Radio România Internațional

Tag: FCSB

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    After curtains fell on the Olympic Games in Paris, sports lovers in Romania and not only are again focusing on football with the European competitions in their third preliminary round and three Romanian sides attending.

    The first team to play this week in the Champions League is FCSB. The Romanians will be up against the Czech champions Sparta Prague in Bucharest. FCSB put up a good show in the first game where they secured a one-all draw.

     

    Cameroonian player Joyskim Dawa put FCSB in the lead in the 61st minute, but Nigerian Victor Olatunji leveled the scoring in the 78th minute. If they outperform Sparta, the Romanians will be up against the winner of the return game pitching the Greek side PAOK Thessaloniki against Swedish side Malmö. The first game in Sweden ended in a draw, two-all. If they don’t qualify, FCSB are to go straight into the play-offs of the Europa League, where they will be up against the Austrians from LASK Linz.

     

    Two other Romanian sides will be playing on Thursday in the third qualifying round for the Conference League. Second-leaguer Corvinul Hunedoara, which won the Romanian Cup, will be taking on FC Astana in Kazakhstan.

    Astana won the first game in Sibiu, two-one. If they win, Corvinul will be up either against the Scottish side St. Mirren or the Norwegians from Brann Bergen, which ended their first match in a one-all draw.

     

    The other Romanian side in the Conference League, CFR Cluj, will be playing on their own ground the Israeli side Maccabi Petah Tikva. CFR secured a 1-0 win in the first match in Sofia, Bulgaria. If they qualify, CFR will be playing either the Bulgarian eleven CSKA Sofia 1948 or the Cypriot side Pafos FC. The Bulgarians won the first match 2-1.

     

    Last weekend saw the games counting for the fifth leg of the Romanian Superleague. FCSB obtained their first win this season: 3-2 in Bucharest against Farul Constanta. On Saturday in Sibiu, local side Hermannstadt outperformed FC Botosani 2-1, then in Arad, western Romania, local side UTA clinched a one-nil win against Oţelul Galaţi. The day’s last match, Gloria Buzau versus Rapid Bucharest, also ended in a draw, one-all. On Sunday in Sfântu Gheorghe, central Romania, Universitatea Craiova defeated local side Sepsi 2-1, while in Cluj, western Romania, CFR secured a 3-0 win against Unirea Slobozia.

     

    The leg’s last two games are to take place on Monday, when Petrolul Ploieşti plays Universitatea Cluj and Politehnica Iaşi takes on Dinamo Bucureşti. Two sides undefeated yet, Craiova and Oţelul, are topping the ranking each with 11 points, three points ahead the side on the third position.

    (bill)

  • July 23, 2024

    July 23, 2024

    ENERGY – Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Tuesday in Bucharest that only with energy security, accessible energy for the economy and for the people and economic competitiveness can the decisive step be taken towards the next vital objective, that is obtaining clean, green energy. The Prime Minister attended the Business Forum of  Partnership for Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation, where high-ranking representatives from the public and private energy sectors discussed energy security and transition, infrastructure projects and how cities apply clean, green strategies. On the other hand, Marcel Ciolacu announced that Romania will negotiate with the new European Commission a seven-year agreement to re-enter the 3% deficit target, saying the country is in a period of ‘accelerated’ development and it is very important that the investments continue.

     

    DROUGHT – Against the background of the severe drought affecting Romania, water supply is restricted in about 450 cities, towns and villages, most of them in the eastern part of the country. Many farmers say that they have lost their crops, especially where irrigation is not possible. In trying to support those affected, the Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, had a first meeting on Monday with commercial banks representatives, whom he asked for solutions to cover rates and interests on loans for farmers facing drought. The affected area so far is almost 2 million hectares for corn and sunflower and 100,000 hectares for wheat and rapeseed. Water levels are also dropping. More on this topic, after the news.

     

    STUDENT CAMP – The Prefect’s Office in Harghita County (central Romania) has announced that that the institutions of the Interior Ministry will ensure public order between July 23 and 28, when the ‘Tusványos’ 2024 Summer University and Student Camp are held in the town of Băile Tuşnad, also attended by the Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban. 80 police officers from the public order, traffic, criminal investigations and special operations structures will be present daily in the area and in its vicinity.

     

    SUPPORT – The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminiţa Odobescu, mentioned, once again, Romania’s support for the neighboring Ukraine, invaded by the Russian troops, and emphasized the need to speed up the European Union’s assistance, including the military one, granted to Kyiv. At Monday’s meeting in Brussels with her European counterparts, Odobescu reaffirmed Romania’s support for the formula for ending the war proposed by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskky, which she believes is capable of guaranteeing sustainable peace, respecting territorial integrity and the principles of the UN Charter.

     

    CONCERT – The Orchestra and Choir of the Bucharest National Opera will hold, on Wednesday, a sacred music concert at the “Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael” Orthodox Cathedral in Paris. The Romanian Opera tour ends on July 25, at the Romanian Embassy in Paris, with another concert, on the occasion of the inauguration of the Romanian House at the Olympic Games. On Monday, Romanian artists performed in the gardens of the Versailles Palace, an event also held in the context of the Summer Olympics. According to the Radio Romania correspondent in Paris, the extraordinary concert entitled “Éthos Roumain” is a project financed by the Government of Romania, through the Department for Romanians Everywhere, in partnership with the Romanian Cultural Institute in Paris. The event aims to increase the visibility of Romanian culture and its promotion abroad, as well as to strengthen the cultural ties between Romania and France.

