Radio România Internațional

Tag: CFR

Sports roundup

The delegation to represent Romania at the Olympic Games in
Tokyo grew up to 84 athletes on Sunday. 18 athletes making up the Romanian
men’s and women’s eights have secured their qualification during the
pre-Olympic regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland.

The two boats have come second in the races, getting the
plane tickets for Tokyo. In the women’s competition Romania’s boat came second
to China and before Germany while our male rowers came after New Zealand with
Italy in the third position.

In the single scull, Mihai Chiruţă has failed to qualify for
Tokyo and so has the Romanian four. So, Romania will send to Tokyo 36 athletes
and nine teams who will be competing in the men’s and women’s four oar races,
women’s pair oar and double sculls, the men’s pair and the men’s and women’s
eight races.

Last weekend saw the matches of the eighth leg of the
Romania’s first football league. On Friday in Clinceni, southern Romania, local
side Academica secured a 4-3 win against FC Botosani. On Saturday, CFR Cluj
clinched a 3-1 away win against Universitatea Craiova whereas the game pitching
Sepsi against FCSB ended in a 2-all draw.

Viitorul Constanta outperformed Chindia Targoviste 2-0 on
Friday while Hermannstadt obtained 1-0 win against Poli Iasi. FC Voluntari
defeated Astra Giurgiu 3-0 while UTA Arad secured a 1-0 win against Gaz Metan
Medias. Dinamo Bucharest outperformed FC Arges 2-1 in Pitesti, southern
Romania. Poli Iasi and Hermannstadt are on the last two places in the ranking
and will demote to the second football league. Astra Giurgiu and FC Voluntari are to play tie
matches to keep their position in the first league.

(bill)

17 May 2021
Sports roundup

Romanian women’s handball side CSM Bucharest on Saturday secured a 32-27
win against Russian side CSKA Moscow in the first round of the Champions
League’s quarter finals. The best players of the Romanian side were Cristina
Neagu and Slovenian Barbara Lazovic, each with 6 goals scored. The goal-keeper
of the Bucharest side, Croatian Jelena Grubisic, also put up a good show saving
12 goals, which means 32% of the shots. The return game is due in Moscow on April
11th.

We continue with the
latest from women’s handball as in the European League, Romanian side Minaur Baia
Mare managed to qualify for the semifinals after a double win against Dunărea
Brăila. In the first round, a week ago, Minaur secured a 31 – 24 away win. During
the home match Minaur won 27 – 25, Serbian player Jovana Kovacevic managed to
score the largest number of goals for the hosts, 7.

Athletes from Romania
walked away with three gold medals, four silver and one bronze from the
European Weightlifting Championships in Moscow. Monica Csengeri became gold
medalist in the 49 de kilogram category. She won the snatch contest with 86 kg,
after two failed attempts at 90. She also compelled international recognition
in the clean & jerk where she managed 103 kg, and won the total with 189
kg.

Last weekend saw the
games counting towards the 29th leg of Romania’s first football
league, the last but one of the regular season. On Friday in Clinceni, local
side Academica secured a 2-1 win against Poli Iași and the game pitching Gaz
Metan Mediaș against Astra Giurgiu ended in a goaless draw. On Saturday, FC
Hermannstadt clinched a 4-1 win against FC Argeș, in a match held in Mediaș,
central Romania.

Sunday saw three games; FC Botoșani obtained a 1-0 home win against Viitorul
Constanța, while UTA, also at home, outperformed Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe 2-0. FCSB
and Universitatea Craiova ended in a goaless draw their game in Giurgiu,
southern Romania. Chindia Târgoviște is up against FC Voluntari while CFR Cluj takes
on Dinamo București in the leg’s last two games on Monday. FCSB ranks first in
the standings with 64 points, followed by CFR with 60 and Craiova with 57.

(bill)

5 April 2021
Sports roundup

Romanian women’s handball side CSM Bucharest on Saturday secured a 32-27
win against Russian side CSKA Moscow in the first round of the Champions
League’s quarter finals. The best players of the Romanian side were Cristina
Neagu and Slovenian Barbara Lazovic, each with 6 goals scored. The goal-keeper
of the Bucharest side, Croatian Jelena Grubisic, also put up a good show saving
12 goals, which means 32% of the shots. The return game is due in Moscow on April
11th.

We continue with the
latest from women’s handball as in the European League, Romanian side Minaur Baia
Mare managed to qualify for the semifinals after a double win against Dunărea
Brăila. In the first round, a week ago, Minaur secured a 31 – 24 away win. During
the home match Minaur won 27 – 25, Serbian player Jovana Kovacevic managed to
score the largest number of goals for the hosts, 7.

