Radio România Internațional

Tag: OLympics

August 6, 2021

COVID-19 In Romania, the number of new SARS-CoV-2 infection cases remains high, over 200 per day. On Friday 230 new cases and 5 deaths were reported. Over 500 patients are hospitalized, 68 of them in intensive care. As regards the vaccine rollout, the number of fully vaccinated people went over 4.9 million on Thursday. According to a report by the National Public Health Institute, over 80% of the people diagnosed with the disease last week were not vaccinated. Data also indicates that over 85% of the COVID-related deaths were reported among unvaccinated or partly vaccinated patients. On Thursday, the government extended the state of alert by another 30 days.

WILDFIRES Several European countries are responding to Greeces call for help under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. One of them is Romania, which is sending today over 100 fire-fighters and scores of fire engines. The hundreds of fires in Greece and Turkey have affected the air quality in the east of the Mediterranean, as smoke carrying fine particles has spread as far as to northern Africa. Adding to this is the high concentration of African dust over Greece, which also reduces air quality. The Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis said his country was experiencing an unprecedented environmental crisis. He added that if anyone still has the slightest doubt that climate change is real, they should come to Greece to see its severity first hand. Over 150 wildfires have been reported in Greece so far, and one of them is threatening Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic Games, where the Olympic flame is lit in modern times.

MOLDOVA In the R. of Moldovas capital city Chişinău, Parliament convenes today in a special session to vote on the new pro-European government. The prime minister designate, Natalia Gavriliţă, and the 13 members of her cabinet, presented a governing programme focused on the reform of the judiciary and the fight against corruption, as well as on improving citizens living standards. The new government also aims to strengthen the strategic partnership with Romania, so as to ensure Moldovas EU accession. The vote is expected to be unproblematic, as the Action and Solidarity Party, which backs the new government, has 64 seats in Parliament, and only 51 votes are required for the cabinet to be endorsed. Natalia Gavrilița was designated for the PM post by president Maia Sandu, under a presidential order issued on July 30, after consultations with the parliamentary parties.

NUCLEAR Romania and Canada Thursday signed a Memorandum of Agreement on strengthening cooperation in the civilian nuclear power field. The document was signed by Romanias minister for energy Virgil Popescu and Canada’s ambassador to Romania Annick Goulet. Attending the event, PM Florin Cîţu said the memorandum would consolidate bilateral cooperation in the field, as the Canadian partners would be involved in the Cernavoda nuclear power plant projects and in other civilian nuclear power ventures in Romania. The Canadian industry has exceptional experience in CANDU projects and has already completed CANDU upgrade and construction projects, the PM added, and voiced his satisfaction that Canadian partners are joining the US ones in developing the nuclear sector in Romania. In turn, Ambassador Annick Goulet emphasised that cooperation in the nuclear power field has been a vital element of the 55-year long relations between the 2 countries.

FESTIVAL One of the most eagerly awaited summer festivals in Romania, Electric Castle, begins today and is scheduled to end on August 15. The opening gigs are taking place at Banffy Castle in Bonţida, and others will follow in the city of Cluj Napoca in the coming days. After a difficult period for festival goers, things are returning to normal. According to the organisers, hundreds of volunteers are helping in this years edition, as they did in previous years as well. Taking part in the 10-day event held in over 20 locations in Bonţida and Cluj are 250 artists from 23 countries.

OLYMPICS The Romanian Cătălin Chirilă has today qualified into the semifinals of the 1,000m canoeing race in the Tokyo Olympics, after winning the first of the 5 qualifying series held at the Sea Forest Waterway base. The semi-finals are scheduled for Saturday. Over the years, kayak and canoeing have brought Romania 34 Olympic medals. The last gold medal was won by Florin Popescu, currently the coach of Romanias Olympic canoeing team, and Mitică Pricop, 21 years ago in Sydney. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

