Radio România Internațional

Tag: League

Sports flash

Matches
counting towards the U-21 European Football Championship’s final tournament
kick-started in Romania and Georgia this past Wednesday. In Bucharest, Romania
sustained a nil-3 defeat by Spain. Also in Bucharest, Ukraine defeated Croatia,
2-nil. In Georgia’s Tbilisi, host country
squad grabbed a 2-nil win against Portugal, while the match pitting The Netherlands
against Belgium ended in an unassuming blank draw.

Also in
news from football, the Romanian teams know who their opponents are, in the European
competitions’ preliminaries. In the Champions League’s first preliminary round,
Farul Constanta goes against Republic of Moldova title holders Sheriff
Tiraspol. Gheorghe Hagi’s trainees play the first leg on home turf in Ovidiu, on
July 11 or 12, while the return leg will be played in Chisinau, on July 18 or
19. In the Europa Conference League’s second preliminary round, FCSB and Sepsi
OSK Sfântu Gheorghe play Bulgarian teams PFC ŢSKA Sofia and FC ŢSKA 1948 Sofia,
respectively. Both legs of the tie are scheduled abroad for the Romanian
teams, on July 27, while the return legs are scheduled on August 3rd on home turf. CFR Cluj takes on Turkey’s Adana Demirspor, with the first leg of the tie
scheduled in Cluj Napoca, on July 27.

In the
Champions League in women’s handball’s next edition, two teams will represent Romania.
Apart from holders CSM Bucharest,
the vice-champion team, Rapid, also got through. We recall that in the League’s
previous edition both
CSM and Rapid reached as far as the quarterfinals, However, in the men’s
version of the League, Dinamo Bucharest’s application to play in the Champions League
was turned down. Holders Dinamo Bucharest will play in the EHF league the next
season.

As part of the European Games in Krakow, Romania’s
women’s three-ex-three basketball team is at the top of the table in Group B,
after the first two fixtures. On Wednesday, Romania defeated Austria, 17-14, and
Germany, 15-13. On Friday, Romania will play its last group match, the fixture
against Greece. The first two teams in descending order advance to the quarterfinals.

22 June 2023
RRI Sports Club

All Romanian football sides but one are currently
on holiday. The country’s national eleven is presently training for the
upcoming matches in the preliminaries of EURO 2024. The domestic season is over
now with Farul Constanta as champions. We recall the club is owned by the man
who has been considered the best Romanian footballer ever Gheorghe Hagi, who is
also the team’s headcoach.

It has been an extraordinary year for Farul,
which topped the national championship from the beginning to end. Farul’s main
challenger proved to be the Bucharest legend FCSB, formerly known as Steaua, but
the last head-to-head game went to Farul 3-2, which eventually reaped the trophy.

Farul will be next playing in the Champions
League’s preliminaries, while the runner up FCSB, CFR Cluj, the side on the
third place, and Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe, winner of Romania’s Cup are going into
qualifiers for the Conference League.

Tie matches were played for the position
currently occupied by CFR. FCU Craiova first took on FC Voluntari, which they
defeat in the penalty shootout and were eventually up against CFR Cluj in a
decisive game for Conference League. CFR eventually secured a 1-0 win the in
the injury time.

Politehnica Iaşi, Oţelul Galaţi and Dinamo
Bucureşti have joined Romania’s first football league this season. Dinamo
Bucharest played two tie matches against FC Arges. Dinamo won the first match
6-1 and lost their second 2-4. The other game for a place in the first football
division pitched UTA Arad against Gloria Buzau. UTA won on aggregate after a
goaless draw in the first match and 5-1 win in the second. CS Mioveni, Chindia
Târgovişte and FC Argeş have been demoted to the second football league.

In their qualifying matches for EURO 2024, our
footballers will first take on Kosovo in Pristina, on June 16, then fly to
Lucerne in Switzerland for a game against the local representative three days
later. After the victories in March against Andorra and Belarus our footballers
are ranking second in Group One with the same number of points as Switzerland.

(bill)

7 June 2023
RRI Sports Club

All Romanian football sides but one are currently
on holiday. The country’s national eleven is presently training for the
upcoming matches in the preliminaries of EURO 2024. The domestic season is over
now with Farul Constanta as champions. We recall the club is owned by the man
who has been considered the best Romanian footballer ever Gheorghe Hagi, who is
also the team’s headcoach.