Athletes from Romania
walked away with three gold medals, four silver and one bronze from the
European Weightlifting Championships in Moscow. Monica Csengeri became gold
medalist in the 49 de kilogram category. She won the snatch contest with 86 kg,
after two failed attempts at 90. She also compelled international recognition
in the clean & jerk where she managed 103 kg, and won the total with 189
kg.

Last weekend saw the
games counting towards the 29th leg of Romania’s first football
league, the last but one of the regular season. On Friday in Clinceni, local
side Academica secured a 2-1 win against Poli Iași and the game pitching Gaz
Metan Mediaș against Astra Giurgiu ended in a goaless draw. On Saturday, FC
Hermannstadt clinched a 4-1 win against FC Argeș, in a match held in Mediaș,
central Romania.

Sunday saw three games; FC Botoșani obtained a 1-0 home win against Viitorul
Constanța, while UTA, also at home, outperformed Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe 2-0. FCSB
and Universitatea Craiova ended in a goaless draw their game in Giurgiu,
southern Romania. Chindia Târgoviște is up against FC Voluntari while CFR Cluj takes
on Dinamo București in the leg’s last two games on Monday. FCSB ranks first in
the standings with 64 points, followed by CFR with 60 and Craiova with 57.

(bill)

5 April 2021
Sports roundup

The Romanian women’s handball side Dunarea Braila has
qualified for the quarter finals of the EHF European League after a 36-32 home
win against the Russians from Kuban Krasnodar in a decisive Group D game.
Dunarea, which was hankering for a win in order to make it to the competition’s
next stage, will be up in the quarters against the winner of Group C, Minaur
Baia Mare, also from Romania.

In the men’s competition, Minaur Baia Mare has qualified for
the quarter finals after outperforming Ukrainian side Donbas Mariupol 34-26 in
a return home game on Saturday. Minaur also won the first game 24-23. The other
Romanian side in the competition, CSM Bucharest was stopped in its tracks by
the Greek side AEK Athens 28-23 at home and 23-29 away.

Romanian ice hockey side Corona Brasov lost to Hungarian
side Ferencvaros Budapest 5-2 in a home game counting towards the regional
competition Erste Liga. The Hungarians have managed to outperform all the
Romanian sides in Erste Liga: SC Miercurea Ciuc, CS Gheorgheni and Corona
Brasov.

Last weekend saw the games counting towards the 24th
leg of Romania’s domestic championship. On Friday, FC Arges defeated FC
Voluntari 1-0 and Universitatea Craiova also secured a 1-0 home win against
Hermannstadt. On Saturday in Sfantu Gheorghe, local side Sepsi ended in a
nil-all draw their game against Academica Clinceni while in Bucharest local
side FCSB clinched a 1-0 win against Chindia Targoviste.

On Sunday, CFR Cluj obtained a 1-0 away win against Gaz
Metan while Astra outperformed Dinamo Bucharest 2-0 in a home match. The leg’s
last two matches on Monday are pitching UTA Arad against FC Botosani and
Viitorul Constanta against Poli Iasi. FCSB and CFR Cluj are topping the table
each with 51 points followed by Craiova with 47.

(bill)

22 February 2021
Sports roundup

The Romanian women’s handball side Dunarea Braila has
qualified for the quarter finals of the EHF European League after a 36-32 home
win against the Russians from Kuban Krasnodar in a decisive Group D game.
Dunarea, which was hankering for a win in order to make it to the competition’s
next stage, will be up in the quarters against the winner of Group C, Minaur
Baia Mare, also from Romania.

In the men’s competition, Minaur Baia Mare has qualified for
the quarter finals after outperforming Ukrainian side Donbas Mariupol 34-26 in
a return home game on Saturday. Minaur also won the first game 24-23. The other
Romanian side in the competition, CSM Bucharest was stopped in its tracks by
the Greek side AEK Athens 28-23 at home and 23-29 away.

Romanian ice hockey side Corona Brasov lost to Hungarian
side Ferencvaros Budapest 5-2 in a home game counting towards the regional
competition Erste Liga. The Hungarians have managed to outperform all the
Romanian sides in Erste Liga: SC Miercurea Ciuc, CS Gheorgheni and Corona
Brasov.

