Radio România Internațional

Tag: doping

Bittersweet victory for Simona Halep

The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep has seen to an honourable ending the hardest match in her life, as she described it herself: proving that she has always been a clean athlete, in the face of doping accusations.

The Lausanne Court of Arbitration for Sport admitted Halep’s appeal and cut down to 9 months the original 4-year suspension issued by the International Tennis Integrity Agency. The suspension had been decided for 2 alleged violations, the use of prohibited substances and irregularities in her biological passport.

In Lausanne, the Romanian athlete did not deny her responsibility in making sure that she did not ingest any banned substances, but objected to allegations that she had done that on purpose, and argued that the positive test was the result of a contamination of the food supplement she was using in August 2022. According to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Halep has proved that the doping violation was unintentional.

The suspension started in October 2022, therefore Simona Halep, who has not taken part in any competition for almost one and a half years, is free to return to professional competitions.

The two-time Grand Slam champion was quick to respond to the decision. In an Instagram post, she said the overwhelming support of so many Romanians strengthened her resolve and enabled her to fight for a fair and honourable conclusion. “In the midst of this challenging journey, my unwavering belief in the integrity of the truth and in the principles of justice has been my beacon. Despite facing daunting accusations and formidable opposition, my spirit remained buoyant, anchored in my unwavering conviction of being a clean athlete. This ordeal has been a testament to resilience, and the triumph of truth is a bittersweet vindication that, albeit delayed, is immensely gratifying,” she said.

Tennis legends like Chris Evert and Boris Becker welcomed the recent decision and the Romanian player’s imminent return to the WTA circuit. Coach Patrick Mouratoglou, with whom Simona Halep was working at the time of the positive test and who was blamed by Simona’s fans and some commentators for this painful moment, spoke about the incredible injustice that she suffered.

Simona Halep won the battle for her image, but she still has to fight for the losses incurred during her suspension. She has sued the Canadian producer of the food supplements she believes led to the positive test results, asking for USD 10 mln in damages.

As for her athletic performance, analysts agree that at over 32 years of age, Simona has a mountain to climb to make it back to the top tier of professional tennis. But they also believe that the mental strength and exceptional sport quality that won her the Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles, in addition to 20 other trophies, can be the engine of her return to elite tennis. (AMP)

6 March 2024
Radio Romania International Sports club

The year’s first Grand Slam tournament, the Australian tennis Open, has
now reached the quarterfinal stage. A couple of seeded competitors, among whom
the world’s number one tennis player, Poland’s Iga Swiatek, have already left
the competition.

The Romanian participants, in the singles but also in the double’s events
have already been eliminated from the competition’s very first week. The last Romanian
to have stepped onto the tennis court was Victor Cornea, who this past Saturday was defeated
in the Open’s men’s doubles event, where he paired up with India’s Nsriram
Balaji. Cornea and Balaji were defeated by the 10th-seeded Salvadorian-Croatian
pair made of Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic, 3-6, 3-6. 69th-placed according to
the world’s doubles rankings, Victor Cornea participated for the third time in
a Grand Slam tournament. We recall that in 2023 Cornea took part in Roland
Garros and the US Open. In the recently-held edition of the Australian Open, in
the first round Victor Cornea and Nsriram Balaji defeated the all-Italian pair made of
Matteo Arnaldi and Andrea Pellegrino, 6-3, 6-4. The Romanian-Indian pair has thus
secured a cheque of 53, 000 Australian Dollars. Since 2021, Victor Cornea was the first
Romanian player to have been included in the men’s event main draw in a Grand
Slam tournament. The last such Romanian had been Horia Tecău, who retired in
2022. We recall that, jointly with the German Kevin Krawietz, Tecau secured his
last Grand Slam wins at the 2021 edition of the Australian Open.

In 2024
in Melbourne, the last Romanian to have proved her mettle in the women’s doubles
was Ana Bogdan. In the second round, Bogdan and the Spanish Slovak-born Rebeka
Masarova sustained a 3-6, 1-6 defeat by the 6th-seeded American-Japanese
pair made of Desirae Krawczyk and Ena Shibahara.

In the women’s singles, no Romanian
tennis player was could go past the first round. The Romanian tennis is emphatically
deprived of the presence of Simona Halep. Former WTA, number one tennis player still
feels the pinch of her suspension, following doping charges. Halep awaits the
retrial of her case by Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, in the first
decade of February 2024.

23 January 2024
December 12, 2023 UPDATE

MOLDOVA The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis had talks on Tuesday with
his Moldovan counterpart, Maia Sandu, during which he reiterated Romania’s
support for Moldova’s EU accession efforts. Romania, Iohannis emphasised, firmly
supports the opening of EU accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova.
Wednesday through Friday president Iohannis takes part in the EU – Western Balkans
Summit and the European Council meeting in Brussels, in which context he will
plead for a decision with respect to the start of accession negotiations with
Ukraine and Moldova. Also on Tuesday, the Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu had a telephone
conversation with the Moldovan PM Dorin
Recean, in which he reiterated Bucharest’s steady support for the neighbouring
country’s EU accession. The two prime ministers also discussed bilateral
cooperation projects, especially in the field of cross-border energy
interconnection and the financial assistance provided by Romania for Moldova’s
development.

SCHENGEN The Romanian interior
minister Cătălin Predoiu highlighted, in a statement following the Salzburg
Forum in Slovenia on Tuesday, the progress made in the talks concerning Romania’s
Schengen accession. He said he had talks regarding the technical options for a
decision to be made in December. As regards the fears concerning the transfer
of illegal migrants in Austria, Predoiu explained that those concerns exclusively
relate to the migrants originally registered in Romania. According to the
current Dublin regulation, once captured in Austria and proved to be illegal
migrants, these individuals are returned to the country from which they came, the
Romanian official added. In 2023, 120 people were in this situation, Predoiu
mentioned.

