While Playboy's recruitment drive in Ireland has yet to take off, Romania has provided fertile ground for the men's mag. Gymnast Vanda Hadarean, who won a silver medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, has bared all for the most pretentious publication on the top shelf.

The 24-year-old, who was also European junior champion in 1991, agreed to strip (tastefully of course) after an appearance in the magazine by 20-year-old former world champion Corina Ungureanu last year. Romanian newspapers on Tuesday published a photo of the naked athlete relaxing on a rock by a waterfall. Wow, has that ever been done before? "I was very attracted by the proposal, and I didn't hesitate for a second before accepting," said Hadarean, who was also in a bronze medal-winning team in the World Championships in 1991.

The Romanian Gymnastics Federation (FRG) made no comment. Last December the FRG openly blasted Ungureanu for posing nude for the magazine, saying it violated sporting ethics.

They punished her by striking her name from a list of the 10 best gymnasts of the year. Kill joys.