Radio România Internațional

Tag: event

  • Sports flash

    Sports flash

    U-BT Cluj-Napoca basketball team has succeeded a heart-throbbing qualification in the quarterfinals of EuroCup men’s competition, having defeated in the round of 16 Lithuanians opponents Wolves Vilnius, 100-99, away. U-BT’s top scorer was their US player Zavier Simpson, with 25 points, 5 recoveries and 14 assists.

    In the quarterfinals, U-BT Cluj-Napoca take on Spain’s Valencia Basket, a team they have already gone against in the EuroCup’s group stage. In both legs of the tie, the Spaniards won, 105-96 in Cluj-Napoca and 108-80 in Valencia and are at the top of the table in Group B. We recall U-BT Cluj-Napoca play the EuroCup’s quarterfinals for the second year in a row, having qualified straight from the competition’s group phase in 2024.

    In news from women’s volleyball, Volei Alba Blaj grabbed a 3-2 away win against Hungarian side Vasas Budapest, in a fixture counting towards the first leg of the CEV Cup semifinals. Romanian vice-champions won after two hours of play and made a giant leap forward to the CEV Cup’s finals.

    With 23 points, the Ukrainian Elizaveta Ruban was the Romanian team’s most efficient scorer. The return leg against Vasas in scheduled on March 11 in Blaj. We recall Volei Alba Blaj has unsuccessfully played four times in European Cups finals, in 2018, in the Champions League, in the CEV Cup, in 2019 and 2023, and in the Challenge Cup in 2021.

    At the 2025 edition of the European Seniors’ Indoor Athletics Championship in Apeldoorn, The Low Countries, Romania has sent a seven-strong delegation, with four athletes proving their mettle in the women’s version of the competition, while other three, in the men’s version.

    Alina Rotaru – Kottmann competes in the long-jump event, Andreea Taloş, Diana Ana Maria Ion, and Răzvan Cristian Grecu, in the hop, step and jump event, Maria Mihalache, in the 60m race, Alin Ionuţ Anton, in the 60m hurdles race and Andrei Rares Toader, in the shot-put event.

    Andreea Miklos, in the 400m race and Stella Rutto in the 3, 000m race initially included the delegation, will not participate in the competition. Recently Miklos has sustained an injury while Rutto was unable to gather the required number of points for qualification. Daniela Stanciu has not been included in the delegation either. We recall Daniela represented Romania at the Paris Olympics in 2024, in the high-jump event and is now recovering after an injury.

  • Radio Romania International Sports club

    Radio Romania International Sports club

    One of 2023’s most important
    sports events is underway in Poland’s Krakow. The European Games, until July 2nd
    brings together almost 7,000 athletes of 48 countries, competing in 19 sports
    disciplines. Representing Romania are 150 athletes, of whom 74 compete in the
    women’s version of the event and 76 will prove their mettle in the men’s
    version of the competition. The Romanian athletes will take the start in
    athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, cycling, judo, Kayak-canoe, karate,
    rugby in 7, ski jumps, diving, fencing, taekwondo, table tennis, teqball, target
    archery, shooting sports and triathlon. Several world and European champions
    are part of the Romania delegation, among whom the two athletes who will bear
    the flags at the Games’ opening ceremony: men’s canoe world and European
    champion, rower Cătălin
    Chirilă, and the European title holder in the hammer throw event, athlete Bianca
    Ghelber.


    In the Olympic
    sports disciplines where events as part of the Games are jointly hosted by
    Krakow and Malopolska Polish province, results in all disciplines also count
    towards the qualification to the 2024 edition of the Paris Olympics. For that particular
    reason, the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee has been very keen on the
    Romanian delegation’s auspicious participation in the Polish event. Talks with
    the federations that will participate in the European Games, have revealed a
    stated aim of 12-14 medals, the president of the Olympic and Sports Committee
    Mihai Covaliu has stated in Bucharest.