ECONOMY Romania’s budget deficit in 2024 will be
below 5% of GDP, lower than at the end of this year. According to the Romanian
government made up of the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal
Party, next year substantial additional funding will be earmarked for public
education, healthcare, transports and investments. Under the draft 2024 state
budget, salaries in the public sector as well as pensions will be raised. The
government promises that all these increases will be operated without
concurrent tax raises. The leaders of the ruling coalition parties rely on a
planned set of measures to increase budget revenue collection and curb tax
evasion, as well as on the digitization of the national tax agency.

AGREEMENT
The Romanian foreign ministry took note of the publication of the Russian
Federation’s government decision to withdraw from the bilateral agreement of
2005 concerning the opening of a Romanian consulate general in Rostov-on-Don. According
to a news release issued on Tuesday, Romania has not been officially notified
yet on this decision. At present, apart from the embassy in Moscow, Romania
also operates a consular office in Rostov-on-Don and one in Sankt Petersburg. This
summer the Romanian foreign ministry requested Moscow to reduce the number of
diplomatic personnel at the Russian embassy in Bucharest by 40.

VISIT The PM of
Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, Tuesday received the foreign minister and deputy PM of
the Republic of Kazakhstan, Murat Nurtleu, in which context the head of the
Romanian government emphasised that the excellent dynamics of bilateral
relations ensure great potential to the bilateral cooperation towards the
interconnection between Europe and the Caspian Sea region. According to a news
release issued by the Romanian government, the Romanian PM hailed the upward
trend of the political dialogue and economic cooperation between the two
countries and mentioned that Kazakhstan is Romania’s largest economic partner
in Central Asia. As regards the cooperation in the energy sector, the two
parties agreed to encourage cooperation in order to enhance the security of
energy supplies for the EU member states as well as for the Republic of Moldova
and Ukraine, reads the news release. The two officials also discussed the
regional security situation in the context of Russia’s military aggression in
Ukraine.

TENNIS The
Romanian tennis player Simona Halep will be heard at the Court of Arbitration
for Sport in Lausanne on February 7-9, in proceedings initiated by Halep
against the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). In October, the twice
Grand Slam winner lodged an appeal with the CAS against her 4-year suspension
for doping. The Romanian athlete was penalised for two separate violations of
the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme, the first one concerning the identification
of a banned substance at the 2022 US Open, and the second one concerning
irregularities in her biological passport. (AMP)

12 December 2023
Sports flash

The Romanian national football squad secured a 2-nil win against Kosovo, in a match hosted by the National Arena in Bucharest. The fixture counted towards the Euro 2024 preliminaries Group I. Scoring for Romania were Nicolae Stanciu, in minute 83, and Valentin Mihăilă, three minutes into added time. In minute 58, Romanias Nicolae Stanciu had failed to score from the spot, not to mention the fact that Kosovo were one man shy on the pitch. The referee interrupted the game on 18 minutes because a group of Romanian fans in the Southern stand unfolded a banner writing Kosovo is Serbia. The match was resumed after 50 minutes. The Romanian Football Federation condemned the reckless behavior of the Southern stand fans. The Bucharest Gendarmerie identified 458 individual who were part of the group of supporters who perpetrated antisocial deeds. In Group Is two other matches, Switzerland defeated Andorra, 3-nil, while Israel defeated Belarus, 1-nil. Switzerland are at the top of the table, with 14 points, followed by Romania, with 12 points, and Israel, with 11 points. In descending order, the other teams are Belarus, Kosovo and Andorra, with 4, another 4 and 2 points, respectively.

The Romanian Basketball Federation has launched the new identity of the national seniors leagues, mens and womens version of the league, As the result of a commercial partnership with Getica 95, with 500,000 Euros worth of funding, the two competitions will bear the name of the new sponsor, Getica 95 National Womens Basketball League and Getica 95 National Mens Basketball league. The National Womens Basketball League and the National Mens Basketball League as an absolute first have the same sponsor, which proves that gender equality works, stated the president of the Romania Basketball Federation Carmen Tocala.

Romanian tennis player Simona Halep has received a 4-year ban from competition following doping allegations, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced on Tuesday. The Agency announced suspension was ruled in Halep s case on two counts, since she tested positive for Roxadustat at the US Open, in 2022, and irregularities were identified in Haleps Athlete Biological Passport. Simona Halep announced she would appeal against the decision.

14 September 2023
Simona Halep, end of career?

Simona Halep, two times winner of the Grand Slam, at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and former world number one, is going through a very difficult moment in her sports life. After a year in which she could not participate in tournaments, the Romanian tennis player was suspended for a period of four years for doping. The announcement was made by the International Tennis Integrity Agency. The Agency officials said that it was an independent tribunal that had suspended Halep for two separate violations of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program, one related to the identification of the banned substance called roxadustat at the 2022 US Open following an in-competition anti-doping test, and the other related to irregularities from her biological passport.

The biological passport is an electronic collection of the values of certain biological data, obtained from data collected throughout the athlete’s career, from which some basic values can be established, and possible anomalies can be observed. The court decided that the player committed intentional violations of the Anti-Doping Regulation. The court accepted Simona’s argument that she took contaminated food supplements but decided that the amount ingested by the player could not result in the concentration of roxadustat identified in the positive sample.

Simona Halep said she was shocked and disappointed by the decision and announced that she will challenge it at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland. At the same time, she announced that she would sue the company that supplied her with contaminated food supplements. Last year was the most difficult match of my life and unfortunately the struggle continues. I have dedicated my life to the beautiful game of tennis. I take the rules that govern our sport very seriously and I am proud not to have ever taken, intentionally or not, a banned substance. I refuse to accept their decision of suspension for four years, said the Romanian tennis player in a communique. She claims that she presented the court with convincing evidence in her defense, including numerous legitimate questions about the conclusions of the biological passport tests.

Simona said she was grateful for the support she received from her family, friends and tennis fans from all over the world. The Romanian press is having a hard time accepting the shocking news of the punishment, one that, confirmed at the CAS – Court of Arbitration for Sport, would most likely mean the end of the career for the great glory of Romanian tennis and sports in general.