     

    FOOTBALL – The Romanian football champion, FCSB is up against the Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv this evening on home turf, in the first leg of the second preliminary round of the Champions League. The return match is scheduled for July 31, in Budapest, Hungary, because, due to the security situation in the region, the Israeli teams cannot host international matches at home. (EE)

     

  • July 16, 2024

    July 16, 2024

    HEAT WAVE – A code red alert remains in place in Romania, with severe thermal discomfort reported during the interval and the THI expected to exceed 80 units. Thunderstorms are expected to hit mountainous areas, accompanied by strong wind and hail. Temperatures are expected to reach and exceed 42 degrees Celsius during the interval. Restrictions for heavy road traffic have been set in place between 11 AM – 7 PM on all national roads, express roads and motorways, with the exception of four counties in the north. Trains are also running at lower speeds, the National Rail Company saying the measure will remain in force when temperatures at ground level reach 50 degrees Celsius. The authorities have called on the population to use drinking water responsibly. The heat wave has exacerbated the draught, which caused water supply restrictions in nearly 300 settlements. Romania’s 40 reservoirs are now at 80% capacity, and water levels are expected to further drop by the end of the month, authorities say. The Danube River is also reporting decreasing water levels, although no supply issues have so far been reported at the Cernavodă NPP. Extreme heat is also exerting additional pressure on Romania’s energy grid. Romania increased its electricity output by 400 MW amidst growing energy demand, Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said at the end of the Energy Ministry Committee meeting. Despite high temperatures and the high demand for electricity at present, there is no risk of blackouts, the Romanian official pointed out

     

     

    BEAR HUNTING – The Chamber of Deputies on Monday approved a draft law tabled by UDMR amending legislation on bear hunting, a document voted last year by the Senate. Under the new law, some 400 brown bears can be shot over 2024-2025, mostly in Covasna, Brașov, Harghita and Mureș counties. The initiative follows last week’s tragedy, when a 19-year-old girl was mauled down by a bear on a popular hiking trail.

     

     

    EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT – The new European Parliament starts its activity today. The first plenary session is scheduled today in Strasbourg. MEPs have three days to elect their president, vice-presidents and members of special committees. On Thursday, MEPs are voting on Ursula von der Leyen’s candidacy for a second term at the helm of the European Commission. Von der Leyen has already secured the support of heads of state and government from EU Member States, and needs at least 361 of the total number of 720 eligible votes. The European People’s Party remains the number one political force in the European Parliament, having won 188 seats in the June election. The Social-Democrats won 136 seats, while Renew grabbed 177. The three parties together hold enough votes to get von der Leyen re-elected. Not all MEPs representing these parties are expected to vote for her, which is why the former European Commission president is trying to secure the support of the Greens. The 720 MEPs are today voting to elect their new president, with Roberta Metsola of the EPP favorite to win a new term in office. Also today, MEPs will choose the structure of the Permanent Bureau, consisting of 14 vice-presidents and 5 quaestors. Two Romanian MEPs are running for the position for vice-president – Social-Democrat Victor Negrescu and Nicolae Ștefănuță, an unaffiliated MEP backed by the Greens.

     

     

    TRUMP – The Republican Party on Monday nominated Donald Trump as the official candidate for the US presidential election, scheduled for November 5. The announcement was made at the Republican Convention in Milwaukee, held over July 15-18. In turn, Donald Trump nominated Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his vice-president should he win the election. A former critic of Trump turned staunch supporter, J.D. Vance (39) is a former US serviceman and successful writer. As a Senator, he has constantly militated for topics close to Donald Trump, such as combating migration and defending economic protectionism. The Republican Convention is held after last weekend Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania. The gunman fired a bullet at Trump, piercing his left ear and killing a member of the audience. Another two people were gravely injured before Secret Service staff killed the attacker. According to the FBI, the 20-year-old gunman had acted alone and used a legally bought firearm.

     

     

    FOOTBALL – Romania’s football champions, FCSB are today playing Virtus AC of San Marino at home in the return leg of the Champions League first preliminary round. FCSB won 7-1 in the first leg. If it qualifies to the next round, FCSB will play Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel. Romanian Cup winners Corvinul Hunedoara, CFR Cluj and Universitatea Craiova are the other teams representing Romania in European inter-club competitions. (VP)

  • June 19, 2024 UPDATE

    June 19, 2024 UPDATE

    Visit. The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, received, on Wednesday, his Italian counterpart, Sergio Mattarella, who paid a formal visit to Bucharest. We have deep ties, an exceptional economic dynamic, and the soul of the relationship are the Romanian communities in Italy, who are very well integrated, said Iohannis. At the same time, the head of state expressed his appreciation for the solid community of Italian entrepreneurs in Romania. He specified that, last year, the two countries had bilateral exchanges worth 20 billion euros. In terms of security, Klaus Iohannis stated that Romania and Italy would continue to work together to strengthen NATO’s deterrence role on the eastern flank, but also on the southern one. For his part, President Mattarella stated that bilateral relations were excellent on all levels. Romania is an extremely important bilateral, European and international partner for Italy, and we want the country to join the Schengen free movement area also with the land borders, the Italian guest also said. In 2024, Romania and Italy celebrate 145 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, as well as 60 years since their elevation to embassy level.

