Radio România Internațional

Tag: championships

  • Sports roundup

    Sports roundup




    The Romanian football side Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe won
    Romania’s Cup Winners’ Cup after beating CFR Cluj 2-1 in Arad on Saturday. For the
    central-Romanian club established in 2011, this was the second trophy won this
    year after Romania’s football Cup. The coach of the team, Cristiano Bergodi of
    Italy, had already won this trophy in 2007, with Rapid Bucharest.


    Adrian Păun of the Cluj side, winners of this year’s
    edition of the national championship, was the first to score, the second minute
    of the match. Sepsi’s equalizer came via Cosmin Matei, in the first half’s overtime,
    and Mario Rondon (Venezuela), who ironically enough had played for CFR Cluj
    until the summer of 2021, scored the winning goal for Sepsi on 85 min.


    Romania won 9 medals at the European Junion Swimming
    Championships held in Otopeni, near Bucharest. Of them, 5 were gold medals, won
    by the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team, by David Popovici in the 50m, 100m and
    200m freestyle finals and by Vlad Ştefan Stancu, in the 1,500m freestyle race. Silver
    medals went to the 4x100m freestyle medley team, to Bianca Costea in the women’s
    50m freestyle final and to Vlad Stancu, in the 400m and 800m freestyle races.
    Romania thus came 3rd in the nations’ ranking, after Hungary and
    Poland.


    At the Lucerne Regatta counting for the 3rd
    stage of this year’s World Cup, Romanian athletes won 6 medals, of which one
    gold, two silver and three bronze. Romania came first in the women’s double
    sculls, thanks to Olympic champions Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radiş. Romania’s
    women’s pairs and women’s four races, as well as the women’s 8 team, won bronze
    medals.


    In rugby, Romania defeated Uruguay, 30-22 on Sunday,
    in a test match in Montevideo. Romania scored 3 tries and 3 conversion kicks,
    and was also awarded 3 penalty kicks. Romania had one player, Tudor Butnariu, sent
    out of the field on 13 minutes for a reckless tackle. Next Sunday, the 2 teams
    will play a second test match, also in Montevideo. (AMP)

  • Sports roundup

    Sports roundup




    The Romanian football side Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe won
    Romania’s Cup Winners’ Cup after beating CFR Cluj 2-1 in Arad on Saturday. For the
    central-Romanian club established in 2011, this was the second trophy won this
    year after Romania’s football Cup. The coach of the team, Cristiano Bergodi of
    Italy, had already won this trophy in 2007, with Rapid Bucharest.


    Adrian Păun of the Cluj side, winners of this year’s
    edition of the national championship, was the first to score, the second minute
    of the match. Sepsi’s equalizer came via Cosmin Matei, in the first half’s overtime,
    and Mario Rondon (Venezuela), who ironically enough had played for CFR Cluj
    until the summer of 2021, scored the winning goal for Sepsi on 85 min.


    Romania won 9 medals at the European Junion Swimming
    Championships held in Otopeni, near Bucharest. Of them, 5 were gold medals, won
    by the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team, by David Popovici in the 50m, 100m and
    200m freestyle finals and by Vlad Ştefan Stancu, in the 1,500m freestyle race. Silver
    medals went to the 4x100m freestyle medley team, to Bianca Costea in the women’s
    50m freestyle final and to Vlad Stancu, in the 400m and 800m freestyle races.
    Romania thus came 3rd in the nations’ ranking, after Hungary and
    Poland.


    At the Lucerne Regatta counting for the 3rd
    stage of this year’s World Cup, Romanian athletes won 6 medals, of which one
    gold, two silver and three bronze. Romania came first in the women’s double
    sculls, thanks to Olympic champions Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radiş. Romania’s
    women’s pairs and women’s four races, as well as the women’s 8 team, won bronze
    medals.


    In rugby, Romania defeated Uruguay, 30-22 on Sunday,
    in a test match in Montevideo. Romania scored 3 tries and 3 conversion kicks,
    and was also awarded 3 penalty kicks. Romania had one player, Tudor Butnariu, sent
    out of the field on 13 minutes for a reckless tackle. Next Sunday, the 2 teams
    will play a second test match, also in Montevideo. (AMP)

  • Sports Flash

    Sports Flash




    The town of Otopeni, located north of
    Bucharest, is these days the capital city of European swimming. Europe’s best
    junior swimmers fight for the Championships medals, in a competition Romania
    plays host to, as an absolute first. The competition is hosted by a brand-new
    sports compound, with an Olympic swimming pool, another one for diving and four
    other swimming pools for recovery and warming up. The overall costs for the new
    compound stood at 30 million euro. Hosting its first ever top-flight sports
    competition, the Otopeni Olympic Compound has a 2, 800 seating capacity.