Honest commentators disavow, though, the conspiracy theory that is starting to emerge around the issue, a theory that many are tempted to adopt. The announcement of the suspension came in the same week in which Simona was officially out of the WTA ranking, due to the lack of points. A possible attempt to return, in October 2026, or earlier if the Swiss court reduces her sentence, would be, anyway, a Sisyphean task, which specialists do not see as possible for an athlete who, at the end of the month, turns 32. (LS)

13 September 2023
October 22, 2022

COVID The European Centre for Disease
Prevention and Control has cautioned against the spread of a new Omicron
subvariant, which is expected to increase the number of infections in Europe,
the EFE Agency has reported. Preliminary surveys conducted in Asia have shown
the aforementioned subvariant could evade the immune response of the human
body. Andrea Ammon, director of the aforementioned institution has called on European
states to remain vigilant about the spread of the new subvariant and monitor the
number of infections as well as the hospital treatment of patients. According
to the same institution, raising the vaccination rate remains a priority, and
that risk groups, such as the elderly and the people with comorbidities, need
additional booster doses.

TENNIS Romania’s best tennis player and
two-times major winner, Simona Halep, has been provisionally suspended after
testing positive for a banned anti-anemia blood-booster called roxadustat at
the latest edition of the US Open. The world’s former number one, Halep
described the ban as ‘the biggest shock of her life’ and denied knowingly
taking any banned substance. Throughout my whole career, the idea of cheating
never even crossed my mind once, as it is totally against all the values I have
been educated with. Facing such an unfair situation, I feel completely confused
and betrayed, the athlete wrote on Twitter. The 31 year old Romanian athlete
and winner of the Roland Garros tournament in 2018, says that her fight was not
about ‘titles and money’ but her honour and that she hoped the truth would
eventually come out.

PERMITS Specialised structures with the
Romanian Interior Ministry have in the past 24 hours issued 302 residence
permits for Ukrainian refugees. A total of 78 thousand such permits have been
issued since March. According to authorities in Bucharest only one Ukrainian
citizen has applied for asylum in the past 24 hours. Roughly 44 hundred
Ukrainians have applied for asylum in Romania since the beginning of the
conflict and they are benefitting from all the rights stipulated in the
national legislation. According to the same sources, 83 thousand people have
crossed the borders into Romania in the past 24 hours, out of which 93 hundred
are Ukrainian citizens.

HANDBALL Romania’s vice-champions in
women’s handball, CSM Bucharest are today playing defending champions Vipers
Kristiansand of Norway in an away match counting towards the Champions League
group A. In their previous game, CSM managed to outperform the last side in the
group’s ranking Banik Most of the Czech Republic. CSM ranks second in the group
after German side Bietigheim and before Kristiansand. Romanian champions Rapid
Bucharest is also ranking second in the Champions League’s group B after
Hungarian side Gyor. Rapid will be playing a home game against the Norwegians
of Storhamar on Sunday. Rapid comes after a draw against Buducnost Podgorica of
Montenegro.

VISIT The use by Russia of the nuclear
weapon would be ‘an act of hostility against humankind’, Japanese Prime
Minister Fumio Kishida said during his visit to Australia on Saturday, France
press reports. The Russian intimidation concerning the use of nuclear weapon is
a severe threat to the peace and security of the international community and is
absolutely unacceptable, says the leader of the only country ever hit by a
nuclear weapon. In 2023, Kishida is expected to welcome the G7 leaders in
Hiroshima, the town which was razed to the ground by an atomic bomb in 1945
when 140 thousand people died. The city of Nagasaki was also bombed three days
later. In another development, Australia and Japan on Saturday signed an agreement
on security issues aimed at offsetting China’s military power in the region.

(bill)

22 October 2022
Sports weekend

The President of the Romanian Weightlifting Federation, former Olympic champion Nicu Vlad, who was also the former vice-president of the International Weightlifting Federation, and the former president of the World Weightlifting forum, the Hungarian Tamas Ajan, this past Thursday received a life suspension from their positions issued by the Sports Arbitration Court in Lausanne. According to the AFP, Nicu Vlad and Tamas Ajan got involved in doping scandals. The two officials were the target of a big doping and corruption scandal as soon as the ARD German TV Channel initiated an investigation into the matter in January 2020. TAS Anti-doping Chamber placed sanctions against Nicu Vlad and Tamas Ajan for their involvement in the manipulation of the antidoping testing procedure. Also, Vlad and Ajan breached the international anti-doping regulations system in the case of several weightlifters for a number of years, beginning 2012″.

The European Fencing Championships kick-start in Turkeys Antalya this coming weekend. A 16-strong Romanian delegation will participate in the competition, of which 12 women and 4 men. According to the president of the Romanian Fencing Federation, Marius Florea, the Romanian delegations set target is securing the 5th and the 6th position according to the world rankings. Fully-fledged Romanian teams will compete in the epee, sabre and foil events in the womens version of the competition and in the sabre event in the mens version of the championships. Of the well-established fencers, only Iulian Teodosiu has been included in the mens team. We recall Teodosiu was 16th-ranked according to the Tokyo Olympics. In the womens version of the epee contest, the Romanian team is headed by Greta Veres, a bronze medalist in 2017 at the European Championships, in the nations competition. We recall that the 2020 and 2021 editions of the European championships, scheduled in Minsk and Plovdiv, had been cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the most recent edition of the European Fencing Championships held in Dusseldorf in 2019, Romanias best performance was provided by the mens sabre delegation, coming in 4th according to the final rankings.

Starting Saturday, four swimmers will represent Romania in the World Swimming Championships hosted by the Hungarian capital city Budapest. David Popovici will compete in the 100m and 200m freestyle events, while Robert Glinta is set to prove his mettle in the 50m and 100m backstroke events. Constantin Popovici and Angelica Muscalu both compete in the 10m platform diving. According to the President of the Romanian Swimming and Modern Pentathlon Federation, Camelia Potec, the Romanian delegations set target is Popovici and Glintas advancing to the finals of the events they compete in.