    NATO. Romania will take over, between July and December 2024, the command of a NATO Countermeasures Maritime Group, which will carry out specific missions in the Mediterranean basin, the Romanian Naval Forces have announced. Romania will participate in this group with the ship “Vice Admiral Constantin Bălescu”, which has a crew of 85 Romanian and foreign soldiers. The maritime group will also include military ships from Italy, Spain and Turkey. The main goals of this mission of the Allied Maritime Command of NATO are to ensure the immediate response capacity of the North Atlantic Alliance, to increase the interoperability between the allied naval forces, as well as to promote the image of NATO, the press release states.


    Election results.     The final results of the European Parliament elections have been announced by the Central Electoral Bureau and published in the Official Gazette of Romania. The Social Democratic Party (PSD) – National Liberal Party (PNL) alliance ranked first with 48.5% of the votes, followed by the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, with a little under 15%, the United Right Alliance, with 8.7%, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania with almost 6.5% and the SOS Romania party with a little over the required threshold of 5%. The independent candidate Nicolae Ştefănuţă was voted by 3.08% of Romanians and managed to obtain another European Parliament mandate. The voter turnout was 52.4%. The Central Electoral Bureau pointed out that, of the 33 MEP mandates going to Romania, 19 went to the PSD-PNL alliance, 6 to the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, 3 to the United Right Alliance and 2 to the SOS Romania Party and another 2 to the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania.

    Law. The Romanian Senate has adopted, as the first chamber notified, a bill to amend the Citizenship Law, initiated by the Government, which establishes that the Romanian citizenship can be granted, upon request, to a foreign person who is married and lives outside the borders with a Romanian citizen for at least 10 years. The current legislation stipulates that, in order to grant citizenship to a foreign citizen married to a Romanian citizen, he or she must live in Romania for at least five years, which represents, in the opinion of the initiator, ‘an obstacle’. The law also provides for the necessary measures needed to acquire the Romanian citizenship and for rules to prevent its fraudulent acquisition. Thus, biometric checks are provided for persons who apply for Romanian citizenship. The bill will be debated by the Chamber of Deputies, which is the decision-making body in this matter.

    USA. The Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminiţa Odobescu, will pay a working visit to the USA on June 20-21.. On this occasion, she will have bilateral political consultations with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, meetings with representatives of the National Security Council, opinion leaders and American think-tanks. At the same time, the head of the Romanian Diplomacy will participate in the opening of the Romania-USA Economic Forum, where, as a keynote speaker, she will emphasize the potential for the development of Romanian-American economic relations, including through bilateral cooperation in the field of energy and reconstruction efforts for Ukraine. Organized in the context of the 20th anniversary of Romania’s accession to NATO, the visit will provide an opportunity to review the progress made in the bilateral relationship, in the cooperation for strengthening Euro-Atlantic security, with an emphasis on the Black Sea region and on identifying ways to strengthening the Romania-USA Strategic Partnership.

    Korea. The Romanian Minister of National Defense, Angel Tîlvăr, had a working meeting in Bucharest, on Wedesday, with his South Korean counterpart, Won-sik Shin, who paid a formal visit to Romania. The agenda of the bilateral discussions covered issues regarding the international security situation and the prospects for bilateral cooperation in the field of defense between the two states, against the backdrop of the signing, in April, in Seoul, of the Agreement between the Government of Romania and the Government of the Republic of Korea on cooperation in the field of defense. During the discussions, the Romanian Minister of Defense presented the main threats and risks from the Black Sea and Western Balkans regions against the backdrop of the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine. At the same time, the Romanian official highlighted Romania’s support for Ukraine. The two defense ministers laid wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Bucharest.

    Football. The Romanian football champion FCSB will play in the first preliminary round of the Champions League with the San Marino team AC Virtus 1964, according to the draw held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon. FCSB will play the first away match on July 9 or 10, and the decisive leg in Bucharest on July 16 or 17. The winner of the Romanian Cup, the second division Corvinul Hunedoara (south-west), will face the Hungarian vice-champion, Paksi FC, in the first preliminary round of the Europa League. Corvinul will play the first away match on July 11, with the second leg scheduled in Romania on July 18. (MI)

  • May 27, 2024

    May 27, 2024

    EU Romania’s Foreign Minister, Luminita Odobescu is in Brussels to attend the meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers, the Foreign Affairs Council. High on the agenda are the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba is expected to attend a video-conference. ‘We are vehemently condemning the recent attacks against civilians and civil infrastructure in Ukraine. And for this reason it is important to increase the military support for Ukraine’ – the head of the Romanian diplomacy said before the meeting. The event will also include an informal exchange of opinions with a series of Foreign Ministers from the Middle East and with the Secretary General of the Arab League. Also on the talks agenda are the latest developments in Georgia, Venezuela and Iran. “Georgia is a partner of Romania’s” minister Odobescu said in Brussels, underlying the need for granting support to this people and its European aspirations. After the Foreign Affairs Council, the Romanian minister will be attending the eighth edition of the “Conference on the Future of Syria and the region”.

