Radio România Internațional

Tag: gold

Athlete of the Week

Romanian judoka Asley
Gonzalez walked away with gold from the European Open in Rome. In the eight
finals of the 100 kilogram category, the Romanian outperformed Adir Karimli of
Azerbaijan and Italian Enrico Bergamelli in the quarters. In the semifinals,
the Romanian defeated Falk Petersilka of Germany and in the finals Harry
Lovell-Hewitt of Britain.

In the same category,
another judoka from Romania, Eduard Serban conceded defeat in the first round
to Italian Daniele Accogli.

That was the first
gold medal won by the Romanian delegation, which ranked 10th in the
nations’ ranking. The competition in Rome brought together 381 judokas from 34
countries, 220 in the men’s contest and 161 in the women’s events. Romania was
represented by five athletes.

For his performance,
Radio Romania International has designated Asley Gonzales athlete of the week.

Gonzales was born in
Caibarien city, Cuba on September 5th 1989. He became champion in the
Pan American Games twice, in 2011 and 2013 in the 90 kilogram category, a
category he competed in until 2021.

In
2013, at the World Championships in Rio, Gonzales became gold medalist after
defeating Varlam Liparteliani of Georgia in the finals.

At the Olympics in Beijing in 2008, Gonzales
lost in the first round and made it to the finals of the next Olympics in
London. Unfortunately he conceded defeat in the finals to Song Dae-Nam of
South-Korea.

Four years later, at the Olympics in
Rio, Gonzales lost in the third round to Lkhagvasürengiin Otgonbaatar of
Mongolia. Gonzalez lives in Oradea, western Romania and became a Romanian
citizen in 2021. He is competing for Romania and has been nicknamed by the
fans, Asley, the Romanian.

(bill)

14 March 2023
Athlete of the Week

Romanian judoka Asley
Gonzalez walked away with gold from the European Open in Rome. In the eight
finals of the 100 kilogram category, the Romanian outperformed Adir Karimli of
Azerbaijan and Italian Enrico Bergamelli in the quarters. In the semifinals,
the Romanian defeated Falk Petersilka of Germany and in the finals Harry
Lovell-Hewitt of Britain.

In the same category,
another judoka from Romania, Eduard Serban conceded defeat in the first round
to Italian Daniele Accogli.

That was the first
gold medal won by the Romanian delegation, which ranked 10th in the
nations’ ranking. The competition in Rome brought together 381 judokas from 34
countries, 220 in the men’s contest and 161 in the women’s events. Romania was
represented by five athletes.

For his performance,
Radio Romania International has designated Asley Gonzales athlete of the week.

Gonzales was born in
Caibarien city, Cuba on September 5th 1989. He became champion in the
Pan American Games twice, in 2011 and 2013 in the 90 kilogram category, a
category he competed in until 2021.

In
2013, at the World Championships in Rio, Gonzales became gold medalist after
defeating Varlam Liparteliani of Georgia in the finals.

At the Olympics in Beijing in 2008, Gonzales
lost in the first round and made it to the finals of the next Olympics in
London. Unfortunately he conceded defeat in the finals to Song Dae-Nam of
South-Korea.

Four years later, at the Olympics in
Rio, Gonzales lost in the third round to Lkhagvasürengiin Otgonbaatar of
Mongolia. Gonzalez lives in Oradea, western Romania and became a Romanian
citizen in 2021. He is competing for Romania and has been nicknamed by the
fans, Asley, the Romanian.

(bill)

14 March 2023
February 27, 2023

GOLD
Romanian judoka, Mircea
Croitoru, on Sunday became gold medalist in the European Open hosted by Polish
capital Warsaw after having defeated Slovakian Marius Fizel in the finals. The
Romanian made his debut in the round of sixteen with a win against Daniel
Udsilauri of Germany and defeated Anto Dubreta of Montenegro in the
quarterfinals. Next the Romanian outperformed Mohamed Lahboub of Morocco in the
semifinals. 8 judokas have represented Romania in the tournament, six in the
men’s contest and two in the women’s. The European Open in Warsaw has brought together
429 judokas of 43 countries.

VISIT The president of the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest, Marcel Ciolacu
is paying a two-day formal visit to Azerbaijan in response to an invitation by the
president of the National Assembly of this country, Sahiba Gafarova. The
Romanian official has so far held talks with the country’s president Ilham Aliyev
on three major energy projects, thorough which Romania had the chance of
becoming an EU gateway for the gas and energy coming from Azerbaijan. The first
project focuses on the one-year purchase contract for one billion cubic meters
of gas starting April. The second is about the construction of two terminals for
liquefied gas on the Black Sea and the third deals with the development of a
submarine cable carrying green energy from the Caspian Sea to Europe via
Romania. Also today, Ciolacu will be having talks with Sahiba Gafarova and
members of the board of the local state-owned gas company SOCAR, known all over
the world for its production of oil and natural gas.