Last weekend saw the games counting towards the 24th
leg of Romania’s domestic championship. On Friday, FC Arges defeated FC
Voluntari 1-0 and Universitatea Craiova also secured a 1-0 home win against
Hermannstadt. On Saturday in Sfantu Gheorghe, local side Sepsi ended in a
nil-all draw their game against Academica Clinceni while in Bucharest local
side FCSB clinched a 1-0 win against Chindia Targoviste.

On Sunday, CFR Cluj obtained a 1-0 away win against Gaz
Metan while Astra outperformed Dinamo Bucharest 2-0 in a home match. The leg’s
last two matches on Monday are pitching UTA Arad against FC Botosani and
Viitorul Constanta against Poli Iasi. FCSB and CFR Cluj are topping the table
each with 51 points followed by Craiova with 47.

(bill)

22 February 2021
Sports Weekend

Last week saw the matches of the Romanian Football Cup’s round of 16. On
Tuesday, second leaguer Petrolul Ploiești clinched a 3-0 home win against Poli
Iași. On Wednesday, Chindia Târgoviște defeated Farul Constanta 3-0 on the
latter’s home turf. Another second leaguer, Universitatea Cluj secured a 2-1
win against UTA Arad, while Dinamo Bucharest obtained a 1-0 victory against archrivals
FCSB. On Thursday, Viitorul Pandurii Târgu Jiu, also from Romania’s second
football league, defeated at home Gaz Metan Mediaș 1-0 while Astra Giurgiu obtained
a 2-1 away victory against Politehnica Timișoara. Universitatea Craiova outperformed
FC Botoșani 1-0 in an away game. Second leaguer Dunarea Calarasi has qualified
for the quarters after the withdrawal of Turris – Oltul Turnu Magurele.

This weekend will see a series of football games counting towards the 23rd
leg of Romania’s first football league. Only one game on Friday when FC Arges
is pitted against Viitorul Constanta. On Saturday, Chindia is up against UTA in
Buftea, southern Romania, while Dinamo Bucharest, at home, will be playing
Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe. On Sunday, Astra Giurgiu will be playing in Iasi,
northern Romania, local side Poli. Universitatea Craiova will be up against
Academica Clinceni while the city of Medias will be hosting the game opposing
Hermannstadt and FCSB.

Monday will see the leg’s last two games: FC Botosani versus Gaz Metan
and CFR Cluj against FC Voluntari. FCSB ranks first in the standings with 48
points followed by CFR with 47.

Romania’s water polo side
is in the Netherlands attending a qualifying tournament for Tokyo Olympics. Our
team is part of the C group together with Croatia, Olympic champions in 2012
and vice-champions in 2016, Germany, Russia the Netherlands and France. Romania
will take on Croatia on Sunday in their first game. The quarterfinals have been
scheduled for February 19th the semis a day later and the finals on
21st February. The first three sides are qualified for the Olympic
Games.

The Romanian women’s handball side CSM Bucharest will be playing French
side Metz in the Champions League’ group A on Saturday. A day later in group B,
SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea plays on their own ground another French side Brest
Bretagne. These are the last games the Romanian sides will be playing in the
group stage. Last week, the European Handball Federation amended the
regulations allowing all the sides in the groups to qualify for the round of
16. In the European League Dunărea Brăila will be up against Fleury Loiret of
France. After four games Dunarea is ranking 3rd in their group.

(bill)

12 February 2021
Sports Weekend

Last week saw the matches of the Romanian Football Cup’s round of 16. On
Tuesday, second leaguer Petrolul Ploiești clinched a 3-0 home win against Poli
Iași. On Wednesday, Chindia Târgoviște defeated Farul Constanta 3-0 on the
latter’s home turf. Another second leaguer, Universitatea Cluj secured a 2-1
win against UTA Arad, while Dinamo Bucharest obtained a 1-0 victory against archrivals
FCSB. On Thursday, Viitorul Pandurii Târgu Jiu, also from Romania’s second
football league, defeated at home Gaz Metan Mediaș 1-0 while Astra Giurgiu obtained
a 2-1 away victory against Politehnica Timișoara. Universitatea Craiova outperformed
FC Botoșani 1-0 in an away game. Second leaguer Dunarea Calarasi has qualified
for the quarters after the withdrawal of Turris – Oltul Turnu Magurele.

This weekend will see a series of football games counting towards the 23rd
leg of Romania’s first football league. Only one game on Friday when FC Arges
is pitted against Viitorul Constanta. On Saturday, Chindia is up against UTA in
Buftea, southern Romania, while Dinamo Bucharest, at home, will be playing
Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe. On Sunday, Astra Giurgiu will be playing in Iasi,
northern Romania, local side Poli. Universitatea Craiova will be up against
Academica Clinceni while the city of Medias will be hosting the game opposing
Hermannstadt and FCSB.