    The new star of Romanian swimming, David Popovici,
    was undoubtedly the top performer of the first competition days. We recall that
    in June this year in Budapest, David won the 100m and 200m world titles. In the
    first three days of the competition in Otiopneo, David stepped onto a step of
    the podium three times. On Tuesday, David Popovici won the 4X100m freestyle
    event (the 100m relay event). Other members of Romania’s relay team were Vlad Stancu,
    Ştefan Cozma and Patrick Sebastian Dinu. Second came Great Britain, while
    3rd-placed was the team of Italy.




    On Wednesday, David
    Popovici won the 200m freestyle event. David thus defended the title he won
    last year at the European Junior Championships in Rome. Also stepping onto a step
    of the podium was Italy’s Roberto Galossi and Jacob
    Whittle of Great Britain. David Popovici is also a world record holder in the
    juniors’ version of the 200m freestyle event. On June 20, at the World Seniors’
    championships in Budapest, David clocked 1 minute, 34 seconds and 21 hundredths
    of a second.




    Also on Wednesday, at the mixed 4x100m
    relay event, Romania came in second. Although they qualified for the sixth best
    timing, the Romanians succeeded a well above-par race. Romania dominated the
    first three legs of the relay race, but for the last hundred meters Hungary
    took the lead and maintained it, winning the relay. Stepping onto a step of the
    podium were David Popovici, Patrick Dinu, Bianca Costea and Rebecca Diaconescu.
    The competition is ongoing until this coming Sunday.

    (EN)


  • Sports Flash

    Sports Flash




    The town of Otopeni, located north of
    Bucharest, is these days the capital city of European swimming. Europe’s best
    junior swimmers fight for the Championships medals, in a competition Romania
    plays host to, as an absolute first. The competition is hosted by a brand-new
    sports compound, with an Olympic swimming pool, another one for diving and four
    other swimming pools for recovery and warming up. The overall costs for the new
    compound stood at 30 million euro. Hosting its first ever top-flight sports
    competition, the Otopeni Olympic Compound has a 2, 800 seating capacity.




    The new star of Romanian swimming, David Popovici,
    was undoubtedly the top performer of the first competition days. We recall that
    in June this year in Budapest, David won the 100m and 200m world titles. In the
    first three days of the competition in Otiopneo, David stepped onto a step of
    the podium three times. On Tuesday, David Popovici won the 4X100m freestyle
    event (the 100m relay event). Other members of Romania’s relay team were Vlad Stancu,
    Ştefan Cozma and Patrick Sebastian Dinu. Second came Great Britain, while
    3rd-placed was the team of Italy.




    On Wednesday, David
    Popovici won the 200m freestyle event. David thus defended the title he won
    last year at the European Junior Championships in Rome. Also stepping onto a step
    of the podium was Italy’s Roberto Galossi and Jacob
    Whittle of Great Britain. David Popovici is also a world record holder in the
    juniors’ version of the 200m freestyle event. On June 20, at the World Seniors’
    championships in Budapest, David clocked 1 minute, 34 seconds and 21 hundredths
    of a second.




    Also on Wednesday, at the mixed 4x100m
    relay event, Romania came in second. Although they qualified for the sixth best
    timing, the Romanians succeeded a well above-par race. Romania dominated the
    first three legs of the relay race, but for the last hundred meters Hungary
    took the lead and maintained it, winning the relay. Stepping onto a step of the
    podium were David Popovici, Patrick Dinu, Bianca Costea and Rebecca Diaconescu.
    The competition is ongoing until this coming Sunday.

    (EN)


  • Sports Weekend

    Sports Weekend

    Romania’s national rugby side have qualified for the World
    Cup 2023 in France. The oaks’ way towards the prestigious rugby competition has
    been smoothed out by the elimination of Spain, which used an illegible player
    in two matches within the Rugby Europe Championship 2021-2022. Initially,
    following the results in the aforementioned European competition, Romania had
    to join the play-offs. But now Portugal and the side ranking after Romania will
    go into the play-offs. In France, Romania will be part of Group B together with
    defending champions South Africa, Ireland, Scotland and the first side ranking
    in the Asia/Pacific zone.




    Romanian tennis player Simona Halep secured a 6-2, 6-3 win
    against Shuai Zhang, of China on Thursday in the first round of the WTA 1000 tournament
    hosted by Madrid, which has more than 6 million euros in prize money. Also in
    the first round, Sorana Cîrstea of Romania has conceded defeat to Spanish
    player Nuria Parrizas Diaz, 6-4, 6-2, while Irina Begu lost to Belinda Bencic
    of Switzerland, 6-4, 6-1.