     

    UNITER Romanian actors and directors are going to be awarded tonight during the 32nd edition of the UNITER Awards Gala, which takes place at the National Theatre in Bucharest. The 15 categories include Best Radio Drama Award, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Performance. Four new categories have been added this year to satisfy the need for interconnecting theatre with the new technologies such as the Best Animation Performance, the Best Performance for Children, Best music, sound design, video design, and lighting design. According to organizers, this gala brings together all artists irrespective of their age in an attempt to celebrate them all.

     

    FOOTBALL The return game in the playoffs securing a place in the Romanian Football Superleague between second leaguer FK Csikszereda and Dinamo Bucharest in Miercurea Ciuc, central Romania, will end the present football season in Romania. Dinamo has won the first match in Bucharest 2-0. Romania’s new champion FCSB will be representing this country in the Champions League; second leaguer and winner of the Romanian cup, Corvinul Hunedoara, will be playing in Europa League and CFR Cluj, the side on the second position in the ranking, will be playing in Conference League. The last matches in the domestic championship were overshadowed by the farewell game of the so-called Golden Generation of the Romanian football, which back in the nineties managed to get qualification for three world and two European tournaments.

     

    COOPERATION On Monday, the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis congratulated his Lithuanian counterpart, Gitanas Nauseda, on the occasion of his re-election to the presidential post and emphasized the ‘excellent’ cooperation between the two states. ‘I look forward to continuing the excellent cooperation between Romania and Lithuania as EU partners and NATO allies, in the context in which we are facing numerous challenges in the region and in the world’ the Romanian president wrote on a social network. The acting president of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda, was re-elected on Sunday after the second round of the presidential election.

    (bill)

     

  • Sports Flash

    Sports Flash

    At the World Ice Hockey Championships in Bolzano, Italy, Romania secured a 2-1 win against Hungary. The Romanians lost the first two matches to Italy and Slovenia with the same scoring 1-6. On Friday, Romania will be playing South Korea in an attempt to avoid the last place in the group.

     

    Romania’s male handball side Dinamo Bucharest has qualified for the semifinals of the European League, the second best inter-club competition after the Champions league. On Tuesday, the Romanian champions clinched a 38-34 away win against Danish side Skjern Handbold in the second round of the quarterfinals. The league’s Final Four tournament will be taking place in Hamburg over May 25th and 26th.

     

    In women’s handball, Rapid Bucharest continue their fight for a second position in the Romanian championships, a position which can push them right into the Champions League. Rapid defeated Gloria Buzau 32-28 in an away match on Wednesday. Eliza Buceschi and Serbian player Anđela Janjušević each scored seven goals for the vice-champions. Diana Ilina also scored seven goals for Gloria. Rapid has three points ahead the side, which also aspires to the title, Gloria Bistriţa, with a game in hand. CSM Bucharest ranks first in the standings.

     

    This weekend will be seeing matches counting towards the Romanian football Superleague. On Friday in Ovidiu, on the Romanian Black Sea coast, local side Farul will be up against Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe.

     

    On Sunday CFR Cluj plays Rapid Bucharest at home while on Monday, Universitatea Craiova, on their own turf, takes on FCSB. The Bucharest side is already champion, while Universitatea has the same number of points with CFR and are fighting for a second place, which ensures qualification for the preliminaries of the European Conference League.

     

    On Saturday, FC Voluntari goes to Botoşani, and Dinamo plays in Cluj the local side Universitatea. On Sunday in Ploiesti, southern Romania, local side Petrolul is taking on Oţelul Galati. On Monday, Hermannstadt plays Poli Iaşi at home, while UTA receives FCU 1948. On the last positions in the ranking and fighting to avoid demotion are Poli Iaşi and Dinamo, each with 21 points. FC U Craiova has 22, FC Voluntari 23 and FC Botoşani – 24.

    (bill)

  • Sports Weekend

    Sports Weekend

    Romanian pugilist Lăcrămioara Perijoc will be fighting for the gold medal in the 54 kilogram category of the European Boxing Championships in Belgrade.

    In the semifinals on Thursday she outperformed Fay Niamh of Ireland and in the finals due on Sunday, Perijoc will be fighting the representative of the host country and the odds-on favourite Sara Cirkovici. In the 57 kg category, Claudia Nichita of Romania was left only with the silver medal after the defeat conceded to Bulgarian Svetlana Kamenova Staneva.

    After the races on Thursday, Romania has qualified with six teams at the European Rowing Championship underway in Szeged, Hungary. Among those qualified are the Romanian women’s double scull, the lightweight pair as well as the women’s eight. The Romanian women’s four, men’s four and eight ended on the second position in their races but are also directly qualified for the finals.

    Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea on Thursday qualified for the third round of the WTA 1.000 tournament in Madrid, a competition with more than 7 hundred thousand Euros in prize money. In the second round, she secured a 6-3, 6-7, 6-4 win against Alexandra Eala of the Philippines. In the competition’s third round, the Romanian will be playing the winner of the match pitching this weekend the world’s leader Iga Swiatek of Poland and Xiyu Wang of China.

    This weekend will be seeing the matches counting towards Romania’s Football Super-league. On Friday Dinamo Bucureşti plays FC Voluntari. FCU Craiova will taking on Universitatea Cluj on Saturday. On Sunday, Hermannstadt goes to Galati in eastern Romania to play local side Oţelul, while UTA will be up against Poli Iasi. On Monday, Petrolul, on their own turf, will be playing FC Botoşani. Dinamo and FC U Craiova are on the last positions in the ranking and struggling to avoid demotion.

    On Saturday, FCSB will be playing Farul Constanţa in Bucharest and if they manage to get a draw, FCSB will mathematically become Romania’s champions three legs before the end of the season. On Sunday, CFR will be playing Sepsi in Cluj, western Romania, while on Monday Rapid Bucharest, on their own ground will be up against Universitatea Craiova.

    (bill)

  • Sports roundup

    Sports roundup

    Romanian athletes walked away with four medals from the European Throwing Cup held in Leira, Portugal. Alin Firfirică became gold medalist in the discus throw event on Saturday, while on Sunday, Bianca Ghelber and Alexandru Novac won silver in the hammer throw and javelin events of the same competition. Also in the javelin throw, but in the under-23 competition, Vlad Alexandru Turcu stepped onto the podium’s third step.

     

    Friday and Saturday saw the quarter-finals matches of the regional ice hockey competition Erste League. ACSH Gheorgheni is leading 2-0 the Hungarian side Ujpest, after a 2-1 win on Friday and 4-3 on Saturday on their own ground. Sport Club Miercurea Ciuc secured a 2-1 and 1-0 away victories against Budapest Jegkorong Academia. In Brașov, southern Romania, local side Corona conceded defeats to Jegesmedvek Miskolc, 3-2 in the first match and 3-1 in the second. The matches are taking place after ‘the best in seven games’ system.

     

    CSM CSU Constanța and CSM Târgoviște won the semis of Romania’s Cup in women’s basketball held in Sfântu Gheorghe on Sunday. CSU defeated the title-holder Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, 88-80. The vice-champions managed their second win this season against the en titre champions from Covasna. In the other semifinals game, CSM Târgoviște outperformed CSM Alexandria, 81-54. The finals is due on Monday.

     

    Last weekend saw the football games counting towards the 30th leg of Romania’s Superleague. Friday saw five matches: CFR, on their own turf, secured a 1-0 win against Hermannstadt. Dinamo obtained the same 1-0 win in Bucharest against UTA Arad. In Ploiești, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe clinched a 2-1 victory against local side Petrolul. FC Voluntari versus Universitatea Cluj and FC Botoșani versus Farul Constanța ended in goaless draws.

     

    At the National Arena in Bucharest on Saturday Rapid secured a 4-0 win against the team, which tops the table, FCSB. On Sunday in a local derby in Craiova, southern Romania, Universitatea obtained a 2-1 win against FCU 1948.

    The leg’s last match pitches Oțelul Galați against Poli Iași on Monday. FCSB goes into the play-off with 32 points followed by Rapid with 28, CFR with 27, Universitatea Craiova, with 25, then Farul and Sepsi, each with 22 points. In the play-offs first leg, on Friday Rapid takes on Farul Constanta in Bucharest, while on Saturday, CFR Cluj plays at home Universitatea Craiova. FCSB is taking on Sepsi in Bucharest on Sunday.

    (bill)

  • Sports Flash

    Sports Flash

    Romania will be represented by 7 female athletes at the World Athletics Indoor Championship in Glasgow, Scotland. Alina Rotaru-Kottmann will be competing in the long-jump event, Andreea Taloş and Diana Ion in the triple jump and Daniela Stanciu, in the high jump contest. Andreea Miklos will represent Romania in the 400 meter dash while Claudia Bobocea and Petronela Simiuc in the 800 and 1500 meter races.

    Romania had 11 athletes in the past edition of the aforementioned indoor competition in Belgrade in 2022, and the best Romanian performance was obtained by Claudia Bobocea – the 9th place in the 1.500 meter race. The latest medals obtained by athletes from Romania in a suchlike indoor contest were at the 2016 edition in Portland, where Andrei Gag reaped silver in the shot put event and the women’s 4×400 meter relay team, which included Andreea Miklos, came third in the race.

    Romania’s rugby side will be playing Georgia on Saturday in an away game of the 2024 edition of Rugby Europe Championship, the second big European contest after Six Nations.  In the other semifinals game on Sunday, Portugal will be up, on their own ground, against Spain. The winners will be playing in the finals due on the Jean Bouin stadium, in Paris on March 17th.