Monday will see the leg’s last two games: FC Botosani versus Gaz Metan
and CFR Cluj against FC Voluntari. FCSB ranks first in the standings with 48
points followed by CFR with 47.

Romania’s water polo side
is in the Netherlands attending a qualifying tournament for Tokyo Olympics. Our
team is part of the C group together with Croatia, Olympic champions in 2012
and vice-champions in 2016, Germany, Russia the Netherlands and France. Romania
will take on Croatia on Sunday in their first game. The quarterfinals have been
scheduled for February 19th the semis a day later and the finals on
21st February. The first three sides are qualified for the Olympic
Games.

The Romanian women’s handball side CSM Bucharest will be playing French
side Metz in the Champions League’ group A on Saturday. A day later in group B,
SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea plays on their own ground another French side Brest
Bretagne. These are the last games the Romanian sides will be playing in the
group stage. Last week, the European Handball Federation amended the
regulations allowing all the sides in the groups to qualify for the round of
16. In the European League Dunărea Brăila will be up against Fleury Loiret of
France. After four games Dunarea is ranking 3rd in their group.

(bill)

12 February 2021
November 5, 2020

VOTING The final results of the US voting, during which citizens had to
choose between incumbent president Republican Donald Trump and former
vice-president, Democrat Joe Biden are yet to be announced, given the massive
postal and early voting turnout and the different counting methods in the
American states. Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign has filed a law suit contesting
ballot counting in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia. A campaign official has
accused the Democrats for having attempted to cancel and weaken the Republican
vote. According to international observers, there is no evidence of election
rigging but the president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, accuses voter fraud
in several US cities. Trump’s campaign had previously announced they would ask
for a recount after Joe Biden narrowly won battleground state Wisconsin, edging
out president Trump in a state, which proved crucial to the latter’s victory
four years ago. This year’s presidential elections in the USA are taking place
against the background of the present pandemic heavily affecting the country,
which has reported the largest number of infections and fatalities in the
world. Nevertheless, according to Radio Romania correspondent in Washington,
the massive turnout this year proves America’s keen interest in the present
election.

COVID-19 The number of Covid-19 infections is on
the rise in Romania where authorities have announced another all-time high
since the onset of the pandemic, 9,714. The total number of those infected has
exceeded 276,802 with a death toll of 7,540. Hospitals have reported a total
number of Covid-infected patients of 12,061, out of whom 1,014 are being
treated in IC units, the largest number so far. The government is expected to make
face covering compulsory in all public spaces with an infection rate of 1.5 per
thousand. A decision in this respect is expected during the executive session
tonight when other restrictions could also be announced.

PANDEMIC Countries in Europe, which are currently
facing a new wave of Covid-19 infections, have stepped up restrictions in an
attempt to contain the pandemic. A four-week quarantine has been imposed in
England, where 500 of those infected died in the past 24 hours, the highest
figure so far. Pubs, restaurants, cafes, non-essential shops, gyms, swimming
pools and beauty salons have been closed down until December 2nd.
Schools and churches are open though. Non-essential activities have also ceased
in Spain where restaurants and gyms have been closed down. The region of
Castilla y Leon has banned visits to old people’s homes due to the high number
of infections.

HANDBALL Romania’s handball side is today taking on Sweden in an away game
counting towards the preliminaries of the European Championship due in Hungary and
Slovakia in 2022. The game will be followed by that against Montenegro in
Romania on Sunday. A four-time world champion in the sixties and seventies,
Romania’s national side hasn’t qualified for a continental tournament since
1996. Romania’s female handball side has qualified in a group, which also
includes Norway, Germany and Poland.

FOOTBALL Romania’s
football champions CFR Cluj tonight are up against Italian side AS Rome in
their third game in Europa League group A. CFR tops the group after a 2-0 win
against CSKA Sofia from Bulgaria and a one-all draw at home against Swiss side
Young Boys Bern. Eliminated from the preliminaries of the Champions League, CFR
is Romania’s only representative in this year’s edition of the European
football cups.

RAIL According to data released by the EU’s
statistical office, Eurostat, rail transportation in the EU has significantly shrunk in the second quarter against the same period last year due to the present Covid-19
pandemic. Romania’s 47% slump was the lowest in the EU with over 9 million
travelers as compared to 17 million in the similar period last year. Ireland
reported the highest decrease, 94%, followed by France and Spain with 78%
each.

