Radio România Internațional

Tag: Championship

Sports weekend

Ana Bogdan and Sorana Cîrstea on Thursday advanced to the third round of
the Wimbledon tournament. In the second round, Bogdan outperformed US opponent Alycia Parks, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2. 30-year-old
And Bogdan as an absolute first in her career has advanced to the third round
at Wimbledon. Sorana Cîrstea plays, however, for the fifth time in the third round
at Wimbledon. We recall that Cirstea in the second round on Thursday defeated 17th-seeded
player at Wimbledon, Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4.

Time now
for news from football. The European Youth Football Championship, jointly
hosted by Georgia and Romania, draws to a close this coming weekend. On
Saturday in Batumi, on the Georgian shore of the Black Sea, in the Championship’s
final, Spain play England. In this past Wednesday’s semifinal in Bucharest Spain
trounced Ukraine, 5-1 while in Batumi, England defeated Israel, 3-nil. Playing
in Group B in Bucharest, the national U-21 Romanian team lost to Spain, nil-3, sustained
yet another defeat by Ukraine, nil-1 and achieved an unassuming blank draw
against Croatia.

This coming
Saturday the domestic football season resumes with the Romanian Super cup. The Ilie
Oana Stadium in Ploiesti plays host to the match pitting Farul Constanţa and Sepsi
OSK Sfântu Gheorghe. Farul had no problem winning the Championship, being, in
Group1, 7 points clear of the runner-up team FCSB of Bucharest. Sepsi got the
upper hand in the Romanian Cup, defeating Universitatea Cluj in the final, 5-4,
after extra time and the penalty shootouts. Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe are the holders
of the Supercup. We recall that in 2022 Sepsi defeated then the champion team
CFR Cluj, 2-1, in Arad. Farul Constanta won the Supercup only once, in 2019,
when the team was named Viitorul. The final was also played in Ploiesti; back
then Gheorghe Hagi’s trainees defeated CFR Cluj, 1-nil.

7 July 2023
June 23, 2023 UPDATE

SECURITY We are under an obligation to provide
security to the Republic of Moldova, because Romanians also live there, PM Marcel Ciolacu said on Friday.
The previous day the Romanian Foreign Ministry firmly condemned the statements
made by the Russian-installed
governor in occupied Kherson, Vladimir Saldo. The Romanian diplomacy says in a
Twitter post that such statements addressed to the Republic of Moldova, but
which also refer to a part of the territory of Romania, a member of NATO, are
unacceptable and that targeting civilian infrastructure is a war crime. The
reaction comes after Saldo threatened that the Russian army could attack a
bridge over Prut River, in response to an alleged Ukrainian attack on one of
the bridges connecting Kherson to the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea annexed by
Moscow 9 years ago. Chisinau has summoned the Russian ambassador to the
Republic of Moldova, Oleg Vasnetsov, for explanations. Created on some of
the eastern Romanian territories annexed by Stalin’s Soviet Union in 1940, the
Republic of Moldova proclaimed its independence from Moscow in 1991.

STOCK MARKET In Romania, the Association of Fund Administrators
welcomed the historic decision to list Hidroelectrica, through the sale of the
stake held by Proprietatea Fund. The Association chief, Horia Gustă, says the
listing is a huge development opportunity for the Bucharest Stock Exchange, which
thus consolidates its entry in the big league of European financial markets. Moreover,
the company’s presence will attract significant sums of money and major
international investment funds into Romania. In turn, Hidroelectrica’s CEO
Bogdan Badea says he expects nearly EUR 10 bln in capitalisation.
Hidroelectrica is the country’s largest electricity producer and it recently
became one of the most important energy suppliers for households.

IMMIGRANTS 43 foreign citizens were caught, Friday morning, trying
to cross Romania’s western border illegally. They were hidden in a truck driven
by a Romanian national, which was carrying parcels on the Romania-Hungary
route. The authorities found that the people hidden among the goods are from
Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. The foreigners are being
investigated for attempted fraudulent crossing of the state border, and the truck
driver for migrant trafficking.

FOOD The large chain stores in Romania have agreed, in the framework
of the dialogue started with the Government, that they could voluntarily reduce
the shelf prices of 10 basic food categories. The announcement was made by
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, but talks will continue. In order for the
reduction to be implemented, either a voluntary agreement of the sellers or an
emergency ordinance is being considered, but in both cases, the prime minister promised
that the government does not want to put pressure on Romanian producers.

THEATRE The Sibiu International Theatre Festival began on Friday in
central Romania. The event, which has a 30-year long tradition, brings to
Romania 5,000 artists from 75 countries, in hundreds of events to be held until
2 July.