SESSION The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies in
Bucharest are today convening in a joint sitting to mark a year since the
Russian military aggression against Ukraine. The war broke out in the first
hours of 24th February 2022, when Russia launched a wave of rockets
against its neighbour, preceding the three-direction onslaught of its troops.
The conflict has so far claimed the lives of tens of thousands. Several cities
have been destroyed and roughly 8 million people have become war refugees. Part
of them have transited Romania and even settled here.

LENT Orthodox and Greek-Catholic believers, who are a
majority in Romania, have today begun the period of Lent, six weeks before
Easter, which this year is being celebrated on April 16th. Believers
observing this fasting period must refrain from eating animal-based food, from
partying and other types of entertainment. Weddings are prohibited during this
period.

MEETING The president of the European Commission Ursula von
der Leyen is today meeting British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in an attempt to
sign off a revised deal on the Northern Ireland protocol. In a joint statement,
the two said they would cooperate to solve the dispute caused by the Brexit. For
Rishi Sunak an agreement would be tantamount to avoiding a trade war with
Brussels. Better relations are creating new opportunities, such as Britain’s
access to the EU’s research programme Horizon and its enhanced cooperation with
France in order to stop human trafficking.

TALKS Romanian president Klaus Iohannis is today paying
a visit to Luxembourg for talks with Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and also to
attend the European Investment Bank Forum. During the talks with the head of
the Luxembourgish government, president Iohannis is expected to tackle issues
related to economic cooperation, particularly in the fields of finance, tourism
and high technologies but also other topical issues such as the war in Ukraine.
During the forum of the European Investment Bank, Iohannis is expected to
deliver a speech over the new global challenges. The Romanian president will be
holding talks with both the head of the European Investment Bank and the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

(bill)

27 February 2023
Athlete of the Year 2022

On July 9th
1922, in Alameda, California, Johnny Weissmuller ended the one hundred meter
race in less than one minute. Born in Freidorf, close to Timisoara, in western
Romania, Weissmuller was to become famous for both his Olympic wins and the
part he played in Tarzan, the Ape Man series. After more than 100 years, another
swimmer born in Romania broke the record in the one hundred meter race to officially
become the fastest swimmer in history.

At the European
Championships in Rome on August 13th the Romanian David Popovici
ended the one hundred meter race in 46 seconds and 86 hundredths beating a 13
year old record held by Cielo Filho of Brazil, who ended the race in 46 seconds
and 91 hundredths at the world championships in Rome in 2009, when tech suits
for increasing speed were still allowed.

Besides the
title in Rome, David Popovici has also reaped the world and European titles in
the 100 and 200 meter free-style races both in junior and senior competitions.
His great performances have also brought him Athlete of the Year title from
Radio Romania International. He also compelled recognition in the world
championship in Budapest in June. The two titles he won in the 100 and 200
meter races were a first for the Romanian swimming.

Thousands of
swimming fans gathered at the new aqua facility in Otopeni, close to Bucharest
in July, to witness his performance in the European junior championship, from where
Romanian swimmers walked away with 9 medals. David won the 50, 100 and 200 meter
free-style races and had a big hand in the gold medal won by the 4X100 relay
team of Romania, a country, which ended in the third position after Hungary and
Poland.

At the European
championships in Rome and the world record in the 100 meter race, Popovici came
very close to a world record also in the European final of 200 meters. He won
the race in one minute, 47 seconds and 97 hundredths, one second after German
Paul Biederman who set the record also in Rome in 2009. Popovici’s time was on hundredth
after the one of his idol, Michael Phelps, who reaped the Olympic gold in
Beijing, in 2008.

Romania came
fourth in the nations’ ranking of the world junior championships held in Lima,
Peru, in September. The Romanians walked away with four medals, two silver and
two bronze, from the aforementioned competition. David stepped onto the podium’s
highest step three times; after the finals of the 100 meter and 200 meter races
and after the 4×100 meter relay race. With the mixed relay race of 100 meters
he obtained the silver medal.

The
year ended with the world short course championships in Melbourne, where David
Popovici became the silver medalist in the 200 meter race, came fourth in the
100 meters and set a new junior world record.

(bill)

29 December 2022
Athlete of the week

Two members of the Romanian delegation competing in the World
Weightlifting Championships, underway in Bogota, Colombia, on Monday walked away with two
more medals for the Romania delegation. Loredana Toma won gold in the combined
total and in the snatch style, in the 71-kilogram category. In the snatch style, Loredana Toma performed a deadlift of 119 kilograms, setting the category’s new
world record. For her noteworthy feat, Radio Romania
International designated Loredana Toma the Athlete of the week.