    We recall
    that 4 years ago at the European Games in Minsk Romania came in 26th
    according to the nations’ competition final rankings, wit 10 medals Of those
    two were gold, three silver and five bronze, Gold went to the winner of the 10m
    air rifle event, Laura Georgeta Coman, and Cătălin Chirilă and Victor
    Mihalachi, winner of the men’s pair 1,000m race. Silver went to Dacian Barna and
    Andreea Bogati in the aerobic gymnastics mixed pairs event. In table tennis, the
    mixed doubles pair made of Ovidiu Ionescu and Bernadette Szőcs and Romania’s women’s
    table tennis team also walked home with silver. In sambo, the winners of the
    bronze medals were Daniela Poroineanu, in the 56-kilogram category, Anda
    Mihaela Vâlvoi, in the 64-kilogram category and Alina-Petronela Păunescu, in
    the 80+kilogram category. In
    wrestling, bronze also went to Kriszta Incze, in the 62-kilogram category. Also
    bronze went to the aerobic gymnastics team.

  • Radio Romania International Sports club

    Radio Romania International Sports club

    One of 2023’s most important
    sports events is underway in Poland’s Krakow. The European Games, until July 2nd
    brings together almost 7,000 athletes of 48 countries, competing in 19 sports
    disciplines. Representing Romania are 150 athletes, of whom 74 compete in the
    women’s version of the event and 76 will prove their mettle in the men’s
    version of the competition. The Romanian athletes will take the start in
    athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, cycling, judo, Kayak-canoe, karate,
    rugby in 7, ski jumps, diving, fencing, taekwondo, table tennis, teqball, target
    archery, shooting sports and triathlon. Several world and European champions
    are part of the Romania delegation, among whom the two athletes who will bear
    the flags at the Games’ opening ceremony: men’s canoe world and European
    champion, rower Cătălin
    Chirilă, and the European title holder in the hammer throw event, athlete Bianca
    Ghelber.


    In the Olympic
    sports disciplines where events as part of the Games are jointly hosted by
    Krakow and Malopolska Polish province, results in all disciplines also count
    towards the qualification to the 2024 edition of the Paris Olympics. For that particular
    reason, the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee has been very keen on the
    Romanian delegation’s auspicious participation in the Polish event. Talks with
    the federations that will participate in the European Games, have revealed a
    stated aim of 12-14 medals, the president of the Olympic and Sports Committee
    Mihai Covaliu has stated in Bucharest.


    We recall
    that 4 years ago at the European Games in Minsk Romania came in 26th
    according to the nations’ competition final rankings, wit 10 medals Of those
    two were gold, three silver and five bronze, Gold went to the winner of the 10m
    air rifle event, Laura Georgeta Coman, and Cătălin Chirilă and Victor
    Mihalachi, winner of the men’s pair 1,000m race. Silver went to Dacian Barna and
    Andreea Bogati in the aerobic gymnastics mixed pairs event. In table tennis, the
    mixed doubles pair made of Ovidiu Ionescu and Bernadette Szőcs and Romania’s women’s
    table tennis team also walked home with silver. In sambo, the winners of the
    bronze medals were Daniela Poroineanu, in the 56-kilogram category, Anda
    Mihaela Vâlvoi, in the 64-kilogram category and Alina-Petronela Păunescu, in
    the 80+kilogram category. In
    wrestling, bronze also went to Kriszta Incze, in the 62-kilogram category. Also
    bronze went to the aerobic gymnastics team.

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week


    The first major rowing competition of 2023 was held last week in Hungarys Szeged.



    The 2023 ICF Canoe and Kayak Sprint & Paracanoe World Cup brought together Europes top-notch rowers, with world and European champions among them. The Romanian delegation was made of nine rowers, of which seven competed in the mens and two proved their mettle in the womens version of the competition. The record all told earned the Romanian delegation the 3rd position according to the nations competition.