FOOTBALL On Saturday in Bucharest Romania takes on Ukraine,
in Group B of the European Under-21 Football Championship, which it hosts
together with Georgia. In the same group, Spain will play against Croatia. In
the debut matches, the Under-21 national team was beaten 3-0 by Spain, while
Ukraine defeated Croatia 2-0. The final tournament takes place between 21 June and
8 July, and it brings together 16 teams, divided into four groups. Two are
hosted by Romania, in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca (north-west), and two by
Georgia. Two quarter-finals and a semi-final will also take place in Romania.
The top three finishers qualify for next year’s Olympic Games in Paris. Romania
is at its 3rd consecutive participation in the competition, with a total
of 4 final tournament presences, starting with 1998, when it hosted the final
tournament for the first time. The country’s best performance was in 2019, when
it reached the semi-finals, which secured the national team’s qualification in
the Tokyo Olympics. (AMP)

23 June 2023
May 31, 2023 UPDATE

EDUCATION The government’s new salary offer for teachers will be
presented to unions in an expedited procedure, so as to allow teachers to
decide on whether to continue the strike, the education union leaders announced
at the end of Wednesday’s negotiations. The government proposed a monthly gross
EUR 200 payment to teaching staff and EUR 80 for non-teaching staff in the
sector. An emergency order will also be passed, allowing entry-level teachers
to have a starting salary equal to the national average gross wage. The all-out
strike in Romanian undergraduate education has reached its 10th day.

MOLDOVA The Republic of Moldova Thursday hosts the European
Political Community Summit, attended by 50 heads of state and government. The
European Commission is represented by its president Ursula von der Leyen and
the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. The most important subjects on the
agenda of the summit are security, stability and cooperation in Europe. Also attending will be the
president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis. On
Tuesday, the EU Council decided to double the macro-financial aid for the
Republic of Moldova from EUR 150 to 295 million.

POLICE On Wednesday in Romania prison officers protested salary
levels and the working conditions. Penitentiary police workers say they work
extensive extra hours in order to make up for personnel shortages, and oppose
the planned increase of retirement age in the sector. Trade union
representatives had a meeting with the justice minister, who said the dialogue
was constructive and promised that the rights of prison officers will be
respected. Cătălin Predoiu added that in the following two years at most, up to
2,000 officers will be recruited in order to fill the vacancies in the penitentiary
system.

CHAMPIONSHIP The 2023 World Rescue Championship takes place in
Craiova, southern Romania, between June 1 and 4. This is the largest such event
of the International Canine Federation, with more than 60 search and rescue
dogs taking part, from 10 countries (Austria, Belgium, Estonia, France, Italy,
Japan, Romania, Slovenia, Ukraine and the Netherlands). The world’s top 19
teams will compete in various sections, including surface search for missing
persons, obedience and dexterity, and search for victims in the rubble.
Craiova is the first city in the world to have organised five World Rescue
Championships (2009, 2016, 2021, 2022, and 2023).

GRAIN EU agriculture ministers meeting in the AGRIFISH council have
not managed to unblock 100 million euros worth of aid for farmers affected by
Ukraine’s export of cheap grain. Romania is one of the five countries that may
benefit from the aid and it stands to receive around EUR 30 million. The
European commissioner for agriculture Ianusz Wojciechowski gave assurances that
the aid will be unblocked and the situation monitored. He said he was not in
favour of using the EU budget to buy Ukrainian grain to be supplied to the
world food programme because the cost would be three times that of the cereals
themselves. He believes the money would be better used, in the long term, to
improve the infrastructure, for example that of Romania, and said he would have
talks in this regard with the European commissioner for transport and
infrastructure Adina Vălean.

TENNIS The only Romanian
athlete left in the Roland Garros competition, Irina Begu, Wednesday defeated
Italy’s Sara Errani, in 2 sets, 6 – 3, 6 – 0. On Tuesday, Sorana Cirstea was
kicked out of the competition by another Italian player, Jasmine Paolini. Also
on Tuesday, the Canadian athlete Bianca Andreescu won against Victoria
Azarenka (Belarus) in 3 sets. (AMP)

31 May 2023
May 22, 2023

STRIKE An all-out strike has been initiated today in Romanian public
undergraduate education. According to trade unions, taking part are over 150,000
teachers and 70,000 non-teaching staff, disgruntled with the government’s
salary policies. A two-hour token strike in higher education is also scheduled
for today.