Loredana’s set target for the competition in Bogota
was the winning of a gold medal. A many-time awardee in World and European championships,
Loredana Toma was designated the Best Athlete of the year in 2021 by the European
Weightlifting Federation. Loredana counted as the favorite athlete in the
71-kilogram category, a recently-introduced category in Olympic competitions,
between the 64 and the 76-kilogram category. Notwithstanding, expectations were
not so high regarding her performance in the snatch style. In the clean-and-jerk style, Loredana Toma came in 4th, with a deadlift of 137
kilograms. In the combined total, Loredana Toma came in 1st,
with 256 kilograms. With 253 kilograms, China’s Tiantian Zeng came in 2nd,
while Angie Palacios of Ecuador came in 3rd, with 252 kilograms. All
told, the Romanian delegation’s medal tally in Bogota in made of three medals, namely,
the two medals won by Loredana Toma and the silver medal won by Mihaela Cambei in the snatch style, in the 49-kilogram
category.

Loredana
Toma was born on May 10, 1995, in the northern Romanian town of Botosani. In
the early days of her career, Loredana won several gold medals in Juniors and
Youth European competitions. In seniors’ competitions, in 2013 and 2014, Loredana
Toma won silver in the 58-kilogram category. Between 2014 and 2016, Loredana
was banned from competition, having tested positive for stanozolol. Beginning with
the European championships in Croatia as of April 2017, Loredana Toma has
dominated the 63-kilogream category, in the snatch as well as in the clean-and-jerk
style. She confirmed her standing in the World Championships in Anaheim, the
USA, in December 2017, winning three more gold medals. In the European Championships
held in Bucharest in 2018, Loredana Toma yet again won all medals up for grabs. In
2019, at the European Championships in Batumi, Loredana Toma won three gold
medals. In the 64-kilogram category Loredana Toma won two bronze medals, in the
clean-and-jerk style and in the combined total, as part of the World Championships
in Thailand in 2019. Also in the 64-kilogram category, at the European
Championships in Moscow, in 2021, Loredana won three gold medals. The International
Weightlifting Federation imposed a one-year ban on the Romanian Federation, on account
of Romanian athletes’ violating the anti-doping regulations on a number of
occasions. Therefore, Loredana Toma could not participate in the 2021 edition
of the Tokyo Olympics, where she was a top-seed athlete in the 64-kilogram category.(EN)

13 December 2022
Athlete of the week

Two members of the Romanian delegation competing in the World
Weightlifting Championships, underway in Bogota, Colombia, on Monday walked away with two
more medals for the Romania delegation. Loredana Toma won gold in the combined
total and in the snatch style, in the 71-kilogram category. In the snatch style, Loredana Toma performed a deadlift of 119 kilograms, setting the category’s new
world record. For her noteworthy feat, Radio Romania
International designated Loredana Toma the Athlete of the week.

Loredana’s set target for the competition in Bogota
was the winning of a gold medal. A many-time awardee in World and European championships,
Loredana Toma was designated the Best Athlete of the year in 2021 by the European
Weightlifting Federation. Loredana counted as the favorite athlete in the
71-kilogram category, a recently-introduced category in Olympic competitions,
between the 64 and the 76-kilogram category. Notwithstanding, expectations were
not so high regarding her performance in the snatch style. In the clean-and-jerk style, Loredana Toma came in 4th, with a deadlift of 137
kilograms. In the combined total, Loredana Toma came in 1st,
with 256 kilograms. With 253 kilograms, China’s Tiantian Zeng came in 2nd,
while Angie Palacios of Ecuador came in 3rd, with 252 kilograms. All
told, the Romanian delegation’s medal tally in Bogota in made of three medals, namely,
the two medals won by Loredana Toma and the silver medal won by Mihaela Cambei in the snatch style, in the 49-kilogram
category.

Loredana
Toma was born on May 10, 1995, in the northern Romanian town of Botosani. In
the early days of her career, Loredana won several gold medals in Juniors and
Youth European competitions. In seniors’ competitions, in 2013 and 2014, Loredana
Toma won silver in the 58-kilogram category. Between 2014 and 2016, Loredana
was banned from competition, having tested positive for stanozolol. Beginning with
the European championships in Croatia as of April 2017, Loredana Toma has
dominated the 63-kilogream category, in the snatch as well as in the clean-and-jerk
style. She confirmed her standing in the World Championships in Anaheim, the
USA, in December 2017, winning three more gold medals. In the European Championships
held in Bucharest in 2018, Loredana Toma yet again won all medals up for grabs. In
2019, at the European Championships in Batumi, Loredana Toma won three gold
medals. In the 64-kilogram category Loredana Toma won two bronze medals, in the
clean-and-jerk style and in the combined total, as part of the World Championships
in Thailand in 2019. Also in the 64-kilogram category, at the European
Championships in Moscow, in 2021, Loredana won three gold medals. The International
Weightlifting Federation imposed a one-year ban on the Romanian Federation, on account
of Romanian athletes’ violating the anti-doping regulations on a number of
occasions. Therefore, Loredana Toma could not participate in the 2021 edition
of the Tokyo Olympics, where she was a top-seed athlete in the 64-kilogram category.(EN)