    Cătălin Chirilă won gold in mens C1 event, in the 500m and 1,000m races. Ilie Sprincean and Oleg Nuţă won mens C2 1,000m race. Reason enough for Radio Romania International to designate Catalin Chirila the Athlete of the week.



    In Szeged, Cătălin Chirilă won his first race on Friday, in the 500m mens C1 race, an event where he is a world vice-champion and a bronze medallist at the European championships. Chirila clocked one minute and 50 seconds and 72 hundredths of a second. Chirila was followed was Moldavian Sergey Tarnovsky, who arrived one second and 72 hundredths of a second later, and the French Loic Leonard, who arrived 3 seconds and 57 hundredths later than Chirila. On Saturday, in the mens C1 1000m race defending world champion Catalin Chirila started off as favorite. Chirila clocked 3 minutes, 55 de seconds and 10 hundredths of a second, outperforming many-time world champion, German Conrad Scheibner, who finished the race nearly two seconds later than Chirila. Catalin Chirila also outclassed Polands Wiktor Glazunow, who finished the race almost 4 seconds later than Chirila.



    Cătălin Chirilă was born in Tulcea, on May 11, 1998. He is signed up by Steaua Bucharest. Army Club. Chirilas first notable world-level performances occurred in mens C2 events, jointly with Victor Mihalachi. In 2019, at the European championships hosted by Minsk in Belarus, Chirila and Mihalachi won the gold medals in the 1000m race. In 2021, at the European championships in Polands Poznan, Chirila and Mihalachi won bronze, also in the 1000m race. At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Chirilă and Mihalachi came in 5th. Since 2022, Chirila has been competing in mens singles events. At the World Championships in Halifax, Canada, Chirila won the 1000m Olympic race and came in 2nd in the 500m race. At the European Championships in Munich, Catalin Chirila again won the 1000m race, coming in 3rd in the 500m race.




  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week


    The first major rowing competition of 2023 was held last week in Hungarys Szeged.



    The 2023 ICF Canoe and Kayak Sprint & Paracanoe World Cup brought together Europes top-notch rowers, with world and European champions among them. The Romanian delegation was made of nine rowers, of which seven competed in the mens and two proved their mettle in the womens version of the competition. The record all told earned the Romanian delegation the 3rd position according to the nations competition.



    Cătălin Chirilă won gold in mens C1 event, in the 500m and 1,000m races. Ilie Sprincean and Oleg Nuţă won mens C2 1,000m race. Reason enough for Radio Romania International to designate Catalin Chirila the Athlete of the week.



    In Szeged, Cătălin Chirilă won his first race on Friday, in the 500m mens C1 race, an event where he is a world vice-champion and a bronze medallist at the European championships. Chirila clocked one minute and 50 seconds and 72 hundredths of a second. Chirila was followed was Moldavian Sergey Tarnovsky, who arrived one second and 72 hundredths of a second later, and the French Loic Leonard, who arrived 3 seconds and 57 hundredths later than Chirila. On Saturday, in the mens C1 1000m race defending world champion Catalin Chirila started off as favorite. Chirila clocked 3 minutes, 55 de seconds and 10 hundredths of a second, outperforming many-time world champion, German Conrad Scheibner, who finished the race nearly two seconds later than Chirila. Catalin Chirila also outclassed Polands Wiktor Glazunow, who finished the race almost 4 seconds later than Chirila.



    Cătălin Chirilă was born in Tulcea, on May 11, 1998. He is signed up by Steaua Bucharest. Army Club. Chirilas first notable world-level performances occurred in mens C2 events, jointly with Victor Mihalachi. In 2019, at the European championships hosted by Minsk in Belarus, Chirila and Mihalachi won the gold medals in the 1000m race. In 2021, at the European championships in Polands Poznan, Chirila and Mihalachi won bronze, also in the 1000m race. At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Chirilă and Mihalachi came in 5th. Since 2022, Chirila has been competing in mens singles events. At the World Championships in Halifax, Canada, Chirila won the 1000m Olympic race and came in 2nd in the 500m race. At the European Championships in Munich, Catalin Chirila again won the 1000m race, coming in 3rd in the 500m race.