EDUCATION The new undergraduate and higher education bills are discussed and voted on as of today in the Senate, the
decision-making parliamentary body in this respect.
At the end of last week’s talks in the Senate’s committee on education, the
representatives of students and parents said that over 90% of their requests were
answered in the new legislation. In turn, the religious denominations welcomed
the amendments to the new bills. With respect to the undergraduate education,
the National Liberal Party, the Social Democratic Party and the Democratic
Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, in power, say the bill meets students’
educational needs, supports teachers’ career development and fosters quality and
equity in the education system. The draft law includes measures to enhance
safety in schools and to ensure the access of children with special needs to
regular classes. The opposition, on the other hand, believes these important issues
noted by civil society are not solved.

VISIT The president of Germany, Frank-Walter
Steinmeier, will make an official visit to Romania on the 24th to 26th
May, at the invitation of president Klaus Iohannis. According
to the Romanian presidency, the visit is a major landmark for the excellent
Romanian-German relations. Talks will focus on extending and deepening
bilateral cooperation in political, security and economic areas. The Romanian
presidency also mentions that Germany is a reliable ally of Romania,
contributing to the security in the region, and also the country’s main trade
partner and the second-largest foreign investor in the national economy. The
two heads of state will also exchange opinions on current security developments
and on consolidating the defence posture in NATO’s eastern flank. During
his visit to Romania, the president of Germany will also travel to Sibiu
(centre) and Timisoara (west).

DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign
minister Bogdan Aurescu takes part today in the meeting of the EU Foreign
Affairs Council in Brussels. The EU foreign ministers discuss measures to
mitigate the effects of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. According to the
Romanian foreign ministry, Bogdan Aurescu will reiterate Romania’s firm, multidimensional
and continuing support for Ukraine and will express hopes that an agreement
will be reached as soon as possible on the 8th support package for
the Ukrainian air forces under the EU Peace Facility. Minister Aurescu will
also highlight the importance of keeping pressure on Russia by consolidating
sanctions, and will reiterate the idea of setting up a special international tribunal
for the crime of aggression to prosecute Russian crimes of aggression during
the war in Ukraine.

TECHNOLOGY Bucharest Tech
Week, the largest technology and innovation trade fair in Central and Eastern
Europe, has begun in Bucharest today. The event brings together over 70 speakers,
national and international tech experts, and 1,500 professionals from over 100
companies operating in various fields. The first 5 days are devoted to
conferences on innovation, HR, retail, Java and Software Architecture, under
the heading Business Summits. The largest technology and innovation
exhibition, Tech Expo, will also be open to the public over the weekend of 26 May.

GREECE The right-of-centre party headed by Greece’s incumbent PM,
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has won Sunday’s parliamentary election, but failed to get
absolute majority. New Democracy won over 41% of the votes, and will have 146 seats
in parliament. Its left-of-centre rivals, Syriza party, won 21% of the votes
and 71 seats in parliament. The 3% threshold has been reached by 5 of the 36 parties
that took part in the election. Kyriakos Mitsotakis ruled out a coalition
government. Unless the winning parties manage to form a government, early
elections will be held on 25 June.

FOOTBALL Farul Constanţa
won Romania’s football championships, after defeating FCSB 3-2, on home turf
on Sunday night, in the 9th round of the Super League. Farul managed a spectacular come-back in the championship final,
after FCSB had been leading 2-0. (AMP)

22 May 2023
Athlete of the week

David Popovici a couple of days ago has confirmed he was Romania’s best
swimmer. As part of the National Swimming Championships held in Otopeni nearby Bucharest,
Popovici won three of the four speed events, namely the freestyle event, the backstroke and the butterfly event. Actually, Popovici won six finals. He came in first
in the 50m, 100m and 400m freestyle, in the 100m backstroke
and in the 50m and 100m butterfly events. For the latter two events David Popovici
set a new national record. Also, in the 100m freestyle, an event in which he holds
the world record, Popovici met the qualification target set for the 2024
edition of the Olympic Games. Moreover,
David Popovici was a Dinamo Bucharest Sports Club team member, winning silver
in the men’s 4×100 mixed relay event. Reason enough for Radio Romania
International to designate David Popovici the Athlete of the week.

David Popovici was
born in Bucharest on September 15, 2004. He compelled recognition in juniors’ competitions. In the 2021 edition of the European Championships he won the 200m, 100m 50m
freestyle events, setting a world record in the 50m freestyle. Subsequently, Popovici
broke the world records in the 100m and 200m freestyle events. David qualified to
the Tokyo Olympics where he came in 4th in the 200m freestyle, being
two hundredths of a second away from stepping onto a step of the podium. In the
seniors’ competitions, David Popovici in Russia’s Kazan, in November, 2021 won
the European title in the 200m freestyle event. It was his first notable title
in his career.