(bill)

5 November 2020
November 4, 2020 UPDATE

VISIT Romania’s Prime Minister Ludovic
Orban on Wednesday met in Ramallah Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammer
Shtayyeh. According to the Romanian official the visit marks a major stage in
the development of the bilateral relations and can be an opportunity for
strengthening cooperation between Romania and Palestine in fields such as
education, domestic affairs and agriculture. During the talks, the Romanian
official underlined the importance of the Romanian community in the Middle East
and thanked his counterpart for the support offered by the Palestinian
authorities. The two officials also tackled the future of the Middle East peace
process. In this context, Orban said that Romania offers its support for any
action, which might lead to a sustainable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. Also on Wednesday, the Romanian Prime Minister met Palestinian
president Mahmoud Abbas. Earlier the Romanian official met Benjamin Gantz, Alternate Prime Minister and Defense
Minister of the State of Israel and on Tuesday he held talks with high Israeli
officials. Orban and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu reconfirmed the
privileged relations between the two states and hailed the recent launch of the
Romania-Israel working group in the economic field.

COVID-19 On Wednesday, Romania reported a new all-time
high in terms of Covid-19 infections, 8,651. Since the onset of the pandemic
267 thousand people have been infected in Romania and authorities have
announced 146 new fatalities. 1001 patients are being treated in IC units, the
highest number so far. Romania has a death toll of 7419 and authorities are
permanently assessing the measures aimed at containing the Covid pandemic.
According to the country’s president, Klaus Iohannis, the first batch of
vaccine could arrive in Romania in the first quarter of the next year and the first
to benefit from it are the employees of Romania’s medical system and those in
the high risk categories. The Romanian president says that there is no need to
impose the state of emergency in Romania, but restrictions are still needed to
contain the pandemic.

MOURNING The
Austrian government has declared three days of national mourning for the
victims of Monday’s terrorist attack in Vienna, which left four dead and 22
wounded. The country’s Foreign Minister Karl Nehammer admitted during a news
conference on Wednesday, that the Austrian Department for Combating Terrorism
(BVT) was briefed by the Slovak police on the assailant, an Austrian of
north-Macedonian extraction who was trying to buy ammunition in Slovakia. Authorities
are continuing the investigation. 14 arrests were made after searches of 18
homes. Authorities believe he was a lone attacker, who ran the streets and
opened fire on passers-by and customers in bars and restaurants, just before
the national quarantine came into force. Chancellor has Sebastian Kurz sent a
message of unity to the people, promising that Austria will defend its
democracy, fundamental rights and its liberal lifestyle.

FOOTBALL Romania’s football champions CFR Cluj will
be up against Italian side AS Rome in their third game in Europa League group
A. CFR tops the group after a 2-0 win against CSKA Sofia from Bulgaria and a
one-all draw at home against Swiss side Young Boys Bern. Eliminated from the
preliminaries of the Champions League, CFR is Romania’s only representative in
this year’s edition of the European football cups.

(bill)

4 November 2020
October 30, 2020

COLECTIV Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis has
today laid a wreath of flowers to the memory of the victims of the fire, which
five years ago destroyed the Colectiv night club in Bucharest. Also today the
president is expected to promulgate a law on the lifetime treatment for the
victims and a human chain is to be formed to their memory. 65 people lost their
lives in the blaze that ripped through the aforementioned nightclub during a
rock concert in Bucharest. Another 150 young people are still in need of treatment
five years on. Several people were apprehended by the police back then including
the club owners and representatives of the company that provided the fireworks
for the concert. The club owners were sent to court, but investigation procedures
dragged on for years. The file is now on at the Appeal Court in Bucharest with
a deadline set by December this year. Thousands took to the streets after the
tragedy five years ago disgruntled by the authorities’ lack of involvement. The
mass protests forced the Social-Democratic government of that time to step
down.

INS Unemployment stood at 5.2% in Romania in
September, slightly lower than a month before, the country’s institute for
statistics INS has today announced. The number of unemployed men was 1.1%
higher than women. Against the gradual resumption of activities, following the
restrictions aimed at containing the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of
unemployed in September stood at 471 thousand as compared to 479 thousand in
August. However, according to the same sources, the number of unemployed is
still high above the value registered in the same period last year, of 368
thousand.