It has been an extraordinary year for Farul,
which topped the national championship from the beginning to end. Farul’s main
challenger proved to be the Bucharest legend FCSB, formerly known as Steaua, but
the last head-to-head game went to Farul 3-2, which eventually reaped the trophy.

Farul will be next playing in the Champions
League’s preliminaries, while the runner up FCSB, CFR Cluj, the side on the
third place, and Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe, winner of Romania’s Cup are going into
qualifiers for the Conference League.

Tie matches were played for the position
currently occupied by CFR. FCU Craiova first took on FC Voluntari, which they
defeat in the penalty shootout and were eventually up against CFR Cluj in a
decisive game for Conference League. CFR eventually secured a 1-0 win the in
the injury time.

Politehnica Iaşi, Oţelul Galaţi and Dinamo
Bucureşti have joined Romania’s first football league this season. Dinamo
Bucharest played two tie matches against FC Arges. Dinamo won the first match
6-1 and lost their second 2-4. The other game for a place in the first football
division pitched UTA Arad against Gloria Buzau. UTA won on aggregate after a
goaless draw in the first match and 5-1 win in the second. CS Mioveni, Chindia
Târgovişte and FC Argeş have been demoted to the second football league.

In their qualifying matches for EURO 2024, our
footballers will first take on Kosovo in Pristina, on June 16, then fly to
Lucerne in Switzerland for a game against the local representative three days
later. After the victories in March against Andorra and Belarus our footballers
are ranking second in Group One with the same number of points as Switzerland.

(bill)

7 June 2023
Sports Roundup

The
Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea won the WTA 100 held in Reus, Spain. On
Sunday she defeated Elizabeth Mandlik (US) 6-1, 4-6, 7-6. For this achievement,
Sorana was awarded EUR 13,000 and 160 WTA points. Another performance for
Romanian tennis players last week was Gabriela Ruse’s qualifying into the
semi-finals of the doubles competition of the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid, together
with Marta Kostiuk (Ukraine). The two athletes were defeated by seeds no. 1 Jessica
Pegula / Coco Gauff (US), 7-5, 7-6 in the match for the final. Ruse and Kostiuk
received 390 WTA points.

Both teams
representing Romania at the women’s handball Champions League left the
competition after the quarter-finals. On Saturday, Rapid Bucharest lost to Vipers
Kristiansand 40 – 31 in Norway, after Vipers had already won the first leg of
the match, in Bucharest, 31-25. On Sunday, Team Esbjerg, of Denmark, beat CSM
Bucharest, 33-31, in the Romanian capital city, after a previous 32-28 win at
home. The Hungarian teams Győr and Ferencváros are the other 2 teams qualified
into the final tournament of the Champions League, scheduled for June in
Budapest.

This
weekend saw the start of the largest chess tournament hosted by Bucharest:
Superbet Chess Classic Romania. Scores of the world’s top chess players are
taking part. Romania is represented by Bogdan Deac and Richard Rapport. After 2
rounds, 3 players are top of the tables with 1.5 points: Wesley So (US), rusul Ian
Nepomniachtchi (Russia) and Richard Rapport. The tournament offers USD 350,000
in total prize money and is the first round of the 2023 Grand Chess Tour.

Matches
were played over the weekend counting for the 7th leg of the play-off
/ play-out round of the Romanian football SuperLeague. In the play-out, on
Friday FC Voluntari Mioveni 1-0, and Petrolul defeated Chindia Târgovişte, 2-1.
On Saturday, FC Botoşani drew against Universitatea Clu, 0-0, with the last two
matches, pitting Hermannstadt against FC U Craiova and FC Argeş against UTA
Arad, scheduled for Monday.

In the
play-offs, on Saturday Farul Constanţa thrashed Rapid Bucharest, 7-2, while on
Sunday CFR Cluj and Universitatea Craiova drew, 1-1. In the last match of this
leg, FCSB are facing Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe in Bucharest on Monday. Top of the
standings so far are Farul Constanta, with 46 points, followed by FCSB (40). (AMP)

8 May 2023
Sports Roundup

The
Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea won the WTA 100 held in Reus, Spain. On
Sunday she defeated Elizabeth Mandlik (US) 6-1, 4-6, 7-6. For this achievement,
Sorana was awarded EUR 13,000 and 160 WTA points. Another performance for
Romanian tennis players last week was Gabriela Ruse’s qualifying into the
semi-finals of the doubles competition of the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid, together
with Marta Kostiuk (Ukraine). The two athletes were defeated by seeds no. 1 Jessica
Pegula / Coco Gauff (US), 7-5, 7-6 in the match for the final. Ruse and Kostiuk
received 390 WTA points.