As an absolute first
for Romanian sports, in June, 2022, David Popovici won gold in the 100m and
200m freestyle evens as part of the World Championship in Budapest. In August,
2022, at the European championship in Rome, Popovici set a new world record in
the 100m freestyle event, clocking 46 seconds and 86 hundredths of a second. He
was that close to setting a new world record in the European 200m final. David Popovici
clocked one minute, 47 seconds and 97 hundredths of a second, a new juniors’
world and European record, as well as a new record of the European Championship.

11 April 2023
Athlete of the week

David Popovici a couple of days ago has confirmed he was Romania’s best
swimmer. As part of the National Swimming Championships held in Otopeni nearby Bucharest,
Popovici won three of the four speed events, namely the freestyle event, the backstroke and the butterfly event. Actually, Popovici won six finals. He came in first
in the 50m, 100m and 400m freestyle, in the 100m backstroke
and in the 50m and 100m butterfly events. For the latter two events David Popovici
set a new national record. Also, in the 100m freestyle, an event in which he holds
the world record, Popovici met the qualification target set for the 2024
edition of the Olympic Games. Moreover,
David Popovici was a Dinamo Bucharest Sports Club team member, winning silver
in the men’s 4×100 mixed relay event. Reason enough for Radio Romania
International to designate David Popovici the Athlete of the week.

David Popovici was
born in Bucharest on September 15, 2004. He compelled recognition in juniors’ competitions. In the 2021 edition of the European Championships he won the 200m, 100m 50m
freestyle events, setting a world record in the 50m freestyle. Subsequently, Popovici
broke the world records in the 100m and 200m freestyle events. David qualified to
the Tokyo Olympics where he came in 4th in the 200m freestyle, being
two hundredths of a second away from stepping onto a step of the podium. In the
seniors’ competitions, David Popovici in Russia’s Kazan, in November, 2021 won
the European title in the 200m freestyle event. It was his first notable title
in his career.

As an absolute first
for Romanian sports, in June, 2022, David Popovici won gold in the 100m and
200m freestyle evens as part of the World Championship in Budapest. In August,
2022, at the European championship in Rome, Popovici set a new world record in
the 100m freestyle event, clocking 46 seconds and 86 hundredths of a second. He
was that close to setting a new world record in the European 200m final. David Popovici
clocked one minute, 47 seconds and 97 hundredths of a second, a new juniors’
world and European record, as well as a new record of the European Championship.

11 April 2023
RRI Sports Club

Romanias national rugby team concluded its spring season with a victory. In the final for the 3rd place of the continental competition Rugby Europe Championship, Romania beat Spain 31-25. Romania scored 4 tries, thanks to Marius Simionescu, Cristi Chirica, Gabriel Pop and Gabriel Rupanu. Paul Popoaia also scored through a penalty kick and a conversion kick, and Vlăduţ Popa added 2 penalty kicks to Romanias performance.

Gabriel Pop, at his first match for the national team, was designated the best player of the game. The 25-year old athlete is currently playing for Dinamo Bucharest.

The final tournament hosted by the Spanish city of Badajoz ended with the Rugby Europe Championship final, in which Georgia beat Portugal 38-11, to win the competition for the 6th time in a row.

The 2 finalists were in fact the only teams to have defeated Romania, which was hardly a surprise given their better places in the world rankings. At the moment, after the matches in Badajoz, Georgia ranks 11th in the world, Portugal comes 16th, and Romania 19th. Moreover, Romania played against these teams away from home.

The national team had mixed performances this year. There have been good matches, with accurate and even spectacular moments, but also weak periods, with mistakes that enabled their opponents to score tens of points. Major corrections are necessary in this respect, particularly given the fast approaching World Cup, scheduled this autumn in France.

Romania will play their first World Cup match on 9 September, against Ireland, in Bordeaux, followed by a game against defending world champions South Africa, on the 17 September. Next comes the match against Scotland, scheduled to take place on 30 September in Lille, the city which will also host Romanias last game, against Tonga, on 8 October. (AMP)

22 March 2023
RRI Sports Club

Romanias national rugby team concluded its spring season with a victory. In the final for the 3rd place of the continental competition Rugby Europe Championship, Romania beat Spain 31-25. Romania scored 4 tries, thanks to Marius Simionescu, Cristi Chirica, Gabriel Pop and Gabriel Rupanu. Paul Popoaia also scored through a penalty kick and a conversion kick, and Vlăduţ Popa added 2 penalty kicks to Romanias performance.