13 December 2022
Sports roundup

Romania has worn 30 medals at the World Juniors and
Youth Weightlifting Championships in Durres, Albania. 7 medals were gold, 13
silver and 10 bronze, Gold went to Under-23 Valentin Iancu, who
competed in the 55 kilogram-category. Iancu walked away with gold in the clean-and-jerk and snatch styles, and in total. In
the juniors’ competition, Mihaela Cambei, in the 49-kilogram category, won gold,
also in the clean-and-jerk and snatch styles, and overall. In the 45-kilogram
category, junior weightlifter Cosmin Isofache won gold, in total.

Rapid Bucharest women’s handball team has a no-defeat record in the Champions League. In the sixth round as part of the competition’s group stage, holders Rapid this past
Sunday grabbed a 27-25 home win against Norway’s Storhamar. With 6 goals, Rapid’s
Spanish handballer Jennifer Gutierrez Bermejo was the top scorer for her team. Rapid
are 2nd-placed in Group B, with 10 points, on a par with top-of-the-table team, Hungary’s Gyor, but with a poorer goal average. On Saturday,
December 3rd, after the European women’s handball championships,
Rapid Bucharest will play an away game against Gyor.

On Saturday,
in a Group A fixture, CSM Bucharest sustained their first defeat in the League’s
ongoing edition. In Norway, Vipers Kristiansand defeated Rapid, 35-29. Cristina
Neagu scored 10 goals for Rapid, but that was not enough for her team. With a similar number of points but with a different goal average, Germany’s Bietigheim, Kristiansand and CSM
have the lead in the group. On Sunday, December 4, CSM Bucharest will play a home game
against Ferencvaros Budapest.

Matches counting towards the Romanian Superleague in football’s
15th round, the last round of the home series, were played this past
weekend. On Friday in Bucharest, Rapid and Farul Constanța drew, 1-all. On
Saturday, Chindia Târgoviște grabbed a 3-nil away fixture against FC Voluntari
cu 3-0, while the home game FC U Craiova played against Hermannstadt, ended in
a 1-all draw. On Sunday, the match pitting CS Mioveni against FC Botoșani ended
in a blank draw, UTA Arad sustained a 1-2 home defeat by Universitatea Craiova,
and Universitatea Cluj were defeated by CFR Cluj, also 1 – 2 and also on home
turf. Farul are at the top of the table, with 34 points, followed by Rapid with
29 and CFR with 28.(EN)

.

24 October 2022
Sports roundup

Romania has worn 30 medals at the World Juniors and
Youth Weightlifting Championships in Durres, Albania. 7 medals were gold, 13
silver and 10 bronze, Gold went to Under-23 Valentin Iancu, who
competed in the 55 kilogram-category. Iancu walked away with gold in the clean-and-jerk and snatch styles, and in total. In
the juniors’ competition, Mihaela Cambei, in the 49-kilogram category, won gold,
also in the clean-and-jerk and snatch styles, and overall. In the 45-kilogram
category, junior weightlifter Cosmin Isofache won gold, in total.

Rapid Bucharest women’s handball team has a no-defeat record in the Champions League. In the sixth round as part of the competition’s group stage, holders Rapid this past
Sunday grabbed a 27-25 home win against Norway’s Storhamar. With 6 goals, Rapid’s
Spanish handballer Jennifer Gutierrez Bermejo was the top scorer for her team. Rapid
are 2nd-placed in Group B, with 10 points, on a par with top-of-the-table team, Hungary’s Gyor, but with a poorer goal average. On Saturday,
December 3rd, after the European women’s handball championships,
Rapid Bucharest will play an away game against Gyor.

On Saturday,
in a Group A fixture, CSM Bucharest sustained their first defeat in the League’s
ongoing edition. In Norway, Vipers Kristiansand defeated Rapid, 35-29. Cristina
Neagu scored 10 goals for Rapid, but that was not enough for her team. With a similar number of points but with a different goal average, Germany’s Bietigheim, Kristiansand and CSM
have the lead in the group. On Sunday, December 4, CSM Bucharest will play a home game
against Ferencvaros Budapest.