Both teams
representing Romania at the women’s handball Champions League left the
competition after the quarter-finals. On Saturday, Rapid Bucharest lost to Vipers
Kristiansand 40 – 31 in Norway, after Vipers had already won the first leg of
the match, in Bucharest, 31-25. On Sunday, Team Esbjerg, of Denmark, beat CSM
Bucharest, 33-31, in the Romanian capital city, after a previous 32-28 win at
home. The Hungarian teams Győr and Ferencváros are the other 2 teams qualified
into the final tournament of the Champions League, scheduled for June in
Budapest.

This
weekend saw the start of the largest chess tournament hosted by Bucharest:
Superbet Chess Classic Romania. Scores of the world’s top chess players are
taking part. Romania is represented by Bogdan Deac and Richard Rapport. After 2
rounds, 3 players are top of the tables with 1.5 points: Wesley So (US), rusul Ian
Nepomniachtchi (Russia) and Richard Rapport. The tournament offers USD 350,000
in total prize money and is the first round of the 2023 Grand Chess Tour.

Matches
were played over the weekend counting for the 7th leg of the play-off
/ play-out round of the Romanian football SuperLeague. In the play-out, on
Friday FC Voluntari Mioveni 1-0, and Petrolul defeated Chindia Târgovişte, 2-1.
On Saturday, FC Botoşani drew against Universitatea Clu, 0-0, with the last two
matches, pitting Hermannstadt against FC U Craiova and FC Argeş against UTA
Arad, scheduled for Monday.

In the
play-offs, on Saturday Farul Constanţa thrashed Rapid Bucharest, 7-2, while on
Sunday CFR Cluj and Universitatea Craiova drew, 1-1. In the last match of this
leg, FCSB are facing Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe in Bucharest on Monday. Top of the
standings so far are Farul Constanta, with 46 points, followed by FCSB (40). (AMP)

8 May 2023
Sports weekend

We begin with news
from wrestling. As part of the European Wrestling Championships, underway in
Zagreb, Andrea Ana on Thursday won gold in the 55-kilogram category. In the final,
Andreea Ana outclassed Hungary’s Erika Bognar, Also on
Thursday Catalina Axente walked away with bronze, in the 76-kilogram category.
In the decisive confrontation, Axente defeated Ukrainian challenger Anastasia
Osniaci. The competition draws to a close on Sunday. We recall that at the 2022
edition of the championships, held in Budapest, Romania won four medals. The
Romanian delegation’s scintillating feat was the gold medal also provided by this
year’s star competitor, Andreea Ana.
Alina Vuc and Kriszta Incze won bronze, in the 50 and the 65-kilogram category,
respectively. In the men’s version of the competition, Nicu Ojog won silver in
the Greek-Roman style, in the 87-kilogram category.

The coming weekend will see the European
Weightlifting Championships drawing to a close in Yerevan. No Romanian athlete has
remained in the competition, right now. In Yerevan, the Romanian delegation won
14 medals. In the 49-kilogram category, Mihaela Cambei, then Andreea Cotruta in
the 55-kilogram category and Loredan Toman in the 7-kilogram category won three
gold medals each, in the snatch style, the clean and jerk style, and combined.
Also in the women’s version of the competition, in the 45-kilogram category, Cosmina
Pană walked home with silver in the snatch style and combined, while in the men’s
version of the competition, in the 55-kilogram category Valentin Iancu won
silver in the clean-and-jerk style, and combined.