  • Athlete of the Week

    Athlete of the Week


    The first major sporting event of the year in athletics was hosted by Istanbul in Turkey. The European Indoor Athletics Championships brought together roughly 600 athletes from 47 countries and Romania was represented by 14 athletes, 7 in the mens competitions and 7 in the womens contests. Four of them had made it to the finals of their competitions: Claudia Bobocea in the 15 hundred meter race. Alina Rotaru and Gabriel Bitan in the long jump event and Gabriela Stanciu in the high jump contest. Bitan won bronze in the event and Bobocea became silver medalist and has also been designated Athlete of the Week by Radio Romania International.


    We recall that Romania also put up a good show at the 2015 indoor edition in Prague, when Marian Oprea became bronze medalist in the triple jump event and Florentina Iusco in the long jump event. At the latest edition in Torun, Poland, the best Romanian performance was obtained by Daniela Stanciu who came fifth in the high jump contest. In Istanbul, Stanciu ranked seventh and Alina Rotaru fifth.


    Gabriel Bitan has won for Romania the first European medal in the mens long jump event since the silver obtained by Bogdan Ţăruş in 2005.


    However, the most interesting performance was obtained by Claudia Bobocea in the 15 hundred meter race, where she obtained the best time in her entire career, 4 minutes, 3 seconds and 76 hundredths. She was outperformed by multiple world and Olympic medalist Laura Muir, of Britain who ended the race only 36 hundredths before the Romanian athlete. Sofia Ennaoui of Poland came third in the race.


    Claudia Bobocea was bron in Bucharest on 11th June 1992 and took up athletics in 2007. She has always been among the worlds fastest runners in middle-distance races, although she has failed to obtain medals in major competitions.


    In 2016, she qualified for the 800 meter race in Rio Olympics but unfortunately went 51st. She obtained her best indoor performance in 2019 in Glasgow, when she ended the race in the seventh place, so the medal in Istanbul is her best performance so far.


    (bill)


  • Athlete of the Week

    Athlete of the Week


    The first major sporting event of the year in athletics was hosted by Istanbul in Turkey. The European Indoor Athletics Championships brought together roughly 600 athletes from 47 countries and Romania was represented by 14 athletes, 7 in the mens competitions and 7 in the womens contests. Four of them had made it to the finals of their competitions: Claudia Bobocea in the 15 hundred meter race. Alina Rotaru and Gabriel Bitan in the long jump event and Gabriela Stanciu in the high jump contest. Bitan won bronze in the event and Bobocea became silver medalist and has also been designated Athlete of the Week by Radio Romania International.


    We recall that Romania also put up a good show at the 2015 indoor edition in Prague, when Marian Oprea became bronze medalist in the triple jump event and Florentina Iusco in the long jump event. At the latest edition in Torun, Poland, the best Romanian performance was obtained by Daniela Stanciu who came fifth in the high jump contest. In Istanbul, Stanciu ranked seventh and Alina Rotaru fifth.


    Gabriel Bitan has won for Romania the first European medal in the mens long jump event since the silver obtained by Bogdan Ţăruş in 2005.


    However, the most interesting performance was obtained by Claudia Bobocea in the 15 hundred meter race, where she obtained the best time in her entire career, 4 minutes, 3 seconds and 76 hundredths. She was outperformed by multiple world and Olympic medalist Laura Muir, of Britain who ended the race only 36 hundredths before the Romanian athlete. Sofia Ennaoui of Poland came third in the race.


    Claudia Bobocea was bron in Bucharest on 11th June 1992 and took up athletics in 2007. She has always been among the worlds fastest runners in middle-distance races, although she has failed to obtain medals in major competitions.


    In 2016, she qualified for the 800 meter race in Rio Olympics but unfortunately went 51st. She obtained her best indoor performance in 2019 in Glasgow, when she ended the race in the seventh place, so the medal in Istanbul is her best performance so far.