Gabriel Pop, at his first match for the national team, was designated the best player of the game. The 25-year old athlete is currently playing for Dinamo Bucharest.

The final tournament hosted by the Spanish city of Badajoz ended with the Rugby Europe Championship final, in which Georgia beat Portugal 38-11, to win the competition for the 6th time in a row.

The 2 finalists were in fact the only teams to have defeated Romania, which was hardly a surprise given their better places in the world rankings. At the moment, after the matches in Badajoz, Georgia ranks 11th in the world, Portugal comes 16th, and Romania 19th. Moreover, Romania played against these teams away from home.

The national team had mixed performances this year. There have been good matches, with accurate and even spectacular moments, but also weak periods, with mistakes that enabled their opponents to score tens of points. Major corrections are necessary in this respect, particularly given the fast approaching World Cup, scheduled this autumn in France.

Romania will play their first World Cup match on 9 September, against Ireland, in Bordeaux, followed by a game against defending world champions South Africa, on the 17 September. Next comes the match against Scotland, scheduled to take place on 30 September in Lille, the city which will also host Romanias last game, against Tonga, on 8 October. (AMP)

22 March 2023
Radio Romania International Sports club

Grand master Kyrill Shevchenko, representing Romania, walked away with silver at the European Individual Chess Championship held in Serbia’s Vrnjacka Banja, over March 2nd and the 14th. After 11 rounds played stepping on a step of the podium were Grand masters Alexey Sarana (a Russian chess-player who entered the competition under the flag of the International Chess federation, FIDE), Kyrill Shevchenko (Romania) and Daniel Dardha (Belgium). The three were awarded 8.5 points each, yet they stepped onto a different step of the podium, according to the Bucholtz score, which is calculated by adding the raw scores of each of the opponents they played and multiplying this total by the player’s raw score. Therefore, Kyrill Shevchenko’s success is all the more noteworthy, since the 23rd edition of the European Individual Chess Championship held in the resort of Vrnjacka Banja brought together over 490 chess players of 40 federations affiliated to the European Chess Union. Chess players from Russia, whose chess federation has been suspended because of Russia’s aggression over Ukraine, were allowed to play under the neutral flag of the International Chess Federation.

Kyrill Shevchenko has recently got transferred on Romania’s list of competitors. We recall that in 2021 Shevchenko won the gold medal with the team of Ukraine, at the European Teams Chess Championship.

Kyrill Shevchenko was born on September 22nd, 2002 in Kyiv and is rated as one of wonder kids of chess. Shevchenko was awarded the international Grand master title when he was 15 years, 9 months and 23 days old, thus earning a place among the youngest Grand masters in the history of chess. Having been transferred to Romania’s list, Shevchenko has recently played in Romania’s Individual Chess Championship, becoming a national title holder. Kyrill Shevchenko became a European vice-champion and the welcoming he enjoyed when her returned to Bucharest was very special. Kyrill Shevchenko stated that he met lot of wonderful people. He worked with the national team’s head-coach, Bosnian-born Belgium Grand master Ivan Sokolov something he got thrilled with and which fueled confidence in him. Kyrill went on to say you had no choice other than having a bracing start, as in such tournaments, with almost 500 players competing, you need to be able to win 5, 6 matches in a row, so you can relax a bit afterwards and then proceed again, in a bid to win the top position. Kyril admitted to the fact that for him, the start was rather sluggish, yet in the long run he won 4 matches, which placed him on a par with the first place. Kyrill went on to say his biggest dream was to reach his full potential. Kyrill Shevchenko’s remarks have been included in a message posted by the Romanian Chess Federation on its site.

Kirill Shevchenko is 70th-placed according to the ELO rating system of the world’s best chess players. In the world’s top 100 players, Romania has two other chess players, Richard Rapport, who is 12th-placed, and 39th-placed Bogdan Deac. 2005 was the year when a Romanian last won the European title. Back then Dieter Nisipeanu was the winner of the title, at the edition held in the Polish capital Warsaw. (EN)

15 March 2023
Radio Romania International Sports club

Grand master Kyrill Shevchenko, representing Romania, walked away with silver at the European Individual Chess Championship held in Serbia’s Vrnjacka Banja, over March 2nd and the 14th. After 11 rounds played stepping on a step of the podium were Grand masters Alexey Sarana (a Russian chess-player who entered the competition under the flag of the International Chess federation, FIDE), Kyrill Shevchenko (Romania) and Daniel Dardha (Belgium). The three were awarded 8.5 points each, yet they stepped onto a different step of the podium, according to the Bucholtz score, which is calculated by adding the raw scores of each of the opponents they played and multiplying this total by the player’s raw score. Therefore, Kyrill Shevchenko’s success is all the more noteworthy, since the 23rd edition of the European Individual Chess Championship held in the resort of Vrnjacka Banja brought together over 490 chess players of 40 federations affiliated to the European Chess Union. Chess players from Russia, whose chess federation has been suspended because of Russia’s aggression over Ukraine, were allowed to play under the neutral flag of the International Chess Federation.