(EN)

17 June 2022
Sports weekend

The President of the Romanian Weightlifting Federation, former Olympic champion Nicu Vlad, who was also the former vice-president of the International Weightlifting Federation, and the former president of the World Weightlifting forum, the Hungarian Tamas Ajan, this past Thursday received a life suspension from their positions issued by the Sports Arbitration Court in Lausanne. According to the AFP, Nicu Vlad and Tamas Ajan got involved in doping scandals. The two officials were the target of a big doping and corruption scandal as soon as the ARD German TV Channel initiated an investigation into the matter in January 2020. TAS Anti-doping Chamber placed sanctions against Nicu Vlad and Tamas Ajan for their involvement in the manipulation of the antidoping testing procedure. Also, Vlad and Ajan breached the international anti-doping regulations system in the case of several weightlifters for a number of years, beginning 2012″.

The European Fencing Championships kick-start in Turkeys Antalya this coming weekend. A 16-strong Romanian delegation will participate in the competition, of which 12 women and 4 men. According to the president of the Romanian Fencing Federation, Marius Florea, the Romanian delegations set target is securing the 5th and the 6th position according to the world rankings. Fully-fledged Romanian teams will compete in the epee, sabre and foil events in the womens version of the competition and in the sabre event in the mens version of the championships. Of the well-established fencers, only Iulian Teodosiu has been included in the mens team. We recall Teodosiu was 16th-ranked according to the Tokyo Olympics. In the womens version of the epee contest, the Romanian team is headed by Greta Veres, a bronze medalist in 2017 at the European Championships, in the nations competition. We recall that the 2020 and 2021 editions of the European championships, scheduled in Minsk and Plovdiv, had been cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the most recent edition of the European Fencing Championships held in Dusseldorf in 2019, Romanias best performance was provided by the mens sabre delegation, coming in 4th according to the final rankings.

Starting Saturday, four swimmers will represent Romania in the World Swimming Championships hosted by the Hungarian capital city Budapest. David Popovici will compete in the 100m and 200m freestyle events, while Robert Glinta is set to prove his mettle in the 50m and 100m backstroke events. Constantin Popovici and Angelica Muscalu both compete in the 10m platform diving. According to the President of the Romanian Swimming and Modern Pentathlon Federation, Camelia Potec, the Romanian delegations set target is Popovici and Glintas advancing to the finals of the events they compete in.

(EN)

17 June 2022
Filmfestival „Astra“ in Hermannstadt: Dokumentationen im Vordergrund

Vom 14. bis 20. Oktober wurden beim Filmfestival Astra“ im mittelrumänischen Sibiu (Hermannstadt), das bereits zum 26. Mal stattfand, 20 Produktionen gezeigt, die einen Bezug zu Rumänien haben, sei es durch den Autor oder durch das Thema. Die Streifen befassen sich zum grö‎ßten Teil mit der Geschichte des Landes, sowohl mit grandiosen Ereignissen als auch mit heiklen und weniger bekannten Themen. Die Filme regen zum Nachdenken und zu einem besseren Verständnis des eigenen Landes an, von der Gründung des modernen Staates im Jahr 1918 bis zum kommunistischen Regime und Phänomenen, die in den 30 Jahren seit der Wende die Geschichte des Landes stark geprägt haben — etwa Korruption und Migration, so die Organisatoren.

Mit dem Film Profu‘“/“Der Pauker“ gibt Alex Brendea, der eine reiche Erfahrung als Aufnahmeleiter hat, sein Debüt als Regisseur von Dokumentationen. Alex Brendea:

Die Dokumentation gibt dem Filmemacher im Vergleich zum Spielfilm mehr Freiheit, das hei‎ßt mehr Freiheit für seine Figuren. Das Filmteam ist deutlich kleiner als im Fall eines Spielfilms, alles ist intim und das gibt dem Regisseur die Möglichkeit, spontan und kreativ zu sein. Um ein Beispiel zu nennen: Bei den Dreharbeiten eines Spielfilms kann man nicht so viele Änderungen vornehmen als bei einer Dokumentation. Bei den Dreharbeiten eines Dokumentarfilms kann man den Rahmen mehrmals ändern, bei einem Spielfilm muss man hingegen einem Plan folgen.“

Die Dokumentation von Alex Brendea erzählt die Geschichte eines Mathelehrers in der kleinen siebenbürgischen Stadt Bistriţa (dt. Bistritz), der aus dem konventionellen Bildungssystem aussteigt und eine Schule in seiner eigenen Wohnung gründet. Alex Brendea:

Der Lehrer hei‎ßt eigentlich Dorin Ioniţă, die Schüler nennen ihn aber »Teach«, und unter diesem Spitznamen ist er eigentlich überall bekannt. Ich habe ihn kennengelernt, als ich Gymnasialschüler war, er war mein Mathelehrer auch au‎ßerhalb der Schule, weil ich Privatstunden nahm. Ich war sehr begeistert, seitdem ich sein Haus zum ersten Mal betrat. Ein Zimmer wandelte er in ein Klassenzimmer um, in einem anderen Zimmer stand ein umgebautes Motorrad, Stücke davon lagen auf dem Teppich, ich habe dann begriffen, dass er ein besonderer Mann war, und so bin ich darauf gekommen, eine Dokumentation rund um diese Figur zu machen. Ich habe ihn sehr geschätzt, weil er den Mut hatte, aus dem System auszusteigen, um privat zu unterrichten und sich dieser Idee widmete.“

Fata de aur“/Das Goldene Mädchen“ ist eine Dokumentation von Denisa Morariu Tamaş und Adrian Robe, gefilmt von Cristian Tamaş. Der Film befasst sich mit einem dramatischen Moment in der Geschichte des rumänischen Turnens, der sich bei den Olympia-Spielen in Sydney 2000 ereignete: die Bemühungen der berühmten rumänischen Turnerin Andreea Răducan, ihre Goldmedaille nach einem Doping-Skandal zurückzugewinnen. Denisa Morariu Tamaş:

Wir sind alle drei Journalisten. Also nähert sich unser Film eher dem Stil einer TV-Dokumentation. Es handelt sich um eine Dokumentation, die auf Information beruht und Recherche mit Geschichte verknüpft. Wir haben mit HBO Europe zusammengearbeitet, und sie haben uns völlig unterstützt. Die Dokumentation ist für uns wie eine zweite Natur, und es gefällt mir besonders, dass dieses Genre eine Art Unsicherheit anbietet, man wei‎ß nie, was kommt.“

Ein falsches Rezept hatte 2010 die beste Turnerin der Welt die olympische Goldmedaille gekostet. Die damals 16-jährige Rumänin Andrea Răducan war unverschuldet zur Doping-Sünderin und unglücklichsten Athletin der Sydney-Spiele geworden. Vor ihrem Olympiasieg im Vierkampf-Finale hatte sie wegen einer Erkältung Tabletten vom Mannschaftsarzt verschrieben bekommen, die das verbotene Stimulanzmittel Pseudoephedrin enthielten. Sie musste infolgedessen ihre Goldmedaille abgeben. Denisa Morariu Tamaş spricht über die Motivation der Filmemacher:

Wir wollten Andreea Răducan in der Sportwelt rehabilitieren. Einige Anwälte haben sich mit dem Fall befasst, wir haben versucht, ihr dabei zu helfen, die Medaille zurückzugewinnen. Leider konnte man 10 Jahre später nichts mehr machen. Was wir geschafft haben, war, eine perfekte Figur vor die Kamera zu bringen, und es fiel uns deswegen sehr schwer, ihre Schwächen zu betonen, den Menschen hinter der Olympiameisterin zum Ausdruck zu bringen. Wir wollten einen Film über dieses Trauma machen: so viel zu arbeiten, ihre Jugend zu opfern, um eine Goldmedaille zu gewinnen und sie dann schuldlos zu verlieren. Die Dokumentation erzählt zeitgleich die Geschichte einer Generation von Turnerinnen, die eine Traumriege in einem Land mit einer gro‎ßen Tradition in diesem Sport war.“

Auf dem Programm des Internationalen Festivals in Sibiu stand auch eine Auswahl der jüngsten 126 Filme, die in 45 Ländern produziert wurden. 47 Filme treten im Wettbewerb um die Preise des Astra-Film-Festivals 2019 an.

26 October 2019
August 29, 2016 UPDATE

EARTHQUAKE DISASTER RELIEF— The Romanian government on Monday adopted a first earthquake relief package for the Romanians wounded and affected by last week’s powerful quake in Italy. The cabinet will grant 6,000 Euro to the orphaned children, 1,000 Euro for each deceased person and 1,000 Euro for a relative (up to the second degree) who goes to Italy to support the surviving members of the affected families. The government also decided to grant 10,000 Euro to the families or persons whose dwellings in the area have been affected to a considerable extent, of more than 50%. This is valid for both the Romanian nationals who intend to maintain their residence in Italy and those who decide to return to Romania. The families or the persons who do not have their own home and who have been left destitute after the building they lived in has been reduced to rubble will receive 3,000 Euro, no matter if they decide to stay in Italy or to return to Romania. 3,000 Euro will also be granted, for reintegration, to the Romanian nationals able to work, who choose to return to Romania. All these forms of support will be granted by request. The latest figures released by the Romanian Foreign Ministry show the death toll stands at 11 dead, 6 injured and one reported missing, among Romanian nationals. The minister delegate for the relation with the Romanian diaspora, Maria Ligor, has met with representatives of the Italian Civil Protection as well as with Romanian nationals currently living in tents in Amatrice, the village the most severely affected by the quake.

ROYAL HOUSE — Romania’s former sovereign, King Michael I, currently in a stable medical state, is grieving, but is supported by the love and respect of his family and looked after with flawless professionalism by his physicians, His Majesty’s Press Office reported. The news release comes after media speculated that, according to a representative of the Bishopric Palace in Curtea de Arges, where Romanian royalties are buried, Prince Radu had said King Michael’s health was worsening and signals were not positive. According to the Royal House of Romania, Prince Radu said the King was in a frail state, which, given his age and diagnosis, was declining. Any other speculations, assumptions or allegations are untrue, the Press Office added. Poor health recently prevented the former sovereign from attending the funeral of his wife, Queen Anne.

ROMANIAN DIPLOMACY MEETING– PM Dacian Ciolos said on Monday, at the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomats, that Bucharest has been denied access to the visa-free Schengen area, for political reasons, for more than 5 years. Ciolos added that Romania believes in the revival capacity of the European project and is determined to invest its diplomatic and political resources to that end. In turn, Romanian foreign minister, Lazar Comanescu, said one of the priorities of Romania’s foreign policy is to boost relations with such strategic partners as Germany, France, Poland, Italy and Spain. He underlined the importance of Romania’s relation with Turkey, which he deemed “a key partner of the EU and a major ally within NATO, a state with which Romania has signed a Strategic Partnership”. Lazar Comanescu also considered the Western Balkans an area of interest for Romania. He also added that the Republic of Moldova is “a priority” of Romania’s foreign policy.

NATO-NATO Deputy Secretary General, Alexander Vershbow, has thanked Romania for its consistent contribution to the missions and operations carried out by the Alliance in the past 12 years, since it joined NATO. He held talks on Monday with foreign minister Lazar Comanescu on the results of the NATO Summit in Warsaw and the priorities of the North Atlantic Alliance in the ensuing period of time. Alexander Vershbow attended the proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Romanian Diplomacy in Bucharest, as a special guest of the plenary session focusing on “Fusions of Risks-Neighbourhoods. Implications for Romania”

WWI COMMEMORATIONS — Bucharest on Monday hosted roundtable talks, a military exercise and a military music concert devoted to the commemoration of 100 years since Romania joined the First World War. On Sunday, in his opening address at the commemoration ceremonies, Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, paid tribute to the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country and called for the construction of a strong and dignified Romanian state. The commemoration of World War One is the strongest argument in favour of the European project, Iohannis added, defining it as the most comprehensive political and cultural project aimed at building the dialogue and understanding among Europeans.