Matches counting towards the Romanian Superleague in football’s
15th round, the last round of the home series, were played this past
weekend. On Friday in Bucharest, Rapid and Farul Constanța drew, 1-all. On
Saturday, Chindia Târgoviște grabbed a 3-nil away fixture against FC Voluntari
cu 3-0, while the home game FC U Craiova played against Hermannstadt, ended in
a 1-all draw. On Sunday, the match pitting CS Mioveni against FC Botoșani ended
in a blank draw, UTA Arad sustained a 1-2 home defeat by Universitatea Craiova,
and Universitatea Cluj were defeated by CFR Cluj, also 1 – 2 and also on home
turf. Farul are at the top of the table, with 34 points, followed by Rapid with
29 and CFR with 28.(EN)

.

24 October 2022
Athlete of the Week

Romania ranked 9th at the multisport European
Championships hosted several days ago by Munich. Athletes from our country
walked away with eight gold medals, two silver and five bronze from the aforementioned
competition. Most of the medals were won by Romania’s rowers in the
competition’s first week. In the second week, hammer thrower Bianca Ghelber,
canoeist Catalin Chirila and table tennis player Bernadette Szocs reaped gold
for Romania.

Table tennis player Bernadette Szőcs, silver medalist in the
mixed doubles contest together with Ovidiu Ionescu has been designated Athlete
of the week by Radio Romania International.

Bernadette Szőcs was born on March 5th 1995 in Târgu
Mureş central Romania and took up table tennis at the age of 8. She managed to
obtain good results in European and world competitions and these results pushed
her ahead in world rankings. Because she was refused the support she needed
from the sport authorities in Romania, in 2010 Szocs considered the idea of
moving to Norway and competing under the Norwegian flag. Eventually she decided
to give up her emigration plan and in 2016 at the European Championships in
Budapest the athlete came third in the mixed doubles together with Ovidiu
Ionescu and a year later at the championships in Luxembourg she obtained her
first European title with the Romanian team.

In 2018 in Montreux, Switzerland she compelled recognition
in the European Top‑16 tournament, a competition, which brings together the
best athletes on the continent. A year later in Nantes, France, she became
European champion again with the Romanian team. She is presently ranking 32nd
in the world ranking, where in 2019 she occupied the 14th position.

(bill)

23 August 2022
Athlete of the Week

Romania ranked 9th at the multisport European
Championships hosted several days ago by Munich. Athletes from our country
walked away with eight gold medals, two silver and five bronze from the aforementioned
competition. Most of the medals were won by Romania’s rowers in the
competition’s first week. In the second week, hammer thrower Bianca Ghelber,
canoeist Catalin Chirila and table tennis player Bernadette Szocs reaped gold
for Romania.

Table tennis player Bernadette Szőcs, silver medalist in the
mixed doubles contest together with Ovidiu Ionescu has been designated Athlete
of the week by Radio Romania International.

Bernadette Szőcs was born on March 5th 1995 in Târgu
Mureş central Romania and took up table tennis at the age of 8. She managed to
obtain good results in European and world competitions and these results pushed
her ahead in world rankings. Because she was refused the support she needed
from the sport authorities in Romania, in 2010 Szocs considered the idea of
moving to Norway and competing under the Norwegian flag. Eventually she decided
to give up her emigration plan and in 2016 at the European Championships in
Budapest the athlete came third in the mixed doubles together with Ovidiu
Ionescu and a year later at the championships in Luxembourg she obtained her
first European title with the Romanian team.

In 2018 in Montreux, Switzerland she compelled recognition
in the European Top‑16 tournament, a competition, which brings together the
best athletes on the continent. A year later in Nantes, France, she became
European champion again with the Romanian team. She is presently ranking 32nd
in the world ranking, where in 2019 she occupied the 14th position.

(bill)

23 August 2022
August 21, 2022

BANK According to Central Bank forecasts the annual
inflation rate in Romania will slightly go down only in the last quarter of the
year. The bank says the annual inflation rate ceased to rise in June and is
expected to fluctuate for a while then to slightly go down for the next three
quarters. Inflation has been forecast to stay around 13.9% in December exceeding
the initial predictions of 12.5%. According to the Central Bank, inflationist
pressures are to be seriously felt in April next year, after schemes aimed at capping
electricity prices will have ended. In an attempt to keep inflation at bay, the
bank decided to raise the key interest rate from 4.47% to 5.5%.

HOLIDAY Seaside resorts on the Romanian Black Sea
coast are functioning at full capacity these days in spite of the high accommodation
prices. Prices are expected to go down next week under a yearly programme
entitled ‘Seaside for everyone’ due to kick off on August 28th.
According to representatives of the Employers Association in the Romanian
tourism, roughly 100 hotels are getting ready to accommodate tourists for
prices 75% lower than at the peak of the season.