    (bill)


  • Radio Romania International Sports Club

    Radio Romania International Sports Club


    The Transylvania Open women’s tennis tournament, held over October 10
    and 16 in Cluj-Napoca, has been picked as the Best Tournament of the Year in
    2022, in the WTA 250 category, according to an announcement made by the Women’s
    Tennis Association. The organization of the professional women’s tennis players stated the Transylvania Open scooped the award thanks to the tennis players
    who selected the circuit’s favorite competition. The vote in favor was cast
    because the experience they had in Cluj Napoca was rated the world’s best such experience.
    The tournaments were broken down into three categories, according to the level of
    the prize money up for grabs. In the WTA 1,000 category, the Indian Wells competition was the winner,
    while in the WTA 500 category, top-of-the-table was the Charleston tournament.


    Playing host to the Transylvania Open was Romania’s
    biggest multi-purpose sports hall, with a seating capacity of 10,000 seats, the Btarena. The
    tournament’s maiden edition was held in 2021. Back then Estonia’s Anne
    Kontaveit outclassed the fans’ favorite, the Romanian Simona Halep. In the women’s
    doubles, the Romanian-Georgian pair made of Irina Bara and Ekaterine Gorgodze
    emerged as winners. In 2022, in the women’s singles, the winner was Russia’s Ana
    Blinkova, while the winner in the women’s doubles were Kirsten Flipkens and Laura
    Siegemund, of Belgium and Germany, respectively. Laura Siegemund spoke highly about
    the tournament Romanian saying, among other things, that the Transylvania Open
    was a great event, with a nice staff and with very original ideas implemented
    in a bid to make sure the tennis players were having great crack as the
    tournament rolled on, but also around town.


    The other winners of the WTA awards included top-of-the-table
    tennis player, Poland’s Iga Świątek, who was designated the Tennis player of
    the Year. In the women’s doubles, top-of-the-table was the all-Czech pair made
    of Barbara Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková. The Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia
    was rated as the tennis player with the most significant progress, while China’s
    Qinwen Zheng was the Revelation of the Year. (EN)

  • Radio Romania International Sports Club

    Radio Romania International Sports Club


    The Transylvania Open women’s tennis tournament, held over October 10
    and 16 in Cluj-Napoca, has been picked as the Best Tournament of the Year in
    2022, in the WTA 250 category, according to an announcement made by the Women’s
    Tennis Association. The organization of the professional women’s tennis players stated the Transylvania Open scooped the award thanks to the tennis players
    who selected the circuit’s favorite competition. The vote in favor was cast
    because the experience they had in Cluj Napoca was rated the world’s best such experience.
    The tournaments were broken down into three categories, according to the level of
    the prize money up for grabs. In the WTA 1,000 category, the Indian Wells competition was the winner,
    while in the WTA 500 category, top-of-the-table was the Charleston tournament.


    Playing host to the Transylvania Open was Romania’s
    biggest multi-purpose sports hall, with a seating capacity of 10,000 seats, the Btarena. The
    tournament’s maiden edition was held in 2021. Back then Estonia’s Anne
    Kontaveit outclassed the fans’ favorite, the Romanian Simona Halep. In the women’s
    doubles, the Romanian-Georgian pair made of Irina Bara and Ekaterine Gorgodze
    emerged as winners. In 2022, in the women’s singles, the winner was Russia’s Ana
    Blinkova, while the winner in the women’s doubles were Kirsten Flipkens and Laura
    Siegemund, of Belgium and Germany, respectively. Laura Siegemund spoke highly about
    the tournament Romanian saying, among other things, that the Transylvania Open
    was a great event, with a nice staff and with very original ideas implemented
    in a bid to make sure the tennis players were having great crack as the
    tournament rolled on, but also around town.