FUNDS The EU is to earmark 220 million euros for
the transfer of Covid-infected patients from one country to another, the head
of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday following a
videoconference of EU leaders to discuss the present health crisis. A platform
will be created allowing experts to provide counselling to national
governments, share the best methods and scientific recommendations and also to
avoid contradictory messages. Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis has made an
appeal for the coordination of all efforts to deal with the health crisis and
has called for additional funds to be able to rely on more procurement sources of
the future vaccines.

COVID-19 Romania’s Health Minister Nelu Tataru has
cautioned that there are 3-4 difficult weeks ahead for Romania, during which
the authorities are trying to curb the number of Covid -19 infections so that
they may reach a ceiling. According to him, authorities rely on 15 hundred IC
units where those infected are benefitting from the same treatments like those
abroad. Over 6,540 new infections were confirmed on Thursday and another 103 new
fatalities were reported. Out of more than 11 thousand patients hospitalized, 917
are in a severe condition and the situation is worrying in capital Bucharest,
where 900 new cases have been reported. Since the onset of the pandemic, the novel
coronavirus has killed 6,867 people in Romania.
According to Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, the authorities are trying to
identify the local causes favouring the spread of the coronavirus. Orban says
the government isn’t yet considering additional measures to impose in Romania.

FOOTBALL Romania’s football champions CFR Cluj on
Thursday ended in a one-all draw their match against Swiss side Young Boys
Bern. The match counted towards the Europa League’s Group A. In the same group,
the match pitching AS Rome against CSKA Sofia of Bulgaria ended in a goaless
draw. In the first matches last week, CFR clinched a 2-0 win in Sofia and Rome
a 2-1 victory in Bern. CFR, which was eliminated from the Champions League, is
Romania’s only representative in this year’s edition of Europa League.

(bill)

30 October 2020
Sports Roundup

Romanian tennis players Irina Begu and Simona Halep will be playing
against each other in the second round of the Roland Garros tennis tournament.
In the first round on Sunday, Begu secured a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win against Jil
Teichman of Switzerland. Also on Sunday, Halep outperformed the Spanish
challenger Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-4, 6-0. The two have so far met in
competitions seven times and Halep has won every match.

In the Champions League women’s competition, SCM Ramnicu Valcea has registered
the third consecutive defeat. The team coached by Florentin Pera on Saturday was
outperformed by CSKA Moscow 30-20 and are currently ranking last in Group B. In
Group A, CSM Bucharest was supposed to play on Sunday against another Russian
side, Rostov-Don but the match was postponed due to some cases of Covid-19
infections in the Russian side.

Romania’s delegation won 7 medals, five gold and two silver on Sunday at
the European Rowing Junior Championship, held in Belgrade. Romania had 10 teams
in the finals and occupied the first place in the nations standings. The gold
medalists were the women’s and men’s pairs, the women’s and men’s fours and the
women’s eight.

Last weekend saw the games counting towards the fifth leg of Romania’s
first football league. On Friday, Sepsi secured a 2-1 away win against FC
Voluntari and so did Univestitatea Craiova against FC Arges. On Saturday,
Academica Clinceni obtained a 2-0 home win against Gaz Metan Medias and
Viitorul Constanta thrashed Astra Giurgiu 4-1. CFR versus Chindia Targoviste ended
in a goaless draw in Cluj on Sunday. Dan Petrescu, the hosts’ coach spared some
of his players for the game against Finish side Kuopio in Europa League on
Thursday.

Universitatea Craiova ranks first in the standings with 15 points
followed by CFR with 11.

(bill)

28 September 2020
Sports Roundup

Romanian tennis players Irina Begu and Simona Halep will be playing
against each other in the second round of the Roland Garros tennis tournament.
In the first round on Sunday, Begu secured a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win against Jil
Teichman of Switzerland. Also on Sunday, Halep outperformed the Spanish
challenger Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-4, 6-0. The two have so far met in
competitions seven times and Halep has won every match.

In the Champions League women’s competition, SCM Ramnicu Valcea has registered
the third consecutive defeat. The team coached by Florentin Pera on Saturday was
outperformed by CSKA Moscow 30-20 and are currently ranking last in Group B. In
Group A, CSM Bucharest was supposed to play on Sunday against another Russian
side, Rostov-Don but the match was postponed due to some cases of Covid-19
infections in the Russian side.

Romania’s delegation won 7 medals, five gold and two silver on Sunday at
the European Rowing Junior Championship, held in Belgrade. Romania had 10 teams
in the finals and occupied the first place in the nations standings. The gold
medalists were the women’s and men’s pairs, the women’s and men’s fours and the
women’s eight.