    Romania’s women handball side will be playing Croatia, in Koprivnica on Sunday in a match counting towards the first group of the European Championship qualifiers. The two sides also met on Wednesday in Bistrita, central Romania, where our athletes secured a 26-24 win. In the group’s ranking Romania comes first with 6 points followed by Croatia with 4, Greece with 2 and Bosnia-Herzegovina with no point. The first two sides of each group will qualify as well as the best four sides on the third position.

    This weekend will be seeing a series of matches counting towards the 29th leg of the Romanian Football Superleague. Only one game on Friday when Poli Iasi takes on Dinamo Bucharest. On Saturday, UTA plays FCU Craiova in a home game, then Hermannstadt also at home will be up against Otelul Galati. In Constanta, local side Farul will be playing CFR Cluj. On Sunday, Universitatea Cluj will be playing FC Botosani, while FCSB plays in Bucharest Petrolul Ploiesti. On Monday, Sepsi, on their own turf, will be playing FC Voluntari and Universitatea Craiova, at home, will receive Rapid Bucharest. FCSB ranks first in the standings with 61 points, followed by Rapid, ten points less.

    (bill)

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    After two legs of Rugby Europe Championship, Romania’s fifteen is presently
    ranking first in Group B with two wins. The Romanians secured a 33-18 win
    against Belgium in Bucharest on Saturday, when they scored five tries.


    In the other match of the group, Portugal defeated Poland 54 – 7 in Lisbon.
    Romania has 9 points and is followed by Portugal with 6. The two sides are
    meeting in Bucharest next week in a decisive game for winning the group.




    Both the Romanian sides in the Champions League in women’s handball
    obtained wins in the past weekend. On Saturday in Group B, Rapid Bucharest clinched an away win 24-21 against Zaglebie
    Lubin and they are ranking 7th in the group a point after the Hungarian side
    Ferencvaros. If they win against Danish side Esbjerg, and the Hungarian side
    loses to French team Metz, Rapid goes into the playoffs for the League’s
    quarterfinals. In Group A on Sunday, CSM Bucharest secured a home win 31-28 against
    German side Bietigheim. Romania’s champions are coming third in the ranking,
    two points after Danish side Odense, which
    they will be meeting in an away game on Sunday and if it wins CSM will go
    directly into the quarterfinals.




    In the Group B of the EHF European League, Dunărea Brăila on Saturday
    secured a 33 – 23 home win against German side Thüringer, and has qualified for
    the quarter-finals, a leg ahead of the group’s finals. Gloria Bistrita qualified
    last week after outperforming Lublin in Poland 29-26 on Saturday and is topping
    Group C. In Group D, CSM Târgu Jiu lost to Malaga on Sunday 26 – 30, registering
    their fifth consecutive defeat.




    The Women’s Tennis tournament Transylvania Open, with 267 thousand dollars
    in prize money, ended in Cluj Napoca, western Romania on Sunday. In the finals,
    the Czech player Karolina Pliskova clinched a two-set win 6-4, 6-3 against Ana
    Bogdan of Rormania. The tournament in Cluj is the only WTA 250 competition
    hosted by Romania.


    Last weekend saw the football games of the 25th leg of the Romanian
    Superleague. On Friday Otelul Galati obtained a 1-0 win against FCU Craiova,
    while Universitatea Craiova and Universitatea Cluj ended their game in a
    two-all draw.




    On Saturday in Iasi the match pitching local side Poli against FC Voluntari
    ended in a goaless draw. The match in Cluj between the local side CFR and Rapid
    Bucharest was won by the visitors one-nil. On Sunday in Sibiu, Hermannstadt
    versus Petrolul Ploiesti ended in a draw, nil-all, while in Bucharest local
    side FCSB secured a 1-0 win against Sepsi Sf. Gheorghe.


    (bill)

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    Romania’s grand chess master Bogdan
    Deac won the bronze medal in the European Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship held
    in Zagreb, Croatia. Deac obtained 9 points out of 11 matches, being
    outperformed by the 23-year old grand master Alexey Sarana of Russia, who is
    now representing Serbia and eventually won the title with 9.5 points.




    Armenian grand master Haik
    Martirosyan ended in the second position also with 9 points, but outperformed Bogdan
    Deac at tiebreaker criteria. Also worth noting is the performance of junior grand
    master David Gavrilescu, who managed to come sixth in the aforementioned
    competition.




    The World Women’s Handball Championship
    has come to an end. In the finals in Denmark on Sunday, France outperformed
    Norway 31-28. Defending champions France claimed their third world title after
    those in 2003 and 2017. Romania’s side came 12th and thus failed to
    qualify for the Olympics next year.




    Bucharest sides Steaua and Dinamo
    lost the home matches they played on Sunday in the 10th leg of
    Division A1 in men’s volleyball. The vice-champions of the past edition, Steaua
    lost to SCM Zalau 3-1 and Dinamo to Corona Brasov, 0-3.