In the Romanian football Super League, fixtures
are scheduled at the weekend, counting towards the fifth round as part of Group
1/Group 2 stage. On Friday, Sepsi
Sfântu Gheorghe play Universitatea Craiova. On Saturday in Ovidiu, the top-of-the-table and the runner-up teams, Farul
Constanta and CFR Cluj, are pitted against each other. On Sunday, Rapid Bucharest
play a home game against FCSB.
Farul are at the top of the table, with 39 points, CFR are 2nd
placed, with 38, then coming in descending order are Craiova, with 32, Rapid,
with 28 and Sepsi with 24 points. In Group 2, on Saturday FC Hermannstadt Sibiu play a home game against FC Argeş, while FC
Botoşani play another home game against FC U Craiova. In Ploiesti on Sunday, Chindia
Târgovişte take on UTA Arad. On Monday,
Universitatea Cluj go against CS Mioveni, while FC Voluntari are pitted against
Petrolul Ploieşti. According to the Superleague’s lower-

21 April 2023
Sports weekend

We begin with news
from wrestling. As part of the European Wrestling Championships, underway in
Zagreb, Andrea Ana on Thursday won gold in the 55-kilogram category. In the final,
Andreea Ana outclassed Hungary’s Erika Bognar, Also on
Thursday Catalina Axente walked away with bronze, in the 76-kilogram category.
In the decisive confrontation, Axente defeated Ukrainian challenger Anastasia
Osniaci. The competition draws to a close on Sunday. We recall that at the 2022
edition of the championships, held in Budapest, Romania won four medals. The
Romanian delegation’s scintillating feat was the gold medal also provided by this
year’s star competitor, Andreea Ana.
Alina Vuc and Kriszta Incze won bronze, in the 50 and the 65-kilogram category,
respectively. In the men’s version of the competition, Nicu Ojog won silver in
the Greek-Roman style, in the 87-kilogram category.

The coming weekend will see the European
Weightlifting Championships drawing to a close in Yerevan. No Romanian athlete has
remained in the competition, right now. In Yerevan, the Romanian delegation won
14 medals. In the 49-kilogram category, Mihaela Cambei, then Andreea Cotruta in
the 55-kilogram category and Loredan Toman in the 7-kilogram category won three
gold medals each, in the snatch style, the clean and jerk style, and combined.
Also in the women’s version of the competition, in the 45-kilogram category, Cosmina
Pană walked home with silver in the snatch style and combined, while in the men’s
version of the competition, in the 55-kilogram category Valentin Iancu won
silver in the clean-and-jerk style, and combined.

In the Romanian football Super League, fixtures
are scheduled at the weekend, counting towards the fifth round as part of Group
1/Group 2 stage. On Friday, Sepsi
Sfântu Gheorghe play Universitatea Craiova. On Saturday in Ovidiu, the top-of-the-table and the runner-up teams, Farul
Constanta and CFR Cluj, are pitted against each other. On Sunday, Rapid Bucharest
play a home game against FCSB.
Farul are at the top of the table, with 39 points, CFR are 2nd
placed, with 38, then coming in descending order are Craiova, with 32, Rapid,
with 28 and Sepsi with 24 points. In Group 2, on Saturday FC Hermannstadt Sibiu play a home game against FC Argeş, while FC
Botoşani play another home game against FC U Craiova. In Ploiesti on Sunday, Chindia
Târgovişte take on UTA Arad. On Monday,
Universitatea Cluj go against CS Mioveni, while FC Voluntari are pitted against
Petrolul Ploieşti. According to the Superleague’s lower-

21 April 2023
Athlete of the week

Romanias handball side Rapid Bucharest achieved a top-notch performance on Sunday. Romanias defending champions have for the first time qualified for the Champions Leagues quarter finals since this major competition has taken place in the present format. Rapid won the European Champions Cup in 1964, the IHF in 1993 and the City Cup in 2000. It has presently joined the competitions first eight sides after a 30-24 win against Slovenian side Krim Ljubljana.

Rapid had to cover a five-goal difference, as the first match in Slovenia ended 29-24 to the hosts. Estavana Polman proved to be Rapids best player with 8 goals scored but according to experts the one who made the real difference was Sorina Grozav. The young player has arrested the attention of the official site of the European Handball Federation eurohandball.com, for the four goals scored in the end of the game, which titled the balance in favour of the Romanian side. For the contribution she had in the victory of her side, Radio Romania International has designated Sorina Grozav athlete of the week.

Sorina Grozav was born in Râmnicu Vâlcea, southwestern Romania on 27th May 1999, in a family of athletes. Her mother, Mariana Tîrcă, has been a local handball legend with 335 caps for the national side and no less than 2043 goals scored, which is a world record with a national side. Sorina started off on the right foot in handball as a junior in the lineup of a local highschool, which boasted a special training center at that time.