Last weekend saw the games counting towards the fifth leg of Romania’s
first football league. On Friday, Sepsi secured a 2-1 away win against FC
Voluntari and so did Univestitatea Craiova against FC Arges. On Saturday,
Academica Clinceni obtained a 2-0 home win against Gaz Metan Medias and
Viitorul Constanta thrashed Astra Giurgiu 4-1. CFR versus Chindia Targoviste ended
in a goaless draw in Cluj on Sunday. Dan Petrescu, the hosts’ coach spared some
of his players for the game against Finish side Kuopio in Europa League on
Thursday.

Universitatea Craiova ranks first in the standings with 15 points
followed by CFR with 11.

(bill)

28 September 2020
Sports Weekend

Romanian football side CFR Cluj is one step away from Europa League’s
groups after the 1-0 away win against the Swedish champions Djurgarden in the
competition’s third preliminary round on Thursday. The Romanians managed a
tactical domination during the game and secured a well-deserved victory.
Brazilian Paulo Vinicius scored for the visitors in the 55th minute.

CFR came closer to the second goal 20 minutes later but the shot of
Venezuelan Mario Rondon was denied by the crossbar. In order to make it to the Europa
League groups, the Romanians will be up against Finish side KuPS Kuopio, which
comes after a 2-0 win against the Lithuanians from Suduva.

Also in the third preliminary round of Europa League, FCSB lost their
home match to the Czech side Slovan Liberec 0-2. The Romanians relied on an
improvised lineup, due to the 15 Covid infections in the team. Furthermore,
FCSB was left with only 10 players after Stefan Cana had been given an early
bath for a challenge during the game. The Romanians fought hard way into the game’s
second half when Yusuf Helal, a player from Bahrein, put the visitors in the
lead on 64 minutes. Michael Rabusic sealed the points for Slovan in the 82nd
minute.

This weekend will see the fifth leg of the Romanian football
championships. Two matches have been scheduled for Friday, when FC Voluntari
will be playing Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe and FC Arges takes on Universitatea
Craiova. On Sunday CFR Cluj plays at home Chindia Targoviste and FCSB will be
up against Poli Iasi in an away game. On
Monday FC Hermannstadt plays FC Botosani while Dynamo Bucharest takes on UTA
Arad. Universitatea Craiova ranks first in the standings with 12 points
followed by CFR Cluj with 10.

(tr. bill)

25 September 2020
Sports Weekend

Romanian football side CFR Cluj is one step away from Europa League’s
groups after the 1-0 away win against the Swedish champions Djurgarden in the
competition’s third preliminary round on Thursday. The Romanians managed a
tactical domination during the game and secured a well-deserved victory.
Brazilian Paulo Vinicius scored for the visitors in the 55th minute.

CFR came closer to the second goal 20 minutes later but the shot of
Venezuelan Mario Rondon was denied by the crossbar. In order to make it to the Europa
League groups, the Romanians will be up against Finish side KuPS Kuopio, which
comes after a 2-0 win against the Lithuanians from Suduva.

Also in the third preliminary round of Europa League, FCSB lost their
home match to the Czech side Slovan Liberec 0-2. The Romanians relied on an
improvised lineup, due to the 15 Covid infections in the team. Furthermore,
FCSB was left with only 10 players after Stefan Cana had been given an early
bath for a challenge during the game. The Romanians fought hard way into the game’s
second half when Yusuf Helal, a player from Bahrein, put the visitors in the
lead on 64 minutes. Michael Rabusic sealed the points for Slovan in the 82nd
minute.

This weekend will see the fifth leg of the Romanian football
championships. Two matches have been scheduled for Friday, when FC Voluntari
will be playing Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe and FC Arges takes on Universitatea
Craiova. On Sunday CFR Cluj plays at home Chindia Targoviste and FCSB will be
up against Poli Iasi in an away game. On
Monday FC Hermannstadt plays FC Botosani while Dynamo Bucharest takes on UTA
Arad. Universitatea Craiova ranks first in the standings with 12 points
followed by CFR Cluj with 10.