    Bulgarian capital Sofia is this weekend hosting The European
    Judo Championships an event which brings together over 360 athletes of 40
    countries. Romania is being represented by 9 judokas, six in men’s and 3 in
    women’s competitions. Athletes from Romania walked away with no medal from last
    year’s edition of the aforementioned competition, the last medal was won by Andrea
    Chiţu, in Prague in 2020, in the 52-kilogram category.






    The Romanian women’s handball side CSM Bucharest will be
    playing Danish side Team Esbjerg in a home match counting towards the Champions
    League quarter finals. The Romanian side also relies on left-back Eduarda
    Amorim of Brazil who has also played for Russian side Rostov-Don, which has
    been excluded from the Champions League due to the war in Ukraine.






    And now football. This weekend will be seeing the matches of
    the seventh leg of Romania’s first football league. On Friday Sepsi Sfantu
    Gheorghe will be playing Gaz Metan Medias and Chindia Targoviste is up against
    Rapid Bucharest. On Saturday, Dinamo Bucharest plays Academica Clinceni in a
    home game while in Craiova, western Romania, local side FCU 1948 takes on UTA
    Arad. On Monday, CS Mioveni, on their own turf will be playing FC Botosani. Gaz
    Metan with minus 37 points and Academica with minus five are presently at the
    bottom of the table and cannot avoid demotion any more.




    Dinamo Bucharest with 16 points will go into the playoffs in
    an attempt to remain in the first football league.


    In the other matches on Saturday, Universitatea Craiova on
    their own turf will be playing FC Voluntari while on Sunday, Farul Constanta
    travels to Cluj to take on local side CFR. FCSB takes on FC Arges on the
    National Arena stadium in Bucharest on Monday. CFR tops the table with 48
    points followed by FCSB with 46 and Universitatea Craiova with 42.




    (bill)

  • Sports Weekend

    Sports Weekend

    Romania’s national rugby side have qualified for the World
    Cup 2023 in France. The oaks’ way towards the prestigious rugby competition has
    been smoothed out by the elimination of Spain, which used an illegible player
    in two matches within the Rugby Europe Championship 2021-2022. Initially,
    following the results in the aforementioned European competition, Romania had
    to join the play-offs. But now Portugal and the side ranking after Romania will
    go into the play-offs. In France, Romania will be part of Group B together with
    defending champions South Africa, Ireland, Scotland and the first side ranking
    in the Asia/Pacific zone.




    Romanian tennis player Simona Halep secured a 6-2, 6-3 win
    against Shuai Zhang, of China on Thursday in the first round of the WTA 1000 tournament
    hosted by Madrid, which has more than 6 million euros in prize money. Also in
    the first round, Sorana Cîrstea of Romania has conceded defeat to Spanish
    player Nuria Parrizas Diaz, 6-4, 6-2, while Irina Begu lost to Belinda Bencic
    of Switzerland, 6-4, 6-1.






    Bulgarian capital Sofia is this weekend hosting The European
    Judo Championships an event which brings together over 360 athletes of 40
    countries. Romania is being represented by 9 judokas, six in men’s and 3 in
    women’s competitions. Athletes from Romania walked away with no medal from last
    year’s edition of the aforementioned competition, the last medal was won by Andrea
    Chiţu, in Prague in 2020, in the 52-kilogram category.






    The Romanian women’s handball side CSM Bucharest will be
    playing Danish side Team Esbjerg in a home match counting towards the Champions
    League quarter finals. The Romanian side also relies on left-back Eduarda
    Amorim of Brazil who has also played for Russian side Rostov-Don, which has
    been excluded from the Champions League due to the war in Ukraine.






    And now football. This weekend will be seeing the matches of
    the seventh leg of Romania’s first football league. On Friday Sepsi Sfantu
    Gheorghe will be playing Gaz Metan Medias and Chindia Targoviste is up against
    Rapid Bucharest. On Saturday, Dinamo Bucharest plays Academica Clinceni in a
    home game while in Craiova, western Romania, local side FCU 1948 takes on UTA
    Arad. On Monday, CS Mioveni, on their own turf will be playing FC Botosani. Gaz
    Metan with minus 37 points and Academica with minus five are presently at the
    bottom of the table and cannot avoid demotion any more.




    Dinamo Bucharest with 16 points will go into the playoffs in
    an attempt to remain in the first football league.


    In the other matches on Saturday, Universitatea Craiova on
    their own turf will be playing FC Voluntari while on Sunday, Farul Constanta
    travels to Cluj to take on local side CFR. FCSB takes on FC Arges on the
    National Arena stadium in Bucharest on Monday. CFR tops the table with 48
    points followed by FCSB with 46 and Universitatea Craiova with 42.