MEDALS Romanian athlete Catalin Chirila won bronze
in the 500 meter race at the Canoe Sprint European Championships in Munich. A
world’s vice-champion in Halifax, Canada, Chirila also reaped gold in the 1000 meter
single canoe race in Munich. Another two athletes from Romania, Constantin
Popovici and Catalin Preda walked away with gold and silver from the high diving
event of the European Aquatics Championships held in Rome. Popovici made
history as the first European champion in this event with 455.70 points. Preda,
who took the lead after the first three rounds, eventually ended second with
436.20 points. Italian Alessandro De Rose came third in the aforementioned
event. Constantin’s namesake David claimed two European titles and a world
record in the pool and has been designated the best athlete in the men’s events
at the present edition of the Aquatics in Rome.

VOLLEYBALL Romania’s national men’s volleyball side
have qualified for the European Championships due next year after a 3-0 win
against Albania in their last away game in the preliminary group G. Romania
ranks first in the group with 5 wins and 15 points followed by Switzerland with
12 points, Bosnia-Herzegovina 4 points and Albania with two. The seven winning
sides of the preliminaries as well as the best five runner-ups are qualified
for the final tournament. Romania won a European title in 1963, two silver
medals in 1955 and 1958 and two bronze in 1971 and 1977. At the 2019 edition of
the European Championship our side ranked 21st.

DIPLOMACY According to the spokeswoman for the
Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, Russia will have a proper response
to Bucharest’s decision to declare persona non grata an employee of its embassy
in Romania. Zakharova says that Romania has declared the Russian employee
persona non grata ‘without any reason and under exaggerated pretexts’. The
Romanian Foreign Ministry says that a decision to expel the Russian employee
has been made because the person was involved in activities incompatible with
the Vienna Convention of 1961 concerning diplomatic relations, a generic
definition for espionage allegations.

(bill)

21 August 2022
August 20, 2022 UPDATE

Inflation — In Romania, the annual inflation rate will have minor fluctuations until the end of September and then it will take a downward path for 3 quarters, according to the National Bank of Romania – BNR. It expects the inflation rate to reach 13.9% in December. On the other hand, the BNR warns that the forecasts regarding the economic activity for next year are significantly revised downwards. According to the Central Bank, next year Romania will experience a significant drop in private consumption, under the influence of the gradual increase in interest rates on the population’s loans and deposits. The government has recently adopted the first budget rectification of 2022, a positive one, which takes into account an economic growth of 3.5%, the budget revenues for the first six months and the budget execution during this period. The Finance Minister, Adrian Caciu, claims that the budget deficit can be kept under control and that the target of 5.84% for the end of the year is achievable. The Fiscal Council, an independent body that analyzes the sustainability of fiscal and budgetary policies, warned that the rectification could lead to a figure exceeding the target deficit of 7% of GDP, because the government allegedly overestimated the receipts and underestimated part of the expenses.

Film – Romanian films were awarded prizes at the Sarajevo International Film Festival, which ended on Friday evening with the awards ceremony, the Romanian Cultural Institute – ICR reports. The animation film “Amok”, directed by Balazs Turai (Hungary, Romania, 2022), which was screened for the first time in the region, won the Heart of Sarajevo award for best short film. “My Muslim Husband”, directed by Daniel Bărnuţi and Alexandra Lizeta Bărnuţi, received the “Movies that matter” award in the CineLink Industry Days section. “Freedom”, the newest film directed by Tudor Giurgiu, producer Oana Giurgiu, received the Jury Award sponsored by Debee Studio, at the CineLink Work In Progress section. The list of winners from the CineLink section also includes producer and director Oana Giurgiu, who won the EAVE Award (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs) in the CineLink Co-Production Market Awards section. Ten Romanian cinematographic productions were presented at the 28th edition of the Sarajevo festival, organized in partnership with ICR.

Kayak — The Romanian athlete, Cătălin Chirilă, won the gold medal in the men’s canoe single 1000m final, on Saturday, at the European Kayak-Canoe Championships in Munich. Chirilă (24 years old), a world champion in this event, at the beginning of the month, in Canada, led the entire race, being followed, in the final ranking, by the Czech Martin Fuksa, and the Italian Carlo Tacchini. The latest European medal in the canoe single 1,000 m event had been won in 2011, in Belgrade, by Iosif Chirilă (silver), and the latest European title had been won by Florin Mironcic, in 2006, in Racice. Chirilă (with the CSA Steaua club) will participate, on Sunday, in the canoe single 500m final, in which he is world vice-champion in Halifax (Canada). Also on Saturday, the Romanian athlete Oleg Nuţă ranked eighth in the men’s canoe single 200m final.