She made her debut in senior competitions at the age of 16 with Corona Brasov, an ambitious side in southern Romania. In 2021, she was borrowed by Rapid Bucharest, a team which eventually hired her for good in 2022. She won her first cap for the national handball side in 2016 during the Carpathians Trophy held in Cluj Napoca, western Romania.

(bill)

28 March 2023
Athlete of the week

Romanias handball side Rapid Bucharest achieved a top-notch performance on Sunday. Romanias defending champions have for the first time qualified for the Champions Leagues quarter finals since this major competition has taken place in the present format. Rapid won the European Champions Cup in 1964, the IHF in 1993 and the City Cup in 2000. It has presently joined the competitions first eight sides after a 30-24 win against Slovenian side Krim Ljubljana.

Rapid had to cover a five-goal difference, as the first match in Slovenia ended 29-24 to the hosts. Estavana Polman proved to be Rapids best player with 8 goals scored but according to experts the one who made the real difference was Sorina Grozav. The young player has arrested the attention of the official site of the European Handball Federation eurohandball.com, for the four goals scored in the end of the game, which titled the balance in favour of the Romanian side. For the contribution she had in the victory of her side, Radio Romania International has designated Sorina Grozav athlete of the week.

Sorina Grozav was born in Râmnicu Vâlcea, southwestern Romania on 27th May 1999, in a family of athletes. Her mother, Mariana Tîrcă, has been a local handball legend with 335 caps for the national side and no less than 2043 goals scored, which is a world record with a national side. Sorina started off on the right foot in handball as a junior in the lineup of a local highschool, which boasted a special training center at that time.

She made her debut in senior competitions at the age of 16 with Corona Brasov, an ambitious side in southern Romania. In 2021, she was borrowed by Rapid Bucharest, a team which eventually hired her for good in 2022. She won her first cap for the national handball side in 2016 during the Carpathians Trophy held in Cluj Napoca, western Romania.

(bill)

28 March 2023
Sports Flash

The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea started off on the right foot at the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami. In the first round, she defeated Fernanda Contreras Gomez, of Mexico, 7-6, 6-2. In the next round, she will take on no 4 in the world, Caroline Garcia, of France, whom she defeated last week in the Indian Wells eighth-finals, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5. Also on Wednesday, Ana Bogdan lost to the US player Robin Montgomery, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

In the first leg of the playoffs for the mens handball Champions League quarter-finals, Dinamo Bucharest played at home against the German side THW Kiel. The guests won, 41 – 28, the harshest defeat for the Romanian champions this season. The second leg is scheduled next Wednesday in Kiel. The qualifying team will be facing the French side Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals.

CSM Lugoj lost the second leg of the womens volleyball Challenge Cup final, against the Italian side Chieri. The Italians won in Timisoara on Wednesday, 3-0, the same score reported at the end of the first leg in Turin as well. CSM Lugoj was the 3rd Romanian team to reach the finals of the Challenge Cup, after CSM Bucharest, which won the trophy in 2016, and Volei Alba Blaj, which lost the final in 2021. For CSM Lugoj, this was the best season in history, the Challenge Cup final adding to their winning the Romanian Cup Winners Cup.

We wrap up today with basketball. U-BT Cluj-Napoca Wednesday lost at home to Ukraines Prometey Slobojanske, 96-87, in the last match at home in the EuroCup Group A. Irrespective of the result of the last match, against the German side Ulm, the Romanian champions will remain 9th in the group, and only the top 8 teams in each group qualify into the round of 16. (AMP)

23 March 2023
Sports Flash

The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea started off on the right foot at the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami. In the first round, she defeated Fernanda Contreras Gomez, of Mexico, 7-6, 6-2. In the next round, she will take on no 4 in the world, Caroline Garcia, of France, whom she defeated last week in the Indian Wells eighth-finals, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5. Also on Wednesday, Ana Bogdan lost to the US player Robin Montgomery, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

In the first leg of the playoffs for the mens handball Champions League quarter-finals, Dinamo Bucharest played at home against the German side THW Kiel. The guests won, 41 – 28, the harshest defeat for the Romanian champions this season. The second leg is scheduled next Wednesday in Kiel. The qualifying team will be facing the French side Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals.