(tr. bill)

25 September 2020
Transportul feroviar și fondurile europene

Transportul feroviar în România are o istorie de peste 160
de ani. Prima linie a fost deschisă pe 20 august 1854, în Banat, pe atunci
parte a Imperiului Austro-Ungar, şi făcea legătura între Oraviţa şi localitatea
Baziaş, port la Dunăre. Cu o lungime de 62,5 km, linia a fost folosită iniţial
doar pentru transportul cărbunelui. Relaţia Oraviţa – Baziaş a fost deschisă
pentru traficul de pasageri după doi ani, mai exact la 1 noiembrie 1856. După 1864, diverse căi ferate au fost
construite şi pe teritoriul Principatelor Unite. Linia unind capitala Bucureşti
şi portul dunărean Giurgiu a fost deschisă pentru trafic la 26 august 1869 şi a
fost prima construită pe teritoriul românesc din acel timp.

A urmat o dezvoltare rapidă a căilor ferate din România, în
pas cu tendinţele europene. În 1918, după ce provinciile istorice Transilvania,
Banat, Basarabia și Bucovina s-au unit cu Regatul pentru a forma România Mare,
toate liniile care au aparținut anterior Austro-Ungariei și Rusiei au intrat în
proprietatea Căilor Ferate Române.

Începând cu mijlocul secolului XX, autorităţile comuniste au
investit serios în căile ferate, în sprijinul industrializării cât mai rapide a
ţării. Pe lângă creșterea traficului feroviar și al construcției de noi linii,
în special în zonele rurale, electrificarea și dublarea liniilor au ocupat un
loc important.

La vremea Revoluţiei din 1989, România avea una din cele mai
mari şi dense rețele de căi ferate din Europa. A urmat însă o lungă perioadă în
care infrastructura a fost neglijată. Multe linii s-au închis complet, iar pe
mii de kilometri se circulă cu restricţii de viteză din cauza stării
necorespunzătoare a căii de rulare.

Vorbim astăzi despre transportul feroviar
din România cu Dumitru Fornea, membru al Comitetului Economic și Social
European. Interlocutorul nostru este și secretar general al Confederației Sindicale
Naționale MERIDIAN, din care
face parte și o importantă organizație din domeniul căilor ferate, respectiv
Federația Sindicatelor Transportatorilor Feroviari din România.

Dumitru Fornea: Infrastructura feroviară
din România permite o viteză comercială de doar 45 de kilometri pe oră pentru
trenurile de călători. Circulăm pe calea ferată cu o viteză mai mică decât
autoturismele prin localități. Avem o problemă și cu materialul rulant, care este
foarte vechi. Autoritatea pentru Reformă Feroviară, la nivel instituțional, nu
reușește să-și îndeplinească misiunea… În exercițiul financiar 2014 – 2020 nu
au reușit să achiziționeze cele 80 de trenuri electrice noi care erau prevăzute
în programul lor. Aveau și ei o misiune, și această misiune era să
achiziționeze cu fonduri europene, prin intermediul unui proiect, aceste rame
electrice care urmau să înnoiască parcul CFR Călători. Suntem într-un impas,
din acest punct de vedere.

Uniunea Europeană a alocat României miliarde de euro pentru
dezvoltarea transportului feroviar. Din păcate însă, apar dificultăți atunci
când este vorba de utilizarea acestor fonduri europene.

Dumitru Fornea, membru
al Comitetului Economic și Social European, secretar general al Confederației
Sindicale Naționale MERIDIAN.

Problema este, nu numai de acum,
lipsa proiectelor. Degeaba ai alocat, statistic, sume mari de bani de la
nivelul Uniunii Europene și chiar de la nivelul Guvernului dacă nu ai și
instituții care să realizeze aceste proiecte și să le implementeze. Or, din ce
am ascultat în ultima perioadă din intervențiile comisarului european pentru
Transporturi, doamna Adina Vălean, instituțiile românești relevante, precum
Autoritatea pentru Reformă Feroviară, dar și altele, nu reușesc să se prezinte cu proiecte
fezabile pe care să le depună și să le implementeze pentru finanțare europeană.
Și în exercițiul anterior, pe programul operațional Infrastructură Mare, am
avut alocați 10,8 miliarde de euro.

Acum, din ce vedem pe exercițiul acesta,
2021 – 2027, care este în discuție pe programul operațional Transporturi, sunt
alocate 7,8 miliarde de euro. La prima vedere, par mai puțini bani, dar
suficient de mulți pentru a face ceva. Or, noi nu am depus proiecte nici pentru
banii pe care îi avem. Ce să mai vorbim despre alți bani? Probabil că și acesta
este motivul pentru care au scăzut un pic cifrele pe Transporturi. Problema
principală rămâne implementarea proiectelor.

RadioRomaniaInternational · Alo, Bruxelles? 10.09.2020

10 September 2020