Volleyball – Romanias womens national volleyball team defeated the team of Israel 3-0 on Saturday in Piatra Neamţ, in their debut match in Group A of the 2023 European Championship preliminaries. On Sunday, the other match in the group will take place between Croatia and the Faroe Islands. Romania will play the next match on August 24, in the Faroe Islands. The teams ranked on the first two positions will qualify for the final tournament.

Covid – More than 3,860 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been registered in the last 24 hours in Romania, after 16,900 tests were made, the Health Ministry announced on Saturday. 21 deaths were also reported. On the other hand, the protective mask will not be mandatory in schools and no special sanitary measures will be taken, says the prefect of Bucharest, Toni Grebla. Upon checking the stage of preparations for the beginning of the school year, the prefect explained that no additional measures have been discussed that would be imposed in educational units, in the context of the increase in the number of Covid cases. Recently, the Health Minister Alexandru Rafila said that he recommended the use of protective masks in schools, but the only additional protection measure would be the ventilation of the classrooms. (LS)

20 August 2022
August 18, 2022 UPDATE

VISIT
Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Thursday paid a visit to Prague at
the invitation of his Czech counterpart Jan Lipavsky as this country is presently
holding the EU rotating presidency. Talks focused on prospects of deepening the
bilateral political-diplomatic dialogue as well as strengthening the sectoral
cooperation in fields of mutual interest such as energy, transport, logistics,
tourism and agriculture. The two ministers also referred to the joint
objectives at European level in the wake of the Summit in Madrid and before the
upcoming NATO Foreign Ministers meeting Romania is to host in autumn. The two
sides discussed the multidimensional impact of the Russian aggression against
Ukraine. The two ministers had an exchange of opinions on the regional
security, the situation of the Ukrainian refugees and the impact on other key
issues such as food safety and energy security. Topical issues on the European
agenda were also discussed and Minister Lipavsky reiterated his country’s
staunch support for Romania’s Schengen accession.

COVID-19 On Thursday Romania’s Health
Ministry announced 55 hundred new cases of Covid-19. 35 hundred people are
presently being treated in hospitals out of whom 269 in ICUs. 24 related
fatalities have also been reported in the past 24 hours.

CHAMPION Romanian swimmer
David Popovici, gold medalist in the 100m and 200m freestyle events, was named
the best athlete in the men’s swimming events at the European Aquatics
Championships in Rome, according to the Romanian Swimming and Modern Pentathlon
Federation. In a score-based ranking, following the best performances in the
competition, David Popovici came in first in the men’s category with 1,003
points, while in the women’s category the Lithuanian Ruta Meilutyte was the
first with 985 points. David Popovici, 17, became, on Saturday, in Rome, the
world record holder in the 100 m freestyle race with 46 seconds and 86
hundredths. Later, on Monday, he also won the gold medal in the 200 m freestyle
event. With 1 minute 42 seconds and 97 hundredths, he set, also in this event,
a new world and European record.

ATHLETICS Romanian
athlete Bianca Florentina Ghelber won the gold medal in the hammer throw event,
on Wednesday, at the European Athletics Championships in Munich. Ghelber,32, who
ranked sixth at the Tokyo Olympics last year, won the final in Munich with
72.72 meters, ahead of the Polish Ewa Rozanska, 72.12 m, and the Italian Sara
Fantini, 71.58 m. Thus, Romania won the first continental gold medal in
athletics after a break of 20 years. Also in Munich, Romania secured new medals
at the individual European Table Tennis Championships, in the women’s doubles
event. Four Romanians are in the semifinals, the phase that secures the bronze
medals, so there will definitely be at least one player in the finals. Romania
has already got a silver medal at the European Table Tennis Championships in
the mixed doubles event, won by Bernadette Szocs and Ovidiu Ionescu.

(bill)

18 August 2022
Sports Roundup

For a long period of time, the Romanian sport has not seen days as rich in performances as the last weekend. The gold medals won by the swimmer David Popovici and his new world record at the continental championships in Italy somewhat overshadowed the results of the Romanian athletes who won medals in Munich, at the European Multisport Championships.

Most medals were won by the Romanian rowers, who returned home with five gold and three bronze medals, this being the best result in the history of Romanian rowing in the European competition. Gold medals were won by Ioana Vrînceanu and Denisa Tîlvescu in the womens pair and by Marius Cozmiuc and Sergiu Bejan in the mens pair. In the double scull event, the Olympic champions Ancuța Bodnar and Simona Radiș reconfirmed their supremacy. In the single scull event, the light category, Ionela Cozmiuc won gold. The last gold medals were brought by the women’s coxed eight crew, including Magdalena Rusu, Iuliana Buhuş, Ancuța Bodnar, Denisa Tîlvescu, Mădălina Bereş, Amalia Bereş, Ioana Vrînceanu, Simona Radiş, and coxswain Adrian Munteanu. Bronze medals were obtained in the women’s four, men’s four and men’s quadruple sculls.

