners allowing Gheorghe to spend much of his time in Paris, where he married the daughter of the Romanian Ambassador to France.
In Romania Plagiano was responsible for organizing shooting sport, starting the national championships in 1924, winning the Romanian trap shooting title in 1927 and 1928, and serving as President of the Romanian Shooting Federation. He also founded the Automobile Club of Romania in 1904, served as Vice-President of the Romanian Olympic Committee, and when the Union of Romanian Sports Federations was founded in 1930, Plagiano was elected as the first President. He also served as a senator in the Romanian Parliament. Plagiano served on the IOC for more than 40 years, succeeding Gheorghe, Prince Bibesco in 1908, and remaining on the committee until his death in 1949.
Romania