CSM Lugoj lost the second leg of the womens volleyball Challenge Cup final, against the Italian side Chieri. The Italians won in Timisoara on Wednesday, 3-0, the same score reported at the end of the first leg in Turin as well. CSM Lugoj was the 3rd Romanian team to reach the finals of the Challenge Cup, after CSM Bucharest, which won the trophy in 2016, and Volei Alba Blaj, which lost the final in 2021. For CSM Lugoj, this was the best season in history, the Challenge Cup final adding to their winning the Romanian Cup Winners Cup.

We wrap up today with basketball. U-BT Cluj-Napoca Wednesday lost at home to Ukraines Prometey Slobojanske, 96-87, in the last match at home in the EuroCup Group A. Irrespective of the result of the last match, against the German side Ulm, the Romanian champions will remain 9th in the group, and only the top 8 teams in each group qualify into the round of 16. (AMP)

23 March 2023
March 19, 2023 UPDATE

VISIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis, currently
on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates, Sunday travelled to Masdar
City, a model of sustainable urban development with solutions centered around
energy efficiency and environment protection. The Romanian official was presented
solutions for transport and urban cooling and ventilation, building energy
generation and optimum usage of natural light in schools and research
institutions. The solutions tested in Masdar City may be an inspiration for
other cities increasingly interested in sustainability, including in Romania. Contributions
to these solutions come, among others, from Romanian researchers as well,
affiliated to research institutes in Masdar City, the Romanian presidency said
in a news release. President Iohannis will be in the UAE until Tuesday, at the
invitation of his counterpart, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The main
goals of the visit include strengthening the political and diplomatic dialogue
on topics of mutual interest, encouraging bilateral economic relations, which
are already on a significant positive trend, and attracting investments in the
Romanian economy through projects in fields like infrastructure, energy,
climate change, cybersecurity and food security.

REFUGEES The Romanian Border Police Inspectorate General
announced that on Saturday as many as 86,342 people entered Romania using
border checkpoints around the country. Of them, 8,510 were Ukrainian nationals.
Since February 10, 2022, two weeks before the Russian invasion of their
country, nearly 3.8 million Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania. Most of them have
travelled further on to western European countries, but around 100,000 of them
have chosen to stay in Romania, according to the authorities in Bucharest.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian diplomacy chief Bogdan Aurescu takes part on
Monday in the Foreign Affairs Council, a meeting of EU foreign ministers in
Brussels. He will also attend the joint meeting of EU foreign and defence
ministers, as well as in a conference of international donors for Turkey and
Syria, in the aftermath of the February earthquakes. The Foreign Affairs
Council will focus on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the dialogue between
Belgrade and Pristina, the situation in Tunisia and the latest developments in
Iran. Bogdan Aurescu will plead for continuing multidimensional support for Ukraine,
both at EU level and from the member states, with a focus on the quick
provision of military equipment and training for the Ukrainian army. According
to the Romanian foreign ministry, Mr. Aurescu will also support a consolidation
of the sanctions against Russia and a more efficient implementation of current
restrictions.

MILITARY Over 3,000 troops from Romania and 12 Allied and partner
states will take part in the Sea Shield 2023 multinational exercise, the most
complex event planned and spearheaded by the Romanian Navy this year. Taking
part in the event between March 20 and April 2 are forces from Albania,
Bulgaria, France, Georgia, Greece, Poland, Portugal, UK, the Netherlands, the Republic
of Moldova, Romania, the US and Turkey. The exercise contributes to promoting
Romania’s interests and initiatives at regional and international level, as
well as to enhancing inter-operability among the participating countries. Sea
Shield, a complex concept designed for the training of NATO forces, was
proposed by Romania at NATO’s summit in Warsaw in 2016, to boost security on
the Eastern flank.

HANDBALL Romania’s women’s handball champions, Rapid Bucharest, were
defeated on Sunday by Slovenia’s Krim Ljubljana, 29-24, in the first leg of the
playoffs for the Champions’ League quarter-finals. The second leg takes place
in Bucharest. This is Rapid’s first presence in the Champions’ League, and the
match against the Slovenian champions is also the team’s first march in European
competitions with the Danish manager Kim Rasmussen, who replaced Carlos Viver (Spain).
If they qualify into the quarter-finals, Rapid will be facing Kristiansand (Norway).
Romania’s vice-champions, CSM Bucharest, have already qualified into the
quarter-finals, where they will take on the winner of the playoff between the
French side Brest and the Danish team Esbjerg. (AMP)