At the European Women’s Gymnastics Championships, the juniors stood out with two gold, two silver and two bronze medals. Sabrina Voinea won the gold in the vault event, and Amalia Puflea in the floor event. Silver medals were won in the all around team and individual competitions, through Amalia Ghigoartă. Amalia Puflea won bronze in the beam final, and Sabrina Voinea also got bronze in the floor event. In the seniors competition, the best result was the 4th place taken by Ana Bărbosu, in the floor event. This week the men gymnasts will enter the competition.

At the European Table Tennis Championships Ovidiu Ionescu and Bernadette Szőcs won silver medals. The Romanian pair was very close to winning the gold, but lost the mixed doubles final to Emmanuel Lebesson/Jianan Yuan from France.

Now news from football. From Friday to Monday, matches of the fifth stage of the Romanian football Super League were played. On Friday, FCU Craiova defeated FC Argeş, away from home, 2-0. On Saturday, in Arad, UTA defeated Universitatea Cluj 2-1, and in Ploieşti, Petrolul won the traditional derby with Rapid Bucharest 1-0. On Sunday, Universitatea Craiova won 1-0 at home the match against CS Mioveni, FC Botoşani defeated CFR Cluj 1-0 away from home, and FCSB defeated Chindia Târgovişte 3-2 in Bucharest. The two games played on Monday, namely FC Voluntari with Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe and Farul Constanţa with FC Hermannstadt, ended in a draw: 0 all. FC Botoşani leads the standings, with 11 points, being followed by four teams with 9 points each: Hermannstadt, Farul, CFR and Rapid. (LS)

16 August 2022
Sports Roundup

For a long period of time, the Romanian sport has not seen days as rich in performances as the last weekend. The gold medals won by the swimmer David Popovici and his new world record at the continental championships in Italy somewhat overshadowed the results of the Romanian athletes who won medals in Munich, at the European Multisport Championships.

Most medals were won by the Romanian rowers, who returned home with five gold and three bronze medals, this being the best result in the history of Romanian rowing in the European competition. Gold medals were won by Ioana Vrînceanu and Denisa Tîlvescu in the womens pair and by Marius Cozmiuc and Sergiu Bejan in the mens pair. In the double scull event, the Olympic champions Ancuța Bodnar and Simona Radiș reconfirmed their supremacy. In the single scull event, the light category, Ionela Cozmiuc won gold. The last gold medals were brought by the women’s coxed eight crew, including Magdalena Rusu, Iuliana Buhuş, Ancuța Bodnar, Denisa Tîlvescu, Mădălina Bereş, Amalia Bereş, Ioana Vrînceanu, Simona Radiş, and coxswain Adrian Munteanu. Bronze medals were obtained in the women’s four, men’s four and men’s quadruple sculls.

At the European Women’s Gymnastics Championships, the juniors stood out with two gold, two silver and two bronze medals. Sabrina Voinea won the gold in the vault event, and Amalia Puflea in the floor event. Silver medals were won in the all around team and individual competitions, through Amalia Ghigoartă. Amalia Puflea won bronze in the beam final, and Sabrina Voinea also got bronze in the floor event. In the seniors competition, the best result was the 4th place taken by Ana Bărbosu, in the floor event. This week the men gymnasts will enter the competition.

At the European Table Tennis Championships Ovidiu Ionescu and Bernadette Szőcs won silver medals. The Romanian pair was very close to winning the gold, but lost the mixed doubles final to Emmanuel Lebesson/Jianan Yuan from France.

Now news from football. From Friday to Monday, matches of the fifth stage of the Romanian football Super League were played. On Friday, FCU Craiova defeated FC Argeş, away from home, 2-0. On Saturday, in Arad, UTA defeated Universitatea Cluj 2-1, and in Ploieşti, Petrolul won the traditional derby with Rapid Bucharest 1-0. On Sunday, Universitatea Craiova won 1-0 at home the match against CS Mioveni, FC Botoşani defeated CFR Cluj 1-0 away from home, and FCSB defeated Chindia Târgovişte 3-2 in Bucharest. The two games played on Monday, namely FC Voluntari with Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe and Farul Constanţa with FC Hermannstadt, ended in a draw: 0 all. FC Botoşani leads the standings, with 11 points, being followed by four teams with 9 points each: Hermannstadt, Farul, CFR and Rapid. (LS)

16 August 2022