    (bill)

  • January 10, 2021

    January 10, 2021


    COVID-19 Over 4,100 new COVID-19 cases and 16 related fatalities were reported on Monday out of around 30,700 tests. At least 400 patients are in intensive care. In 11 cities the COVID-19 infection rate is above 3 per thousand, with the capital city Bucharest and Ilfov County in the south now on the yellow list, alongside Cluj (north-west), with rates of over 2 per thousand. Meanwhile, the vaccination rate remains low. Only 2,700 people got the first dose in the last 24 hours, nearly 3 times below the average of the last few days. So far, approx. 42% of the population have received at least one vaccine dose. The spread of the Omicron variant triggered a number of protection measures. 160 outpatient evaluation centres will be operational as of this week, to reduce pressure on hospitals.



    INTEREST The Board of the National Bank of Romania may decide today to further raise the policy interest rate, currently standing at 1.75% per year. The increase is expected, given the rise of the inflation rate in Romania and abroad. The policy interest rate was last increased in November, but only by 0.25%, which is less than analysts had expected.



    DIPLOMACY Romanias foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu has talks today with his Pakistani counterpart Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi in Bucharest. The visit takes place in the context of recent positive developments in bilateral relations, including Islamabads support for the Romanian authorities efforts to evacuate Romanian and Allied citizens as well as 156 vulnerable Afghan nationals from Afghanistan in August and September 2021. The 2 officials are to discuss means to strengthen bilateral relations, to consolidate political dialogue and economic cooperation. A cooperation agreement between the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Association of Pakistani Chambers of Commerce and Industry, as well as a framework agreement on student exchanges between the Polytechnic University in Bucharest and the University of Islamabad are some of the documents signed during this visit.



    KAZAKHSTAN Monday is a day of national mourning for the victims of the recent violent protests in Kazakhstan, where the situation seems to have stabilised. However, president Kassym Tokayev carried on removing suspected opponents from the countrys security services, with 2 more top-level officials dismissed. They were the deputies of the former head of the National Security Committee, Karim Masimov, dismissed and arrested last week on charges of treason. Masimov was an ally of former president Nursultan Nazarbaev. The latter stepped down in 2019, but he preserved control on key posts until a few days ago. The crisis in Kazakhstan started early this month, after gas prices were raised. The originally peaceful protests quickly spiralled into violent clashes resulting in human casualties and many buildings damaged, especially in the countrys economic centre Almaty. Thousands were arrested. Tokaev requested and received the support of a military alliance headed by Russia, whose troops are currently protecting strategic sites in Kazakhstan.



    TALKS Talks are held in Geneva, Switzerland today by US and Russian officials over the situation in Ukraine. The parties have voiced reserves with respect to a prospective compromise. Russia said on Friday it would not yield to pressure, and warned that talks may be suspended, while Washington said hopes for success were rather low. The talks take place amid worries over Russias military build-up close to its border with Ukraine and fears that Moscow may once again attack the country, after having occupied and annexed Crimea in 2014. Ukraine is seeking NATO membership, but Moscow wants guarantees that NATO would not continue to expand eastwards. The meeting in Geneva will be followed this week by talks between Russian and NATO officials in Brussels, while an OSCE meeting due in Vienna is also scheduled to focus on the situation in Ukraine.



    HANDBALL Romanias national mens handball team qualified into the second round of the 2023 World Championship qualifiers, after defeating the Republic of Moldova 33-23, on Sunday night, at home in Cluj-Napoca, in the last match of the first preliminary round, Group 3. In the previous group matches, Romania defeated Israel 33-30, which in turn beat Moldova 42-31. Romania came out 1st with 6 points, followed by Israel (4), Moldova (2), and Cyprus, (0). Cyprus was unable to take part in the tournament because of a COVID-19 outbreak in its team, and all its games were forfeited with a score of 10-0 for the opposing team. The top 2 teams in each group moved into the second round of the qualifiers. Four times a world champion, Romania has so far taken part in 14 mens handball World Championships, but its last participation dates back to 2011. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • January 10, 2021

    January 10, 2021


    COVID-19 Over 4,100 new COVID-19 cases and 16 related fatalities were reported on Monday out of around 30,700 tests. At least 400 patients are in intensive care. In 11 cities the COVID-19 infection rate is above 3 per thousand, with the capital city Bucharest and Ilfov County in the south now on the yellow list, alongside Cluj (north-west), with rates of over 2 per thousand. Meanwhile, the vaccination rate remains low. Only 2,700 people got the first dose in the last 24 hours, nearly 3 times below the average of the last few days. So far, approx. 42% of the population have received at least one vaccine dose. The spread of the Omicron variant triggered a number of protection measures. 160 outpatient evaluation centres will be operational as of this week, to reduce pressure on hospitals.



    INTEREST The Board of the National Bank of Romania may decide today to further raise the policy interest rate, currently standing at 1.75% per year. The increase is expected, given the rise of the inflation rate in Romania and abroad. The policy interest rate was last increased in November, but only by 0.25%, which is less than analysts had expected.