BRATISLAVA — The Romanian Defence Minister, Mihnea Motoc, on Monday paid an official visit to Slovakia, to attend the commemoration of the anti-Nazi insurrection during World War II. The agenda also included a visit the Romanian military cemetery in Zvolen, for a ceremony in memory of the Romanian troops who died in the line of duty to free Slovakia from Nazi occupation. Motoc also held a meeting with his Slovakian counterpart, Peter Gajdos, to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral military cooperation and cooperation within NATO and the EU.

CORRUPTION – Rares Vaduva, was replaced on Monday from the position of head of the Intelligence and Internal Protection Department of the Romanian Interior Ministry, the government spokesperson has announced. The decision was made after Vaduva was indicted by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, in a corruption case. Five other former heads of the Intelligence and Internal Protection Department of the Romanian Interior Ministry are under criminal prosecution in the same file, as suspects. According to the anti-corruption prosecutors the six are accused of misuse of funds, embezzlement, forgery, fraud offences and abuse of office. The same sources said the charges are related to proceedings that had been disjointed from the case in which the former Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea was sent to court. According to the Anti-Corruption Directorate, during his term in office Gabriel Oprea increased the budget of the Interior Ministrys secret service in order to buy a limousine for his personal use.

DOPING— Romania will be stripped of one of the five medals won at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Weightlifter Gabriel Sancraian, who had won a bronze medal in the 85 kg category tested positive for an illegal drug. Thus, Romania is left with four medals: one gold grabbed by the women’s epee fencing team, one silver in men’s double tennis and two bronze by the women’s coxed eight in the rowing competition and in mens 97-kg freestyle wrestling, respectively.

(Translated by Diana Vijeu)

29 August 2016
A Preview of Romanian participation in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro

Starting on Friday, August 5, for three weeks running, the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will be grabbing sports lovers’ attention. The 31st edition of the Olympics is being attended by more than 10 thousand athletes from 206 countries.

As an absolute first, participating in the 2016 Rio Olympics is a team of refugees, made up of ten athletes. The most numerous delegations are those of the United States, with 554 athletes, Brazil, with 465 athletes and Germany, with 425 athletes. Representing Romania in Rio is a delegation of 96 athletes and 7 substitutes who will be competing in 15 sporting events.

According to the US publication ‘Sports Illustrated’, Romania is likely to walk away from Rio with five medals, but none gold. Under the predictions column, the Sports Illustrated columnists wrote that, in terms of medal winners, Romania’s women’s epee team is likely to walk away with silver. Romania is also likely to win another 4 bronze medals: two by gymnast Marian Dragulescu in the floor and vault events, and the other two by judoka Andreea Chitu, in the 52 kilogram category, and by Romania’s women’s handball team, respectively.

The Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee’s set target for the 2016 Olympics is six up to eight medals. The target is apparently unassuming, if we take into account that the eight-medal record at the Bejing Olympics in 2008 was an all-time low for Romania. We recall that at the London Olympics in 2012 Romanian athletes won 9 medals.

Competitions have already kick-started, even ahead of the official opening ceremony. The first surprise has already occurred in football, since Brazil, with superstar Neymar in the lineup, succeeded a lackluster blank draw against South Africa.

5 August 2016
Nachrichten 28.05.2016

Der Skandal über verdünnte Desinfektionsmittel in rumänischen Krankenhäusern zieht weitere Kreise: die Geschäftsführerin und der Chefchemiker des Pharmakonzerns Hexipharma stehen unter Verdacht auf wiederholten Betrug und Vereitelung von Krankheitsbekämpfung bzw. auf Mittäterschaft. Die Staatsanwaltschaft hat die beiden bereits festgenommen, bzw. unter Aufsicht gestellt. Der Eigentümer des Konzerns war letzten Sonntag ums Leben gekommen, als sein Auto gegen einen Baum gerast war.

Russlands Präsident Wladimir Putin hat Rumänien und Polen gewarnt, durch die Beteiligung am US-Raketenschild ins Fadenkreuz russischer Raketen gerückt zu sein. Moskau empfinde den Schild als Bedrohung und habe wiederholt mit Gegenma‎ßnahmen gemahnt, sagte Putin bei seinem Besuch in Athen. Die USA und die NATO bestehen darauf, dass das System rein defensiv ist.

Das rumänische Au‎ßenministerium teilte mit, dass die Äu‎ßerung die von Rumänien und seinen Alliierten häufig dargestellte Wirklichkeit ignoriere und als Bedrohung für die regionale Sicherheit ausgelegt werden könnte.

Das 15. Internationale Filmfestival Transilvania hat in der siebenbürgischen Stadt Cluj mit der Produktion “6,9 Grad Richterskala” eröffnet. 30.000 Menschen sahen am Freitagabend die Weltpremiere des Films im gro‎ßen Freilichtkino im Stadtzentrum im Beisein von Regissseur Nae Caranfil. Bis zum 5. Juni werden insgesamt 248 Produktionen gezeigt, davon sind 32 Kurzfilme. Seine Rumänienpremiere feiert beim internationalen Filmfestival in Klausenburg der Streifen “Hunde”, der auf den Filmfestspielen in Cannes mit dem FIPRESCI-Preis gekürt wurde. Schwerpunktland der diesjährigen Festspiele ist Litauen, Eherengast die berühmte Darstellerin Sophia Loren. Sie soll mit einem Preis für das Lebenswerk ausgezeichnet werden.

Rumäniens Olympiariege wird im Vorfeld der Olympischen Spiele in Rio von einem Doping-Skandal erschüttert: neun Ruderer und Kanuten und eine Hochspringerin testeten positiv auf Meldonium. Das rumänische Olympiakommitee reagierte schockiert — man werde auch eine so genannte B-Probe beantragen, sollte auch sie positiv ausfallen, werde man Null Toleranz gegen Dopingsünder zeigen, so eine Stellungnahme vom Freitag. Ein weiterer Kanute und ein Ruderer testeten bereits vor einer Woche positiv auf Meldonium, bzw. Wachstumshormone. Auch der rumänische Boxer Lucian Bute testete nach seinem Kampf gegen den Schweden Badou Jack am 30. April im Washington positiv auf Ostarin.