Kyrill Shevchenko has recently got transferred on Romania’s list of competitors. We recall that in 2021 Shevchenko won the gold medal with the team of Ukraine, at the European Teams Chess Championship.

Kyrill Shevchenko was born on September 22nd, 2002 in Kyiv and is rated as one of wonder kids of chess. Shevchenko was awarded the international Grand master title when he was 15 years, 9 months and 23 days old, thus earning a place among the youngest Grand masters in the history of chess. Having been transferred to Romania’s list, Shevchenko has recently played in Romania’s Individual Chess Championship, becoming a national title holder. Kyrill Shevchenko became a European vice-champion and the welcoming he enjoyed when her returned to Bucharest was very special. Kyrill Shevchenko stated that he met lot of wonderful people. He worked with the national team’s head-coach, Bosnian-born Belgium Grand master Ivan Sokolov something he got thrilled with and which fueled confidence in him. Kyrill went on to say you had no choice other than having a bracing start, as in such tournaments, with almost 500 players competing, you need to be able to win 5, 6 matches in a row, so you can relax a bit afterwards and then proceed again, in a bid to win the top position. Kyril admitted to the fact that for him, the start was rather sluggish, yet in the long run he won 4 matches, which placed him on a par with the first place. Kyrill went on to say his biggest dream was to reach his full potential. Kyrill Shevchenko’s remarks have been included in a message posted by the Romanian Chess Federation on its site.

Kirill Shevchenko is 70th-placed according to the ELO rating system of the world’s best chess players. In the world’s top 100 players, Romania has two other chess players, Richard Rapport, who is 12th-placed, and 39th-placed Bogdan Deac. 2005 was the year when a Romanian last won the European title. Back then Dieter Nisipeanu was the winner of the title, at the edition held in the Polish capital Warsaw. (EN)

15 March 2023
Athlete of the week

Only one Romanian football team in the
ongoing competition season, early into 2023, has advanced to the European Cups’
upcoming stages. In the autumn of 2022, CFR Cluj qualified to the playoffs as
part of the European Conference League’s round of 16, ranking 2nd in
the competition’s Group G. In Rome last week, holders CFR competed for a place
in this year’s round of 16. CFR Cluj sustained a defeat by the narrowest of
margins in their away game against Lazio, ni-1. In two days’ time, the match deciding
the qualification in the League’s round of 16 will be played in Cluj. However,
we made mention of the match in Rome since it provided a record: CFR’s captain,
Mario Camora, is the footballer boasting most caps in the European Cups for a
Romanian squad. For this very reason, Radio Romania International has
designated CFR’s Portuguese-born left-back Mario Camora the Athlete of the week.

Up until the ongoing season, Marius Lacatus
was the footballer with most caps in European cups. We recall Marius Lacatus was
one of the stars of Steaua Bucharest, a team that saw its heyday in the 20th
century’s 1980s. Over 1984 and 1999, Lacatus played 72 matches in the European Champions
Cup, The Cup Winners’ Cup and the UEFA Cup. With Steaua Bucharest, in 1986 Lacătus won
the European Champions Cup, an unparalleled performance in Romanian
football. This past Thursday in Rome, Mario Camora played his 73rd
match in European competitions. Camora’s first such game was played on August 1st,
2012, when CFR Cluj defeated Slovan Liberec 1-nil, in a fixture counting
towards the Champions League’s 3rd preliminary round.

Mario Camora was born
on September 21, 1986, in Portugal. He made his debut as an amateur footballer,
then in 2006, he turned pro, being signed up by second-tier team Beira-Mar. Mario
arrived in Romania in 2011, playing for CFR Cluj. Seven years later, on April
17, 2018, he broke the caps record for CFR, until
then held by another Portuguese, Cadú. In 2020, Mario Camora was granted
Romanian citizenship. Also in 2020, on October 8, he made his debut with the
national team, setting a new record. Being 37 years and 17 days old, Mario
Camora became Romanian national squad’s oldest first-time footballer. (EN)

21 February 2023
Athlete of the week

Only one Romanian football team in the
ongoing competition season, early into 2023, has advanced to the European Cups’
upcoming stages. In the autumn of 2022, CFR Cluj qualified to the playoffs as
part of the European Conference League’s round of 16, ranking 2nd in
the competition’s Group G. In Rome last week, holders CFR competed for a place
in this year’s round of 16. CFR Cluj sustained a defeat by the narrowest of
margins in their away game against Lazio, ni-1. In two days’ time, the match deciding
the qualification in the League’s round of 16 will be played in Cluj. However,
we made mention of the match in Rome since it provided a record: CFR’s captain,
Mario Camora, is the footballer boasting most caps in the European Cups for a
Romanian squad. For this very reason, Radio Romania International has
designated CFR’s Portuguese-born left-back Mario Camora the Athlete of the week.