    DIPLOMACY Romanias foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu has talks today with his Pakistani counterpart Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi in Bucharest. The visit takes place in the context of recent positive developments in bilateral relations, including Islamabads support for the Romanian authorities efforts to evacuate Romanian and Allied citizens as well as 156 vulnerable Afghan nationals from Afghanistan in August and September 2021. The 2 officials are to discuss means to strengthen bilateral relations, to consolidate political dialogue and economic cooperation. A cooperation agreement between the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Association of Pakistani Chambers of Commerce and Industry, as well as a framework agreement on student exchanges between the Polytechnic University in Bucharest and the University of Islamabad are some of the documents signed during this visit.



    KAZAKHSTAN Monday is a day of national mourning for the victims of the recent violent protests in Kazakhstan, where the situation seems to have stabilised. However, president Kassym Tokayev carried on removing suspected opponents from the countrys security services, with 2 more top-level officials dismissed. They were the deputies of the former head of the National Security Committee, Karim Masimov, dismissed and arrested last week on charges of treason. Masimov was an ally of former president Nursultan Nazarbaev. The latter stepped down in 2019, but he preserved control on key posts until a few days ago. The crisis in Kazakhstan started early this month, after gas prices were raised. The originally peaceful protests quickly spiralled into violent clashes resulting in human casualties and many buildings damaged, especially in the countrys economic centre Almaty. Thousands were arrested. Tokaev requested and received the support of a military alliance headed by Russia, whose troops are currently protecting strategic sites in Kazakhstan.



    TALKS Talks are held in Geneva, Switzerland today by US and Russian officials over the situation in Ukraine. The parties have voiced reserves with respect to a prospective compromise. Russia said on Friday it would not yield to pressure, and warned that talks may be suspended, while Washington said hopes for success were rather low. The talks take place amid worries over Russias military build-up close to its border with Ukraine and fears that Moscow may once again attack the country, after having occupied and annexed Crimea in 2014. Ukraine is seeking NATO membership, but Moscow wants guarantees that NATO would not continue to expand eastwards. The meeting in Geneva will be followed this week by talks between Russian and NATO officials in Brussels, while an OSCE meeting due in Vienna is also scheduled to focus on the situation in Ukraine.



    HANDBALL Romanias national mens handball team qualified into the second round of the 2023 World Championship qualifiers, after defeating the Republic of Moldova 33-23, on Sunday night, at home in Cluj-Napoca, in the last match of the first preliminary round, Group 3. In the previous group matches, Romania defeated Israel 33-30, which in turn beat Moldova 42-31. Romania came out 1st with 6 points, followed by Israel (4), Moldova (2), and Cyprus, (0). Cyprus was unable to take part in the tournament because of a COVID-19 outbreak in its team, and all its games were forfeited with a score of 10-0 for the opposing team. The top 2 teams in each group moved into the second round of the qualifiers. Four times a world champion, Romania has so far taken part in 14 mens handball World Championships, but its last participation dates back to 2011. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Sports Weekend

    Sports Weekend




    Romania’s women’s handball team
    failed to qualify in the quarter-finals of the World Championships hosted by
    Spain. On Thursday, Romania lost 31-30 to the Netherlands, the defending world
    champions. The Romanians, coached by Adrian Vasile, put on their best
    performance in this final tournament, but the Dutch players’ experience made
    the difference at the end of the match.


    Crina Pintea, who scored 6 goals,
    was nominated the best player of the match. Cristina Laslo also scored 6 times
    for Romania. The national team lost all chances to finish on one of the 2 top
    places in Main Group 2 and to move up into the quarter-finals. Their next match,
    against Puerto Rico, is scheduled for Saturday.


    In men’s handball, Dinamo Bucharest Thursday
    defeated the Ukrainian side Motor Zaporoje, 33-29, in the Champions’ League Group
    B. This was the 3rd win for the Romanian club this season, but the
    team is still ranking last in its group with only 6 points. The competition
    will be resumed next year, with the Romanian champions due to take on Barça in
    Bucharest on February 17.


    Romanian football champions CFR Cluj
    saw their presence in this year’s Europe Conference League season ending with a
    victory. Coach Dan Petrescu’s team won 1-0, on home turf, against the Czech
    side Jablonec. In the Group D ranking, Cluj comes 4th, with one win,
    one draw and 4 defeats.


    This weekend also sees matches
    counting towards the 19th leg of the top Romanian football league. The
    2 matches on Friday, FC U Craiova vs. Academica Clinceni and Rapid Bucharest vs.
    FC Argeş, will be followed on Saturday by games pitting UTA Arad against FC
    Botoşani, FC Voluntari against Universitatea Craiova, and FCSB against Gaz
    Metan Mediaş. On Sunday, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe take on Farul Constanţa, and CFR
    Cluj on CS Mioveni. The last match in the leg, Dinamo Bucharest vs. Chindia
    Târgovişte, is scheduled for Monday.