6 August 2021
August 5, 2021 UPDATE

Covid-19 Romania.
Secretary of state with the Romanian Interior Ministry, Raed Arafat, reiterated
the need for the population to get the Covid vaccine and keep wearing facemasks to
reduce the risk of infection with the novel coronavirus. In an interview on Radio
Romania, he explained that there is a real threat of daily cases rising, but that
everyone can help contain the spread of the virus. He pointed out that no further
restrictions are being considered, but that if Romania passes 2 cases per 1,000
inhabitants, the rules in force before August 1 would be re-instated, and if it
passes 3 cases per 1,000 inhabitants, then measures will be further tightened.
Meanwhile, the number of new cases is growing. 244 new infections from 28,000
tests and two deaths were reported on Thursday. 72 Covid patients are receiving
intensive care treatment. Romania was moved to the green list of countries for
entering the UK, which means travellers from Romania will no longer have to
isolate, whether they are vaccinated or not. However, they must still present a
negative PCR test taken before entering the UK and take another test two days after arrival.
The measure will come into effect on Sunday.

Government.
The government approved in a meeting on Thursday the
extension of the state of alert in Romania for a further thirty days from 11th
August. According to prime minister Florin Cîţu, this will not be accompanied by new restrictions. Also
on Thursday, the
government approved a decision to donate Covid vaccine to Tunisia, Egypt,
Albania and Vietnam, said prime minister Florin Cîţu.
He said Romania will also provide assistance to Greece to help extinguish its
wildfires, by deploying a team of firefighters.

Exercise. More than 350 army divers from Romania, Azerbaijan,
Bulgaria, Georgia, the US and Ukraine are participating in a multinational
training exercise off the Romanian Black Sea Coast. The Eurasian Partnership
MCM Dive exercise, which will last 4 days, is led by the Romanian Navy’s 39 Diving
Centre. The Romanian Navy also participates in the drill with the Vice Admiral
Constantin Bălescu minesweeper, the Captain Commander Alexandru Cătuneanu
Hydrographic Survey Vessel and with an autonomous underwater vehicle. Ukraine
participates with the Oleksandr Okhrimenko salvage ship. The exercise is
designed to improve operational and tactical interoperability among the
participating units.

Fires.
The heat wave persists in several European countries, which have been fighting
vegetation fires for a number of days. The authorities are on alert in Greece,
where flames threatened the capital Athens on Wednesday. In Turkey, the damage
is huge, and a thermal plant threatened by flames has been evacuated. Forest
fires are also spreading in Bulgaria, where two forest rangers have died and a
third has been injured. Italy, Albania and North Macedonia are also struggling with wildfires. The European Commission promised to send planes, helicopters and
firefighters to Italy, Greece, Albania and North Macedonia to help these
countries fight the fires.

Olympics. Five
Romanian wrestlers are competing in the Tokyo Olympics: Alin
Alexuc-Ciurariu in Greco-Roman wrestling and four wrestlers in freestyle: Alina
Vuc, Andreea Beatrice Ana, Kriszta Tunde Incze and Albert Saritov, who won a
bronze medal at the Rio Games. First-time Olympian Andreea Beatrice Ana was
defeated today by two-time world champion and European champion Vanesa Kaladzinskaya
of Belarus by technical superiority. Romania so far won four medals at the Tokyo
Games, one gold and three silver. (CM)

5 August 2021
August 3, 2021 UPDATE

Budget. In Bucharest, the Liberal PM
Florin Cîţu announced a first draft of the state budget adjustment
bill is ready and will be forwarded soon to the leaders of the right-of-centre
ruling coalition. The prime minister also said he was still waiting for all
ministers to report on the budget execution for the first half of the year, and
called for more responsibility in public spending in the next 6 months. In an
internet post, Cîţu reminded his cabinet members that they must reach all the
budget targets undertaken at the beginning of this year.