Up until the ongoing season, Marius Lacatus
was the footballer with most caps in European cups. We recall Marius Lacatus was
one of the stars of Steaua Bucharest, a team that saw its heyday in the 20th
century’s 1980s. Over 1984 and 1999, Lacatus played 72 matches in the European Champions
Cup, The Cup Winners’ Cup and the UEFA Cup. With Steaua Bucharest, in 1986 Lacătus won
the European Champions Cup, an unparalleled performance in Romanian
football. This past Thursday in Rome, Mario Camora played his 73rd
match in European competitions. Camora’s first such game was played on August 1st,
2012, when CFR Cluj defeated Slovan Liberec 1-nil, in a fixture counting
towards the Champions League’s 3rd preliminary round.

Mario Camora was born
on September 21, 1986, in Portugal. He made his debut as an amateur footballer,
then in 2006, he turned pro, being signed up by second-tier team Beira-Mar. Mario
arrived in Romania in 2011, playing for CFR Cluj. Seven years later, on April
17, 2018, he broke the caps record for CFR, until
then held by another Portuguese, Cadú. In 2020, Mario Camora was granted
Romanian citizenship. Also in 2020, on October 8, he made his debut with the
national team, setting a new record. Being 37 years and 17 days old, Mario
Camora became Romanian national squad’s oldest first-time footballer. (EN)

21 February 2023
Sports Roundup

The Romanian womens handball team SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea qualified into the quarter-finals of the EHF European League. The Romanian side finished 2nd in Group D, after the German team Thüringer but ahead of the French side Paris 92 and Hungarys Vác. In the last match in the group stage, on Saturday, Vâlcea defeated Vác away from home, 28 – 26. The best scorer for the Romanians was Iryna Glibko (Ukraine), with 6 goals. In the quarter-finals, SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea will face the Danish team Nykøbing Falster, on March 18 at home and one week later in Denmark.

In rugby, Romania Sunday lost their away match with Portugal in Group B of Rugby Europe Championship. The Portuguese team won 38 – 20, with 5 tries compared to only 2 for the Romanians. Portugal finished top of the group with 15 points, followed by Romania with 10 points, Poland with 4 points and Belgium with 1 point. In the semis, Romania will take on Georgia away from home on March 4, and Portugal face Spain at home.

In the WTA 500 tournament in Dubai, which has USD 2.8 million in prize money, Irina Begu was defeated in the first round by Barbora Krejcikova. The Czech player won in 2 sets, 6-4, 6-2. For her participation in the first round, Begu will get a check for USD 12,848 and 1 WTA point.

This weekend saw matches counting for the 26th round of the Romanian football Super League. The 2 matches played on Friday ended in draws, with Chindia Târgoviște vs Universitatea Cluj – 2-2 and CS Mioveni vs Rapid Bucharest 0 – 0. So did the match pitting Hermannstadt against UTA Arad on Saturday. Also on Saturday, Farul Constanța beat Petrolul Ploiești 2-0. On Sunday, CFR Cluj outplayed FC Argeș 3-1, and FCSB drew against Universitatea Craiova 1-1. The last matches (FC Botoșani vs Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe and FC U Craiova vs FC Voluntari) were scheduled for Monday. Top of the tables at this point are Farul, with 55 points, followed by CFR, with 53. (AMP)

20 February 2023
Sports Roundup

The Romanian womens handball team SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea qualified into the quarter-finals of the EHF European League. The Romanian side finished 2nd in Group D, after the German team Thüringer but ahead of the French side Paris 92 and Hungarys Vác. In the last match in the group stage, on Saturday, Vâlcea defeated Vác away from home, 28 – 26. The best scorer for the Romanians was Iryna Glibko (Ukraine), with 6 goals. In the quarter-finals, SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea will face the Danish team Nykøbing Falster, on March 18 at home and one week later in Denmark.