    In the current standings, Cluj are on top
    with 48 points, followed by FCSB with 40. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Sports Weekend

    Sports Weekend




    Romania’s women’s handball team
    failed to qualify in the quarter-finals of the World Championships hosted by
    Spain. On Thursday, Romania lost 31-30 to the Netherlands, the defending world
    champions. The Romanians, coached by Adrian Vasile, put on their best
    performance in this final tournament, but the Dutch players’ experience made
    the difference at the end of the match.


    Crina Pintea, who scored 6 goals,
    was nominated the best player of the match. Cristina Laslo also scored 6 times
    for Romania. The national team lost all chances to finish on one of the 2 top
    places in Main Group 2 and to move up into the quarter-finals. Their next match,
    against Puerto Rico, is scheduled for Saturday.


    In men’s handball, Dinamo Bucharest Thursday
    defeated the Ukrainian side Motor Zaporoje, 33-29, in the Champions’ League Group
    B. This was the 3rd win for the Romanian club this season, but the
    team is still ranking last in its group with only 6 points. The competition
    will be resumed next year, with the Romanian champions due to take on Barça in
    Bucharest on February 17.


    Romanian football champions CFR Cluj
    saw their presence in this year’s Europe Conference League season ending with a
    victory. Coach Dan Petrescu’s team won 1-0, on home turf, against the Czech
    side Jablonec. In the Group D ranking, Cluj comes 4th, with one win,
    one draw and 4 defeats.


    This weekend also sees matches
    counting towards the 19th leg of the top Romanian football league. The
    2 matches on Friday, FC U Craiova vs. Academica Clinceni and Rapid Bucharest vs.
    FC Argeş, will be followed on Saturday by games pitting UTA Arad against FC
    Botoşani, FC Voluntari against Universitatea Craiova, and FCSB against Gaz
    Metan Mediaş. On Sunday, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe take on Farul Constanţa, and CFR
    Cluj on CS Mioveni. The last match in the leg, Dinamo Bucharest vs. Chindia
    Târgovişte, is scheduled for Monday.

    In the current standings, Cluj are on top
    with 48 points, followed by FCSB with 40. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Athlete of the Week

    Athlete of the Week




    This past weekend, the
    Romanian swimmer David Popovici won the gold in the 200m freestyle final of the
    European Short Course Swimming Championships in Kazan, Russia. Popovici came
    first with 1:42:12. At the age of only 17, he thus won his first continental
    senior title, while also setting a new national record. Second and third came 2
    Dutch swimmers, Luc Kroon and Stan Pijnenburg.


    Popovici’s gold was
    the 3rd medal for Romania in this short course championship, after
    the silver and bronze won by Robert Glinţă in the 100m and 50m backstroke finals.
    I’m glad I could attend this European competition. We’ve been quite united and
    had a lot of fun. And I’m also happy to have written history for Romanian
    swimming, said Popovici upon his return to Romania. He is the first Romanian,
    in fact, to have won a European short course championship.


    For his outstanding
    performance, Radio Romania International has designated David Popovici the
    Athlete of the Week.


    David Popovici was
    born on 15 September 2004, in Bucharest, and has specialised in freestyle races,
    having set the juniors’ world records for 100m and 200m freestyle. Also in the
    junior category, he is the European champion in the 50m, 100m and 200m
    freestyle events. In the same European Championship edition, held in Rome, he
    won the silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay with his Romanian teammates.


    His best performance
    was his qualification in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where at 16 years of age, he
    came up 4th in the 200m freestyle final. I think in Tokyo I learned
    to better control my emotions, to focus on my lane and do what I do best,
    young Popovici also said upon his return from Kazan. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Athlete of the Week

    Athlete of the Week




    This past weekend, the
    Romanian swimmer David Popovici won the gold in the 200m freestyle final of the
    European Short Course Swimming Championships in Kazan, Russia. Popovici came
    first with 1:42:12. At the age of only 17, he thus won his first continental
    senior title, while also setting a new national record. Second and third came 2
    Dutch swimmers, Luc Kroon and Stan Pijnenburg.


    Popovici’s gold was
    the 3rd medal for Romania in this short course championship, after
    the silver and bronze won by Robert Glinţă in the 100m and 50m backstroke finals.
    I’m glad I could attend this European competition. We’ve been quite united and
    had a lot of fun. And I’m also happy to have written history for Romanian
    swimming, said Popovici upon his return to Romania. He is the first Romanian,
    in fact, to have won a European short course championship.


    For his outstanding
    performance, Radio Romania International has designated David Popovici the
    Athlete of the Week.