Attack. The
European Union and NATO firmly condemned last Thursday’s drone attack off the
coast of Oman on an oil tanker managed by an Israeli billionaire in which two
crew members were killed, one Romanian and one British national. NATO warned
that freedom of navigation is essential for allies and must be respected in
keeping with international law. According to the Alliance, the UK, the US and
Romania reached the conclusion that Iran is most likely responsible for the
attack, and the allies are worried about Tehran’s destabilising actions in the
region. Iran rejected the accusations and said it will not hesitate to defend
its security and national interests. Israel described the incident as a clear
violation of international law. In Bucharest, the foreign ministry also
condemned the attack and summoned the Iranian ambassador in Bucharest. A similar
measure was taken in London, where prime minister Boris Johnson said Iran must
face up to the consequences. The government in Tehran summoned the chargé d’affaires of the British and Romanian embassies to protest against the
accusations against Iran.

COVID-19. Tuesday saw 233 new Covid cases in Romania, the highest number in the last two months. Over 400 Covid patients are receiving hospital treatment, including 60 in intensive care. Five COVID-related deaths were also reported on Tuesday. The number of new coronavirus cases is growing across Europe, while in Romania containment measures are more relaxed than in other countries, state secretary Raed Arafat said. Despite this, he said, Romanians are still failing to observe the restrictions and many have given up wearing face masks on public transport. In spite of repeated warnings of an imminent new wave of infections, the vaccine rollout is also lagging behind in Romania, where 5 million people have received at least one dose, a target set for early June but which was only met a few days ago.

Vaccination. The European Union has reached a major goal of providing at least one dose of the Covid vaccine to 70% of the adults in the Union, but member states must step up vaccination rates in order to contain the faster-spreading variants, the European Commission chief warned on Tuesday. Ursula von der Leyen said that, apart from the first dose target being met, 57% of EU adults are now fully vaccinated against Covid. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 68% of the adults in the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland have received their first dose, whereas 53.7% of the approximately 400 million adults in the 31 countries are fully vaccinated.

Wildfires. Efforts are being ramped up to put out the wildfires
raging in several Balkan countries. The fire is still blazing in many areas,
owing to strong winds and high temperatures. Greece is faced with its highest
temperatures in the last 30 years, with highs of 40 to 45 degrees Celsius. The
Greek authorities took a series of measures to extinguish the wildfires and in
Turkey, the fire fighting services, which have been struggling to contain the
fire for almost a week, said there are still active fires. They received help from
fire fighters from Spain, Croatia and Russia. The heat wave has also affected
southern Bulgaria and Serbia, where hundreds of hectares of forest have caught
fire. The authorities are on alert, given that high temperatures are also
expected in the next few days.

Recovery. The European Commission has made the
first payments under the European Recovery and Resilience Plan to Belgium,
Luxembourg and Portugal, worth in total almost 3 billion euros. These are the
first countries to receive 13% of the promised funds as part of a massive EU recovery
scheme worth 800 billion euros and aimed at overcoming the consequences of the
Covid-19 pandemic. The European Commission will this month make further
payments to other countries as soon as the latter finalise their national
plans. All states, with the exception of The Netherlands and Bulgaria have
submitted their plans. The Commission has so far given the green light to 16
countries, namely Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy,
Latvia, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Lithuania and
Slovenia. The plans submitted by 7 states, including Romania, are still under
assessment.

Unemployment. The unemployment rate at the end
of June in Romania was 3% lower than in the previous month and equal to that in
June last year, according to the national employment agency. Some 260,000
Romanians were out of job at the end of June, a third of them from urban areas
and the rest from the countryside.

Olympics. Bronze
medallists at the Canoe Sprint European Championship in Poznan this year, the
Romanian rowers Cătălin Chirilă and Victor Mihalachi on Tuesday finished in
fifth place in the final of the men’s canoe double 1,000 m at the Tokyo
Olympics. Victor Mihalachi has two world championship titles in this event,
which he won in 2010 and 2014. Also at the Tokyo Games, Romanian gymnast Larisa Iordache missed the beam final because
of an ankle injury. Romania so far won four medals in Tokyo, including one gold
and three silver. (CM)

3 August 2021
August 2, 2021 UPDATE

COVID-19. The
number of new Covid-19 cases in Romania is growing. Last week, the total number
of infections was almost two thirds higher than in the previous week. On Monday,
137 new cases were reported from 12,600 tests. The number of coronavirus
patients in hospitals stays at over 400, with the number of patients in intensive
care also slightly on the rise in recent days. Five new COVID-related deaths were
also reported. In spite of the warnings regarding an imminent new wave of
infections, the vaccination rate dropped slightly last week. Romania has only
now managed to get 5 million people vaccinated, a target originally set for
early June.