Zwei rumänische Spielerinnen sind in die Achtelfinalrunde des Tennisturniers von Roland Garros aufgestiegen: Simona Halep steht ein spannendes Spiel gegen die Australierin Samantha Stosur bevor: von sieben bisherigen Begegnungen entschied Halep vier für sich. Irina Begu trifft hingegen auf die Amerikanerin Shelby Rogers. Begu steht zum ersten Mal in dieser Phase. Sollten beide auch wieterhin siegen, ist ein rumänisches Halbfinale in Paris nicht auszuschlie‎ßen.

Die rumänische Nationalelf bereitet sich in Italien auf die Endrunde der Europameisterschaften in Frankreich vor. Nachdem am Mittwoch vor bildschöner Kulisse am Comer See das Match gegen Kongo unentschieden 1-1 endete, geht es am Sonntag in Turin im zweiten Testspiel gegen die ukrainische Nationalmannschaft. Die letzte Testpartie absolviert die rumänische Mannschaft am 3. Juni in Bukarest gegen Georgien. Am 10. Juni geht es los — Rumänien trifft im EM-Eröffnungsspiel auf Gastgeber Frankreich. Mit dabei in der A-Gruppe sind au‎ßerdem die Schweiz und Albanien.

28 May 2016
May 28, 2016 UPDATE

The Romanian Foreign Ministry Saturday expressed its surprise at the statements made by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin the previous day, when he said Romania might be within the range of Russian missiles, because it hosts components of the American missile shield. Bucharest says the Russian presidency ignores the actual situation that both Romania and its allies have explained repeatedly, regarding the defensive nature of the shield, which does not target the Russian Federation or any other state. The Romanian Foreign Ministry added that the statements might be viewed as a threat to regional security. Repeatedly distorting the facts can only fuel tensions, which comes against the openness proved by Romania and its Allies with respect to the missile defence issue, Bucharest concluded. Early this month, the American anti-missile system in Deveselu, southern Romania, became operational. It activates when its fixed or mobile radars detect hostile missiles.

The Romanian General Prosecutors Office has commenced prosecution against the Hexi Pharma production manager, Mihai Leva, in a case involving diluted disinfectants which the company supplied to tens of Romanian hospitals. Leva has been heard and is now subject to investigation under Court supervision. In the same case, the Hexi Pharma general manager, Flori Dinu, is accused of misrepresentation and preventing the combating of disease. Prosecutors say she coordinated the staff that promoted the Hexi Pharma products and signed contracts with Romanian hospitals while aware that the products have a different composition from the one specified on the label. The damages caused for the last 4 years alone through the supply of low-quality disinfectants are put at more than 6 million euros. According to judicial sources quoted by the media, Dinu is facing a 30-year prison sentence. The owner of Hexi Pharma, Dan Condrea, seen as the mastermind of the illegal operation, died last Sunday in a car crash which is still being investigated.

The members of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee (COSR) voiced their shock at the announcement of the National Anti-Doping Agency that all the members of the canoeing team qualified for the Rio Olympics this August tested positive for Meldonium, banned since the beginning of the year. All the athletes who will represent Romania in the Olympic games will be tested, because we want to keep our image clean, promised the secretary general of the Olympic Committee, Ioan Dobrescu. In turn, the Sports Minister and former rower Elisabeta Lipa said she was amazed and that it was the first time she had ever heard of whole team doping. Previously, the former world champion in professional boxing Lucian Bute failed a doping test after his fight with Swedens Badou Jack, on April 30. If found guilty, Bute will lose the 500,000 US dollar prize and face at least a two-year suspension. Also this year, three athletes and a biathlonist from Romania tested positive for banned drugs.

The Romanian Cultural Institute, the “Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi Institute and the Romanian Foreign Ministrys Department for Policies concerning the Romanians abroad are this year putting together a joint programme to celebrate the Day of the Romanian diaspora. The events, which take place on Saturday and Sunday in Bucharest, bring together representatives of Romanian communities in the Balkan region as well as notable personalities that promote Romanias image. The programme includes a conference on the national identity abroad and the role of Romanian education. A fair will also be organized to showcase the traditions of the Romanian communities, and folk ensembles from Ukraine, Serbia, the Republic of Moldova and Romania will stage music and dance shows. The day of Romanians living abroad will also be celebrated in Cernauti, through 2 folklore performances, and in Madrid, which will host a Romanian traditional music concert.

Nearly 3,000 people attended on Friday in Cluj-Napoca the opening gala of the Transylvania International Film Festival, held in the citys central square. Until June 5, more than 248 films will be screened, of which 216 feature films and 32 shorts. This years festival will include the Romanian premiere of Dogs, the winner of the Critics Award in Cannes. The special guest of the current edition of TIFF is actress Sophia Loren, who travels to Romania for the first time, to pick up a lifetime achievement award.

28 May 2016
Nachrichten 27.05.2016

BUKAREST: Beim Treffen des Obersten Verteidigungsrates unter Führung des rumänischen Staatschefs Klaus Iohannis wurde die Erarbeitung eines Aktionsplans im Gesundheitssystem beschlossen. Die Regierung werde vierteljährig Informierungen über das Gesundheitssystem und den Gesundheitszustand der Rumänen prasentieren. Dies gab am Freitag Landespräsident Klaus Iohannis bekannt. Die Erklärung des Staatspräsidenten erfolgte auf dem Hintergrund einer großangelegten Untersuchung der Behörden im Fall der verdünnten Desinfektionsmittel, die in rumänischen Krankenhäusern verwendet wurden. Laut einem Regierungsbericht wären die Desinfektionsmittel im Vergleich zu den auf den Etiketten angegeben Konzentrationen hundert- oder tausendmal dünner gewesen. Ferner wurden beim Treffen des Obersten Verteidigungsrates die allgemeinen Richtungen des Mandats Rumäniens beim Nato-Gipfel vom 8.-9. Juli in Warschau angenommen. Der Oberste Verteidigungsrat hat auch die rumänischen Streitkräfte bestimmt, die 2017 an militärischen Missionen im Ausland teilnehmen werden – 1401 Militärs und Zivilisten von der rumänischen Armee und 783 Militärs und Polizisten vom Innenministerium. Der Oberste Verteidigungsrat hat auch einen Bericht über ein Projekt betreffend die Einheiten 3 und 4 vom Kernkraftwerk Cernavoda (im Südosten Rumäniens) angenommen. Es handele sich um eine Investitionspriorität in Rumänien, die eine Steigerung der Atomenergiequote bis auf etwa 30% der gesamten rumänischen Energieproduktion ermöglichen und wesentlich zum Wirtschaftswachstum beitragen werde, sagte noch Präsident Iohannis.