    David Popovici was
    born on 15 September 2004, in Bucharest, and has specialised in freestyle races,
    having set the juniors’ world records for 100m and 200m freestyle. Also in the
    junior category, he is the European champion in the 50m, 100m and 200m
    freestyle events. In the same European Championship edition, held in Rome, he
    won the silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay with his Romanian teammates.


    His best performance
    was his qualification in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where at 16 years of age, he
    came up 4th in the 200m freestyle final. I think in Tokyo I learned
    to better control my emotions, to focus on my lane and do what I do best,
    young Popovici also said upon his return from Kazan. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • January 10, 2020

    January 10, 2020

    EU The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu is taking part in Brussels today in a special meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, convened by the vice-president of the European Commission Josep Borrell, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy in the wake of the recent developments in the Middle East. According to a news release issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, European officials will exchange opinions and assessments on the situation in Iraq and will identify ways for the EU to contribute to easing the tensions in the region. The developments in Libya will also be tackled.




    ELECTIONS In Bucharest, PM Ludovic Orban announced after todays talks with President Klaus Iohannis, that together they decided to initiate procedures for early parliamentary elections. The PM added that a work group has been put together to handle negotiations with the parliamentary political parties for support in this initiative. Ludovic Orban said that the Social Democratic Party, which has a relative majority in Parliament, hinders the Governments initiatives and that the only solution is to have snap parliamentary elections as close as possible to the local elections scheduled this May. Meanwhile, the Social Democrats are considering a motion of no-confidence.




    UN Romanias representative at the United Nations, Ambassador Ion Jinga, addressed the Security Council as part of a ministerial debate on “Maintenance of international peace and security upholding the UN Charter. The Romanian diplomat mentioned that 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the UN, which remains the most adequate platform for collectively tackling threats to international peace and security, and that the UN Charter remains the reference document in this respect. He emphasised that the recent developments in the Middle East and North Africa prove once again the responsibility of the international community in facilitating political solutions able to support long-lasting peace. Ambassador Jinga also spoke about Romanias contribution to peacekeeping, proven among other things by its participation in 2019 in 10 UN peacekeeping missions.





    AIR CRASH The USA, Canada and Britain said that information from multiple sources indicates that the Ukrainian aircraft that crashed on Wednesday near Tehran has been taken down by Iranian armed forces. 176 people died. Iran may have accidentally shot down the plane in which 63 Canadian citizens were traveling, among other nationals, Canadas PM Justin Trudeau said. The US president Donald Trump and British PM Boris Johnson confirmed the hypothesis. All parties now ask Iran to initiate a detailed and thorough investigation. The Iranian authorities dismissed the latest intelligence as ridiculous and part of an American psychological manoeuvre. The Ukraine International Airlines flight to Kiev crashed shortly after taking off from the Tehran airport, just hours after Iran had launched ballistic missiles against 2 US military bases in Iraq, with the Iranians subsequently on alert for prospective American retaliation. According to American intelligence, the infrared signature from two suspected missile launches was identified, followed shortly afterwards by the infrared blip from the burning Boeing 737-800. On Thursday Irans Civil Aviation Organisation said the 3-year old plane faced technical problems shortly after take-off.



    HANDBALL Romanias mens handball team plays tonight in Benevento, Italy, against Georgia, in its first match in Group 3 of the qualification phase for the 2021 World Championship in Egypt. On Saturday Romania will play against Kosovo, and on Sunday they will take on the host country. The group winner qualifies into the second qualification phase, scheduled for mid-April. Manager Rares Fortuneanu, who also coaches Saint Raphael, in Frances top handball league, says he is confident Romania can qualify into next years final tournament, the first with 32 teams taking part. In the womens competition, Romania reached the main groups of the World Championship held last month in Japan.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • September 26, 2019

    September 26, 2019

    TALKS The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis had a short meeting in New York on Wednesday with his Moldovan counterpart Igor Dodon, on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly. President Klaus Iohannis emphasised during the talks that in Romanias view, the Republic of Moldovas European accession efforts, firmly supported by Bucharest, are the only way to ensure the prosperity of the Moldovan citizens. In turn, Igor Dodon emphasised that he supports the strategic partnership between Romania and Moldova, and added that Moldovas European accession remains a priority. The Romanian President also had a meeting with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. The latter thanked Romania for supporting his countrys European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Ukrainian state. Volodymyr Zelensky and Klaus Iohannis also discussed cooperation opportunities in the economic and energy fields, as well as bilateral business relations.