In rugby, Romania Sunday lost their away match with Portugal in Group B of Rugby Europe Championship. The Portuguese team won 38 – 20, with 5 tries compared to only 2 for the Romanians. Portugal finished top of the group with 15 points, followed by Romania with 10 points, Poland with 4 points and Belgium with 1 point. In the semis, Romania will take on Georgia away from home on March 4, and Portugal face Spain at home.

In the WTA 500 tournament in Dubai, which has USD 2.8 million in prize money, Irina Begu was defeated in the first round by Barbora Krejcikova. The Czech player won in 2 sets, 6-4, 6-2. For her participation in the first round, Begu will get a check for USD 12,848 and 1 WTA point.

This weekend saw matches counting for the 26th round of the Romanian football Super League. The 2 matches played on Friday ended in draws, with Chindia Târgoviște vs Universitatea Cluj – 2-2 and CS Mioveni vs Rapid Bucharest 0 – 0. So did the match pitting Hermannstadt against UTA Arad on Saturday. Also on Saturday, Farul Constanța beat Petrolul Ploiești 2-0. On Sunday, CFR Cluj outplayed FC Argeș 3-1, and FCSB drew against Universitatea Craiova 1-1. The last matches (FC Botoșani vs Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe and FC U Craiova vs FC Voluntari) were scheduled for Monday. Top of the tables at this point are Farul, with 55 points, followed by CFR, with 53. (AMP)

20 February 2023
February 18, 2023

TIMIŞOARA The
city of Timişoara in western Romania is officially, as of Friday, a European
Capital of Culture for a year. Over 15,000 people are expected to attend the
opening weekend events. On Friday, the first day of the weekend, tens of
thousands of people enjoyed the over 120 events prepared by the organisers as a
journey into the city’s multi-cultural tradition, its open, brave and
innovating spirit. Performances, concerts, exhibitions, roundtables, tourist
tours were organised, as well as a gala show attended by hundreds of guests,
including scores of ambassadors and Romanian and foreign officials. The
European Commissioner Adina Vălean awarded the Melina Mercouri prize to the
city of Timişoara, for meeting the commitments in its cultural programme. She
also emphasised that the cities having received the European Capital of Culture
title have seen significant long-term benefits in terms of urban regeneration, of
improving their public image and capitalising on their potential for
innovation.

SECURITY The
Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu, attending the Munich Security
Conference, highlighted the serious security threats at the Black Sea entailed
by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as the pressure on
neighbouring countries, particularly the Republic of Moldova, by various means,
including hybrid threats. Aurescu was a special guest on Friday at an event
devoted to multi-dimensional security challenges at the Black Sea and on NATO’s
eastern flank, organised on the sidelines of the conference. The Romanian
official pointed out that Russia’s war against Ukraine is a war against the
values of the democratic Western community and against the core parameters of
the Euro-Atlantic security architecture, as well as an attempt at recreating
the Russian sphere of influence. Efficiently deterring Russia relies on strong
defence, the Romanian foreign minister also said, and added that the
trans-Atlantic partnership must be consolidated and the US Strategy on security
at the Black Sea must be finalised. Bogdan Aurescu also emphasised the
importance of carrying on support for Ukraine, and suggested stepping up
European and NATO support for Moldova and Georgia.

MOLDOVA The
president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, had a meeting with the US
State Secretary Antony Blinken at the Munich Security Conference, Chişinău announced. According to Reuters, the
latter said the US was deeply concerned with some of Russia’s plans to
destabilise the government of Moldova. Maia
Sandu had previously accused Russia of planning to change the legitimate power
in Chişinău, using men trained in Belarus, Serbia and Montenegro, who are
apparently instructed to conduct violent actions under the guise of protests. President
Sandu also attended a roundtable focusing on the experience of various
countries and international organisations in fighting corruption, and she spoke
about Moldova’s commitment to fight corruption and to punish all those who
embezzled public money.

TURKEY Three
survivors were found under the rubble on Saturday, 13 days after the
devastating earthquake in Turkey, which killed more than 45,000 people in that
country and in Syria, France Presse reports, quoting Turkish media. One of the
3 people rescued in southern Turkey is a child. Nearly 264,000 flats in Turkey
were destroyed and many people are still missing after the most severe disaster
in the country’s modern history. Romania has sent rescue teams to Turkey and
humanitarian aid to Syria.

RUGBY Romania’s
rugby team Sunday plays against Portugal, away from home, in the last match in Group
B of Rugby Europe Championship 2023 (REC). Both teams have 2 wins and are
already qualified into the competition’s semi-finals. Romania played in Group
B, alongside Portugal, Belgium and Poland, while Group A included Georgia, the
Netherlands, Spain and Germany. (AMP)

18 February 2023