BUKAREST: Das 15. Internationale Filmfestival Transilvania (TIFF) wurde in Klausenburg mit der Produktion 6,9 auf der Richterskala eröffnet. Der Streifen feierte im Beisein des Regissseurs Nae Caranfil seine Weltpremiere. Bis zum 5. Juni werden insgesamt 248 Streifen gezeigt, 216 Langfilme und 32 Kurzfilme. Seine Rumänienpremiere feiert beim internationalen Filmfestival in Klausenburg der Streifen Hunde, der auf den Filmfestspielen in Cannes mit dem FIPRESCI-Preis gekürt wurde. Ehrengast der diesjährigen Filmfestspiele ist die berühmte Darstellerin Sophia Loren. Sie wird mit einem Preis für das gesamte Lebenswerk ausgezeichnet.

BUKAREST: Der rumänische Boxer Lucian Bute wurde nach seinem Kampf gegen den Schweden Badou Jack positiv auf Doping getestet. Der Boxkampf fand am 30. April im Washington statt und ging unentschieden aus. Der entdeckte Wirkstoff, Ostarin, steht seit Januar 2008 auf der Verbotsliste der internationalen Anti-Doping Agentur. Sollte er für schuldig erklärt werden, verliert Lucian Bute das Kampf-Honorar gegen Badou Jack in Höhe von 500 Tausend US-Dollar und riskiert eine Sperre von mindestens zwei Jahren. Der 36jährige Boxer war zwischen 2007 und 2012 IBF-Weltmeister. Er verteidigte in dieser Zeitspanne insgesamt neun Mal seinen Titel. Seine Kampfbilanz umfasst 32 Siege (25 durch KO), ein Unentschieden und 3 Niederlagen. Er ist der sechste rumänische Sportler, der dieses Jahr positiv auf Doping getestet wurde.

27 May 2016
April 12, 2016

UKRAINE – The Parliament of Ukraine, a country neighbouring Romania, will today approve the resignation of PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk and find him a replacement. Yatsenyuk announced his resignation on Sunday, blaming politicians’ failure to enact real changes. His government has been constantly accused, over the past few months, of inaction and corruption. President Petro Poroshenko could now install Volodymyr Groysman, a member of his own party, as the next prime minister. However, the Unian news agency quoted parliament sources as saying that Groysman is said to have turned down the President’s proposal over divergences regarding the Cabinet’s membership.

LEGISLATION – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has initiated consultations with parliamentary parties on the national security legislation. Iohannis seeks consensum ahead of the public debate on this issue. The Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) are attending today’s meeting with the head of state. The PSD leader, Liviu Dragnea, has said that his party supports the Romanian state’s investigative capacity but that citizens’ fundamental rights should not be affected. In his turn, the co-president of the National Liberal Party, Alina Gorghiu, believes that improving the national security legislation has become the goal of the entire political class, against the background of the terrorist threat. In his turn, the UDMR leader, Kelemen Hunor, has said he is in favor of a balance to be striken between the need for security and the observance of people’s rights and liberties. The need for the revision of the security legislation has been signalled recently by President Iohannis, who has said that the current legislation no longer reflects the present security context.

ECHR – Romania was sentenced again in the European Court of Human Rights for failing to solve the anti-communist Revolution case. This time, Romania must pay 675 thousand euros to 45 people. Each plaintiff will get 15 thousand euros in damages. In February, the European Court of Human Rights had ruled that the Romanian state must pay 15 thousand euros to each of the 17 plaintiffs. The latter accused the authorities of failure to carry out an efficient investigation into the death of their loved ones and into the ill treatments that they, or people close to them, were subjected to during the December 1989 protests. The Revolution Case was reopened last week in Romania. According to official statistics, over 1,100 people lost their lives and around 3 thousand were injured during the December 1989 Revolution.

PROTESTS— The rally of miners and power industry workers with the Oltenia Energy Compound in southwestern Romania in protest at the lay-off of hundreds of employees continues. Around 60 of them will travel over 300 km to Bucharest, to protest in front of the Government headquarters. Among other things, the unionists demand that a plan be urgently put in place to enhance the efficiency of production units and that salary schemes should be based on performance criteria. Unionists hope that what they call “the rally of despair” will also trigger a revision of the regulations on the domestic energy market.

ELECTIONS – The leadership of the National Liberal Party (PNL), the most important right-of centre party in Romania, is today nominating a new candidate for Bucharest’s mayoralty. The National Liberal Party vice-president and candidate in the race for Bucharest mayor, Ludovic Orban, withdrew his candidacy and renounced his party positions, after being subjected to legal restrictions pending trial in a new corruption case. Anti-corruption prosecutors claim that Orban last month demanded 50,000 euros from a businessman linked with decision-makers in two television stations in exchange for the media advertising of his campaign. Local elections will be held in Romania on June 5th.

DOPING – Romanian athlete Mirela Lavric, aged 25, one of the best sprinters in Romania, tested positive for Meldonium during the World Indoor Championships in Portland, this March, when she won the bronze medal in the 4 x 400m relay race, ProSport online magazine reports. Mirela Lavric is thus the first Romanian athlete tested positive for the same substance as the famous tennis player Maria Sharapova.

12 April 2016