    Corona tops the ranking with 28
    points out of 10 games, followed by the en titre champions Arcada Galati with
    23 points out of 9 matches




    Last weekend saw the matches counting towards
    the 20th leg of Romania’s Football Superleague. On Friday, FCU Craiova
    1948 clinched a 1-0 win against Voluntari, then in Ploiesti, local side
    Petrolul ended in a goaless draw their match against Rapid Bucharest. On
    Saturday in Sibiu, central Romania, UTA Arad versus Farul Constanta also ended
    in a draw, nil-all. Also a draw, two-all, was the result of the game pitching
    Universitatea Craiova against Poli Iasi, while FCSB clinched a 3-0 home win against
    Hermannstadt.


    On Sunday Universitatea Cluj lost
    nil-one their home game against Otelul Galati while CFR conceded a 1-2 defeat
    in their away game against Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe.


    FCSB tops the ranking with 41
    points followed by CFR Cluj and Universitatea Craiova eight points less.

    (bill)

  • Săptămâna sportivă

    Săptămâna sportivă

    România a câştigat Trofeul Carpaţi la handbal feminin, după turneul încheiat sâmbătă la Bistriţa. Selecţionata tricoloră a terminat competiţia cu trei victorii: 33-28 cu Elveţia, 32-22 cu Portugalia şi 41-35 cu Austria. Pe locul secund s-a situat Austria, cu două victorii, iar pe trei s-a clasat Elveţia, cu un meci câştigat, cel cu Portugalia, care a ocupat ultimul loc. Turneul de la Bistriţa a fost o ultimă verificare înaintea participării la Campionatul Mondial din Danemarca, Norvegia şi Suedia, programat între 29 noiembrie şi 17 decembrie. România va juca în Grupa E, la Herning, în Danemarca.


    Cristina Neagu şi colegele sale vor întâlni, în ordine, echipa statului Chile, pe 1 decembrie, apoi Serbia, două zile mai târziu, şi Danemarca, pe 5 decembrie. Obiectivul Naţionalei române la Mondiale este clasarea pe unul dintre primele şapte locuri. Campioana mondială merge direct la Jocurile Olimpice de anul viitor, de la Paris, împreună cu echipele campioane continentale. Poziţiile 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 şi 7 vor asigura participarea la turneele preolimpice din aprilie, care vor completa lista echipelor participante la Jocurile de la Paris, de anul viitor. Să mai notăm că echipa României este singura care a participat la toate cele 26 de ediţii de până acum ale Campionatului Mondial de handbal feminin.



    Trecem la fotbal. FCSB a câştigat, duminică, derby-ul cu Dinamo Bucureşti. Liderul actual al clasamentului s-a impus cu 1-0, pe Arena Naţională din Capitală, unde gazde au fost dinamoviştii. Singurul gol al partidei a fost marcat de Florinel Coman, direct din lovitură liberă, în minutul 52. Etapa cu numărul 17 a Superligii a început vineri. La Sibiu, Hermannstadt şi Poli Iaşi au terminat la egalitate, scor 0 la 0, apoi, la Ploieşti, Petrolul a trecut de FC Botoşani cu 2-1. După 17 etape, formaţia din Botoşani nu a câştigat încă nici măcar un joc şi se află pe ultimul loc în clasament.


    Sâmbătă, FC Voluntari a învins, acasă, Farul Constanţa cu 4-2, apoi, la Cluj, jocul dintre CFR şi UTA Arad s-a terminat fără gol. În primul joc al zilei de duminică, Universitatea Craiova a dispus cu 3-1, în deplasare, de Oţelul Galaţi. Luni, ultimele două partide ale etapei: FC U Craiova 1948 cu Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe şi Rapid Bucureşti cu Universitatea Cluj. În fruntea clasamentului, FCSB are acum 37 de puncte, iar CFR Cluj, 32.

  • Weekend sportiv

    La sfârşitul acestei săptamâni au loc jocuri în Superliga română de fotbal, contând pentru etapa a 17-a. Vineri, două partide: Hermannstadt cu Poli Iaşi şi Petrolul Ploieşti cu FC Botoşani. Sâmbătă, Farul Constanţa joacă la Voluntari, iar UTA Arad va evolua pe terenul echipei CFR Cluj. Prima partidă a zilei de duminică va avea loc la Galaţi, între Oţelul şi Universitatea Craiova. Meciul-vedetă al etapei este programat la ora 20.30, în Capitală, pe Arena Naţională, şi va opune echipele bucureştene Dinamo şi FCSB, fostă Steaua.



    Confruntarea dintre cele mai titrate echipe din fotbalul românesc a fost întotdeauna interesantă, indiferent de locurile ocupate în clasament, la momentul întâlnirii. Acum, de pildă, FCSB se află pe primul loc, iar Dinamo, pe 15, penultimul. Liderul clasamentului a câştigat 10 dintre cele 16 partide jucate în această ediţie a campionatului, a pierdut două şi a încheiat patru la egalitate. Dinamoviştii au o linie de clasament exact inversă: două victorii, patru egaluri şi zece înfrângeri.



    Din ultimele zece confruntări între cele două formaţii, trei s-au încheiat la egalitate. FCSB a câştigat cinci, iar Dinamo, două. Ultimul succes dinamovist s-a înregistrat în februarie 2021, scor 1-0, în Cupa României, dar în septembrie a urmat revanşa aspră a roş-albaştrilor, în prima ligă, cu 6-0. În aceste condiţii, FCSB pare, astăzi, echipa favorită, dar, adesea, când a fost vorba de derby-ul clasic al fotbalului românesc, statisticile s-au dovedit înşelătoare.