19 March 2023
March 19, 2023

VISIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis, currently
on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates, has traveled today to Masdar
City, a model of sustainable urban development with solutions centered around
energy efficiency and environment protection. The Romanian official was presented
solutions for transport and urban cooling and ventilation, building energy
generation and optimum usage of natural light in schools and research
institutions. The solutions tested in Masdar City may be an inspiration for
other cities increasingly interested in sustainability, including in Romania. Contributions
to these solutions come, among others, from Romanian researchers as well,
affiliated to research institutes in Masdar City, the Romanian presidency said
in a news release. President Iohannis will be in the UAE until Tuesday, at the
invitation of his counterpart, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The main
goals of the visit include strengthening the political and diplomatic dialogue
on topics of mutual interest, encouraging bilateral economic relations, which
are already on a significant positive trend, and attracting investments in the
Romanian economy through projects in fields like infrastructure, energy,
climate change, cybersecurity and food security.

REFUGEES The Romanian Border Police Inspectorate General
announced that on Saturday as many as 86,342 people entered Romania using
border checkpoints around the country. Of them, 8,510 were Ukrainian nationals.
Since February 10, 2022, two weeks before the Russian invasion of their
country, nearly 3.8 million Ukrainian citizens entered Romania. Most of them have travelled
further on to western European countries, but around 100,000 of them have
chosen to stay in Romania, according to the authorities in Bucharest.

CHILDREN Border police prevented over 5,300 Romanian
underage nationals from crossing the border out of the country in 2022, because
their parents or the adults accompanying them were unable to produce the
documents required for taking minors out of the country. The interior ministry
announced on Sunday that the number is twice as big as in the previous year. Also,
since the beginning of 2023, more than 800 Romanian minors have been stopped at
the border because they lacked valid travel documents, the accompanying parent
lacked the consent of the other parent or because the adults accompanying them,
other than their parents, failed to present clear criminal records. Under the
law, underage Romanian nationals can only leave the country based on a valid
travel document, passport or identity card, provided that they are accompanied
by an adult and have the consent of their parents.

RUGBY Romania’s
national rugby team takes on Spain today in a match for the 3rd
place in Rugby Europe Championship 2023, the second-tier European competition
after Six Nations. The match is played in Badajoz, Spain. The competition final,
pitting Georgia against Portugal, is played tonight as well. In August Romania’s
rugby team is scheduled to play test matches against Georgia and Italy, ahead
of the World Cup in France, organised between September 8 and October 28. Romania will play in Group B, alongside Ireland, South Africa,
Scotland and Tonga.

HANDBALL Romania’s women’s handball champions, Rapid Bucharest, are
playing today away from home against Slovenia’s Krim Ljubljana, in the first
leg of the playoffs for the Champions’ League quarter-finals. The second leg
takes place in Bucharest. This is Rapid’s first presence in the Champions’
League, and the match against the Slovenian champions is also the team’s first
march in European competitions with the Danish manager Kim Rasmussen, who
replaced Carlos Viver (Spain). 150 Romanian fans will attend the game. If they
qualify into the quarter-finals, Rapid will be facing Kristiansand (Norway). Romania’s
vice-champions, CSM Bucharest, have already qualified into the quarter-finals,
where they will take on the winner of the playoff between the French side Brest
and the Danish team Esbjerg. (AMP)

19 March 2023
February 23, 2023

MOLDOVA The president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia
Sandu, is in Bucharest today for a working visit. According
to the Presidency, political talks between
presidents Klaus Iohannis and Maia Sandu are part of the comprehensive and
close cooperation at bilateral and European level, and confirm Romania’s clear
and firm support for Moldova and its resilience. Projects of shared strategic
interest will be discussed, concerning fields like energy, transportation, healthcare,
education and IT&C, with a focus on initiatives designed to connect Moldova
with the EU, to the benefit of its citizens. The 2 officials will also discuss
the progress of Moldova’s EU accession efforts and Bucharest’s support in this
respect, and will exchange opinions on security challenges and ways to mitigate
the economic, social and humanitarian effects of Russia’s aggression in
Ukraine. In Bucharest, Maia Sandu will also have meetings with PM Nicolae Ciucă
and the Chamber of Deputies speaker, Marcel Ciolacu.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian
foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu is taking part today and on Friday in the
events organized by the United Nations to mark 1 year since the start of Russia’s
war of aggression against Ukraine. Today he is scheduled to speak at the 11th
special emergency session of the UN General Assembly, convened in order to
adopt a resolution aimed at restoring comprehensive, just and lasting peace in
Ukraine. Romania is a co-sponsor of the resolution. On Friday, the
Romanian foreign minister will speak at a minister round-table of the UN
Security Council, with Ukraine again in the focus of attention. The
Romanian official will present Bucharest’s efforts to support the over 3.6 million
Ukrainian refugees who have crossed into Romania and to facilitate the transit
of nearly 13 million tonnes of grains from Ukraine. He will also reiterate
Romania’s firm support for the integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and his
country’s commitment to an active contribution to international peace and
security.