    The other winners of the WTA awards included top-of-the-table
    tennis player, Poland’s Iga Świątek, who was designated the Tennis player of
    the Year. In the women’s doubles, top-of-the-table was the all-Czech pair made
    of Barbara Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková. The Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia
    was rated as the tennis player with the most significant progress, while China’s
    Qinwen Zheng was the Revelation of the Year. (EN)

  • December 6, 2019 UPDATE

    December 6, 2019 UPDATE

    Government — The Romanian PM Ludovic Orban announced at the beginning of Friday’s government meeting that the government would take responsibility for several draft laws among which the laws on budget caps and on the modification of the justice laws. The Liberal PM pointed out that the budget cap law is necessary to complete the state budget and social security law. The modification of the justice laws is meant to suspend temporarily the deadlines for the early retirement of magistrates, the adoption of panels of 3 judges, etc. Ludovic Orban announced the government’s measure to assume responsibility for these draft laws would be adopted in a future government meeting, to be able to start the proceedings in Parliament.



    December 1989 revolution — Manifestations started in Timisoara in western Romania to mark 30 years since the December 1989 anticommunist revolution with 2 book launches: the book “Candlelight against time” by Titus Suciu and Vasile Bogdan and a scientific newsletter called “Memorial ‘89” published by the Writes’ Union. Marches will take places to retrace the route of the revolution marches, there will be remembrance services and laying of flower wreathes at the heroes’ monuments. Festive gatherings, symposiums, exhibitions, concerts and book launches will also be held as well as events devoted to the young generation, to keep the memory of those who died for freedom alive. December 17 will be a day of mourning and on December 20 manifestations will culminate with festivities and concerts dedicated to the day when Timisoara became the first city of Romania free of Communism.



    Brussels — The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe is deeply concerned with the abrogation by the Romanian Parliament of the compensatory appeal law and with the fact that the authorities have not provided ways to compensate for the existing situation, so as to observe the requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights. The justice minister Catalin Predoiu has been in Strasbourg these days where he gave explanations about the Romanian authorities’ decision. In an official communiqué, the Committee of Ministers reminds of the ‘old structural problems’ of Romania related to prison overcrowding and inhuman and degrading detention conditions. The communiqué also shows that important progress has been made especially in reducing overcrowding. Strasbourg officials also announced that they took note of the explanations provided by the Romanian justice minister and hailed the Bucharest government’s pledge to draft a comprehensive action plan.




    Handball – Romania’s national women’s handball team on Friday won the match against Hungary 28 to 27 after a dramatic match, which brought them qualification to the main groups of the World Championship hosted by Japan. Romania had previously defeated Senegal and Kazakhstan and was defeated twice by Spain and Montenegro respectively. Thus Romania still has a chance to go to the 2020 Olympic Games also hosted by Japan.



    Warsaw — The German chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday said in a speech delivered during her first visit to the site of the former Nazi extermination camp in Auschwitz, located on the territory of Poland, that Germany is responsible alone for the existence of that camp. Even if the atrocities perpetrated in the extermination camps leaves one speechless, silence is not an answer, Mrs. Merkel said, adding that there will be no tolerance for anti-Semitism in Germany and Europe. Angela Merkel announced that 60 million Euros would be granted to the Auschwitz Birkenau Foundation to maintain the compound where almost 1.1 million people were killed between 1940 and 1945. The Polish PM also warned that the history of the Auschwitz extermination camp should not be forgotten, the memory of the atrocities committed there being a duty towards the victims.



    Strike — In France, the leaderships of the central trade union federations decided, in a Friday meeting, to carry on with the strike until the government gives up entirely the idea of replacing the current pension system with one based on points accumulated alongside one’s career. Further protests have already been announced for Saturday in Paris. Strikers announced new marches and large scale manifestations all across France for December 10. The strike has affected most subway, bus and tram lines. The reform of the pension system, one of the important measures proposed by president Emmanuel Macron, is aimed at unifying the 42 current retirement plans (private, for public servants, special, complementary, etc) in one single universal system based on points. (translation by L. Simion)