    CoD Romania is taking over the 2-year presidency of the Governing Council of the Community of Democracies, the Foreign Ministry announced. On this occasion, Foreign Minister Ramona Mănescu is taking part in New York today in an extraordinary meeting of this body. The Community of Democracies is a global inter-governmental structure aimed at promoting sustainable development, universal access to justice and efficient, responsible and inclusive institutions at all levels. Romania is one of the 106 UN member states that have signed the Warsaw Declaration, on whose principles the Community of Democracies has been founded.




    HEARING The candidacy of the Romanian Social Democrat Rovana Plumb for the post of European Commissioner for Transport was rejected on Thursday by the European Parliaments judicial committee, political sources in Brussels announced. Only 6 MEPs voted in her favour, 15 voted against and 2 abstained from voting. Without the approval of the judicial committee, the hearing in the Transport Committee cannot be held. The European Parliaments judicial committee had invited Rovana Plumb and Lazslo Trocsanyi, the European Commissioner nominated by Hungary, to a special hearing. Plumb was asked to clarify controversial aspects in her declaration of assets, related to a loan taken out in order to fund an election campaign.




    AMBASSADOR Lawyer Adrian Zuckermans nomination as US ambassador to Romania has been approved by the Foreign Relations Committee in the US Senate. According to the White House, Zuckerman immigrated to the US from Romania at the age of 10, and is fluent in Romanian. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1984, and was a partner in an international law firm. He was previously an arbitrator for the Real Estate Board of New York. He received his undergraduate degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his law degree from New York Law School.




    UNEMPLOYMENT In Romania, the unemployment rate dropped to 3.8% in the second quarter of the year, with the highest rate (15%) reported among youth 15 to 24 years of age, the National Statistics Institute reports. The data also indicates that unemployed men outnumber the women, and that unemployment is higher in rural communities. During the same period, the employment rate in the 15-66 age bracket was slightly over 66%, up since the previous quarter. Moreover, the employment rate for citizens aged between 20 and 64 was 71.6%, higher than the 70% national target set in the Europa 2020 Strategy. Romanias active population was 9.1 million people, of whom 8.8 million were employed in the second quarter of this year.




    HANDBALL Romanias womens handball team Wednesday night defeated Ukraine, at home, 27-24, in the first match in Group 7 of the 2020 European Championships qualifiers. On Sunday the Romanians will play against Faroe Islands away from home. Group 7 also includes Poland, and the 2 top-ranking teams will qualify in the final tournament. Romanias national team came in 4th in the previous European Championships, losing the bronze medal to the Netherlands. Meanwhile, Romanias champions Dinamo Bucharest won 35-28 against Danish vice-champions GOG Gudme, in Group D of the Champions League. Romania tops the group ranking, having outplayed the Swedish team IFK Kristianstad in Bucharest and drawn against the Swiss side Kadetten Schaffhausen, away from home. Dinamo will play next against Cehovskye Medvedy on October 12, in Russia.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • RRI Sports Club

    RRI Sports Club

    European championships in various sports disciplines are usually held in April. The year 2019 was no exception, and last week 3 European-level competitions unfolded concurrently. From the Weightlifting Championships in Batumi, Georgia, the Romanian delegation walked home with 14 medals. At the European Wrestling Championships held in Bucharest, Romanian wrestlers stepped onto the podium no less than 4 times.



    However, the Romanian athletes taking part in the European Gymnastics Championships in Szczecin, Poland, returned with no medals. In the womens competition, Denisa Golgota was the closest to winning a medal. Golgota came 4th in the floor event, 5th in the beam and 6th in the vault event. Denisa Golgota was 17th-placed in the all-round event. All the other gymnasts failed to go through to the competitions finals.



    Coached by Nicolae Forminte, the Romanian womens gymnastics team had at least one medal as its target, and all hopes were pinned on Denisa Golgota, who had won silver in the floor event and bronze in the vault event in last years edition of the European championships. Nica Ivanus and Carmen Ghiciuc competed alongside Golgota, yet their run was poor. Ghiciuc came out the 16th in the beam event, while Ivanus ranked 20th, in the same event. That was the best result the two gymnasts could get at the competition. It was the first time since 1972 that the Romanian womens gymnastics failed to step onto the podium.



    In the mens competition in Szeczcin, the Romanian delegations set objective was also to win at least one medal. Only one gymnast competed in all apparatus finals, Toma Roland Modoianu – Zseder. He also came out 67th in the all-round qualifiers. The best results were obtained in the vault event, where Robert Ghiuzan came 20th, while Marian Dragulescu was 21st-placed. Otherwise, the other gymnasts results were simply lackluster.



    Commentators said the reason for the Romanians poor run at the recent championship was the significant progress made by teams with previously mediocre performances in European gymnastics. For instance, the French womens delegation ranked first in terms of overall medal count. But apart from the progress seen in other teams, we cannot help noticing that the crisis the Romanian gymnastics has been going through is deepening.




    (translated by: Eugen Nasta)