    Etapa a 17-a a Superligii continuă luni. FC U Craiova se va confrunta pe teren propriu cu Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, apoi Rapid Bucureşti va primi vizita echipei Universitatea Cluj. Este de menţionat faptul că şi duelul dintre feroviarii bucureşteni şi studenţii clujeni are un istoric impresionant, de nouă decenii. Primele meciuri directe între cele două echipe au avut loc în prima ediție a campionatului național, Divizia A, în sezonul 1933 – 1934. Universitatea a câștigat acasă cu 2-1, apoi feroviarii s-au impus, şi ei, pe teren propriu, cu 1-0.





  • Sports Weekend

    In the fifth leg of the Champions League in womens handball on Saturday and Sunday, two Romanian sides will be taking on their French opponents. In group A, Romanian side CSM Bucharest, on their own turf, will be up against the French team Brest Bretagne. Hungarian side Gyor tops the group with 8 points while CSM ranks fourth with 4 points. Sunday will see the second Romanian – French game, when in Group B, Rapid Bucharest will be playing Metz away. The first side in the group is Herning Ikast with 8 points while Rapid is coming sixth with 3 points.



    On Saturday in the second round of the the second preliminary leg of the European Cup, Romanian mens handball side and vicechampions, Minaur Baia Mare, will be playing Ukrainian side Odesa. Minaur won the first match at home 52 – 26. In the same competition, Romanian team Steaua București won their match against Israeli squad Hapoel Ashdod by forfeit, 10-0.



    On Friday in the ice hockey Erste League, Romanian sides Sports Club Miercurea Ciuc, ACSH Gheorgheni and Corona Brașov are playing on their own turf three Hungarian sides.



    Miercurea Ciuc plays UTE, Gheorgheni plays Budapest Akademia, while Corona Braşov takes on DVTK Jegesmedvek.



    On Sunday, Corona Brașov plays Hungarian side Ujpest, Gheorgheni takes on DVTK and Miercurea Ciuc will be up against Budapest Akademia.



    ACSH Gheorgheni comes second in the ranking with 17 points, Corona Brașov comes third with 14 points and Miercurea Ciuc ranks tenth with only 3 points.



    In the 13th leg of the Romanian football Superleague, UTA Arad plays Rapid Bucharest on Friday, while on Saturday, FC Hermannstadt takes on Dinamo Bucharest. Farul Constanta also plays Universitatea Cluj on Saturday.



    On Sunday, Poli Iasi plays FCU Craiova, while Petrolu Ploiesti takes on CSU Craiova. FCSB takes on FC Voluntari on the same day. The leg ends on Monday with Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe versus FC Botoșani and CFR Cluj versus Oțelul Galați. FCSB tops the ranking with 29 points followed by CFR Cluj with 26 points, Rapid Bucharest and CSU Craiova each with 22 points.


    (bill)

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup


    Romanian athlete Alina Rotaru-Kottmann has walked away with bronze from the long jump event at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. In the finals held on Sunday, Alinas longest jump measured 6 meters and 88 centimeters, which is the best result so far obtained by this athlete who is currently competing for Steaua Bucharest sports club.


    The gold medal was won by Ivana Vuleta of Serbia, with 7 meters and 14 centimeters, the worlds best performance this year. Tara Davis Woodhall of the USA came third with a jump of 6 meters and 91 centimeters.


    Romanias Super-cup in mens handball went to Dinamo Bucharest. On Sunday in Bucharest, Dinamo secured a 25-20 win against CSM Constanta. Ukrainian Andrii Akimenko was the best scorer of the victors with 6 goals. Dinamo also won the trophy in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022. In the small finals Minaur Baia Mare outperformed CSU Suceava 47-43.


    Romanias rugby side has ended its training matches for the World Cup starting in France in September. In the last game, the Romanians lost to Italy in San Benedetto del Tronto 57-7. Romania played without a man since the ninth minute after Adrian Motoc had been given an early shower. In the other two test-matches, Romania lost to the United States in Bucharest 31-17 and to Georgia 56-6 in Tbilisi. The Romanian fifteen will be first taking on Ireland in Bordeaux on September 9th.


    Last weekend saw the matches of the sixth leg of the Romanian Football Superleague. On Friday, Petrolul outperformed FCU Craiova 1948 4-3, while Universitatea Craiova defeated UTA Arad 3-0. On Saturday, FC Botosani ended in a goaless draw their home match against Otelul Galati, while Dinamo Bucharest outperformed FC Voluntari 3-2. On Sunday, in Bucharest, Rapid secured a 3-1 win against Farul Constanta, while FCSB clinched 2-1 victory against Poli Iasi


    On Monday Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe takes on Hermannstadt and Universitatea Cluj plays CFR Cluj. FCSB comes first in the ranking with 15 points out of 5 matches, followed by Universitatea Craiova with 14 points out of 6 matches.


    (bill)