TRAVEL Over 151 companies from several countries are
taking part in the spring edition of the Romanian Tourism Fair that begins in
Bucharest today, offering up to 50% discounts on holiday packages and special
promotions for luxury destinations. The event promotes the most interesting and
profitable tourist offers in Romania and abroad. The 10 participating countries
include Bulgaria, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Turkey
and Hungary.

EARTHQUAKE A new earthquake measuring 3.9 in magnitude was reported in
Gorj County, south-western Romania on Wednesday night, according to the National
Physics of the Earth Research and Development Institute. On February 13, a 5.2
tremor was reported in the same area, followed the next day by a 5.7 earthquake.
Seismologists announced that over 800 aftershocks followed the quake on
February 13, but their number and magnitude declined in the following period. The
region of Oltenia is known for a weak to moderate seismic activity, with very
rare events over 5 on the magnitude scale.

FOOTBALL CFR Cluj, the only Romanian team still playing
in the European competitions, takes on Lazio Rome today on home turf in the play-offs
for the Conference League eighth-finals. A week ago, in the first leg, the Romanian side lost 0-1, after
a modest match in spite of their opponents being one player down for 75 minutes.
Last season the Romanian champions left Conference
League in the group stage, whereas Lazio reached the eighth-finals of Europa
League. (AMP)

23 February 2023
Athlete of the week

Only one Romanian football team in the
ongoing competition season, early into 2023, has advanced to the European Cups’
upcoming stages. In the autumn of 2022, CFR Cluj qualified to the playoffs as
part of the European Conference League’s round of 16, ranking 2nd in
the competition’s Group G. In Rome last week, holders CFR competed for a place
in this year’s round of 16. CFR Cluj sustained a defeat by the narrowest of
margins in their away game against Lazio, ni-1. In two days’ time, the match deciding
the qualification in the League’s round of 16 will be played in Cluj. However,
we made mention of the match in Rome since it provided a record: CFR’s captain,
Mario Camora, is the footballer boasting most caps in the European Cups for a
Romanian squad. For this very reason, Radio Romania International has
designated CFR’s Portuguese-born left-back Mario Camora the Athlete of the week.

Up until the ongoing season, Marius Lacatus
was the footballer with most caps in European cups. We recall Marius Lacatus was
one of the stars of Steaua Bucharest, a team that saw its heyday in the 20th
century’s 1980s. Over 1984 and 1999, Lacatus played 72 matches in the European Champions
Cup, The Cup Winners’ Cup and the UEFA Cup. With Steaua Bucharest, in 1986 Lacătus won
the European Champions Cup, an unparalleled performance in Romanian
football. This past Thursday in Rome, Mario Camora played his 73rd
match in European competitions. Camora’s first such game was played on August 1st,
2012, when CFR Cluj defeated Slovan Liberec 1-nil, in a fixture counting
towards the Champions League’s 3rd preliminary round.

Mario Camora was born
on September 21, 1986, in Portugal. He made his debut as an amateur footballer,
then in 2006, he turned pro, being signed up by second-tier team Beira-Mar. Mario
arrived in Romania in 2011, playing for CFR Cluj. Seven years later, on April
17, 2018, he broke the caps record for CFR, until
then held by another Portuguese, Cadú. In 2020, Mario Camora was granted
Romanian citizenship. Also in 2020, on October 8, he made his debut with the
national team, setting a new record. Being 37 years and 17 days old, Mario
Camora became Romanian national squad’s oldest first-time footballer. (EN)

21 February 2023