Attack. Romania
firmly condemns and describes as utterly unacceptable last Thursday’s drone
attack on the Mercer Street oil tanker off the coast of Oman, which killed 2
people, including the ship’s Romanian captain, the foreign ministry says in a
news release. According to the ministry, in light of information presented by
Romania’s international partners indicating that the attack was deliberate and
was coordinated from Iran, Romania is requesting the Iranian authorities to
provide explanations regarding the incident. Iran’s ambassador to Bucharest was
invited at the ministry to this end. Meanwhile, the US and UK announced they
were joining Israel and preparing a quick and coordinated response. Britain
also summoned Iran’s ambassador in London to the Foreign Office. Tehran however denies the
accusations, which it dismisses as ungrounded.

Roma Holocaust. The 2nd
of August is Roma Holocaust Memorial Day in Romania, marked since 2020. The
Romanian Foreign Ministry pays tribute to the Roma Holocaust victims and
emphasises that the suffering of the Roma in Nazi concentration camps during WWII
was for a long time unknown to the general public, which helped propagate
prejudice against this community. According to the final report of the
International Committee Studying the Holocaust in Romania, around 11,000 Roma
ethnics died, out of the nearly 25,000 deported in Transdniester, a
Russian-speaking breakaway region in today’s Republic of Moldova. Also, on 2
August 1944, around 3,000 Roma were killed in the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. A
total of 500,000 ethnic Roma were killed in Europe during the Holocaust.

Tourism. Romania saw 805,000 tourist arrivals in June 2021, up 141% compared to
June last year, with foreign visitors accounting for 8.7% of that number. According to the National Institute for Statistics 81% of the foreign tourists
who visited Romania were from Europe, the majority of whom (71%) from the
European Union. The average stay in the first six months of the year was 2-3
days in the case of foreign visitors.

Olympics. The Romanian
rowers Cătălin Chirilă and Victor Mihalachi on Monday qualified into the
semi-finals of the men’s canoe double 1,000 m at the Tokyo Olympics, after
coming in third in the quarter-finals. Cătălin Chirilă and Victor Mihalachi won
the bronze medal at this year’s European Championships in Poznan, while
Mihalachi also won two 2 world championship titles in this event in 2010 and 2014. In
the history of Olympic Games,
Romania has 34 kayaking and canoeing medals, including 10 gold, 10 silver and
14 bronze. However, the last time a Romanian rower won an Olympic medal was 21
years ago at the Sydney Games. (CM)

2 August 2021
August 2, 2021

COVID-19 The number of new Covid-19
cases in Romania is growing. Last week, the total number of infections was almost two-thirds higher
than in the previous week. On Monday 137 new cases were reported out of 12,600
tests. The number of coronavirus patients in hospitals stays at over 400, with
the number of patients in ICUs also slightly on the rise in recent days. Five
new COVID-related deaths have also been reported. In spite of the warnings
regarding an imminent new wave of infections, the vaccination rate dropped
slightly last week. Romania has only now managed to get 5 million people vaccinated,
a target originally set for early June.

ATTACK Romania firmly condemns and describes as utterly unacceptable last Thursdays drone attack on the oil tanker Mercer Street off the coast of Oman, which killed 2 people, including the ships Romanian captain, the foreign ministry says in a news release. According to the ministry, given that information presented by Romanias international partners indicates that the attack was deliberate and was coordinated from Iran, Romania requests the Iranian authorities to provide explanations regarding the incident. Irans ambassador to Bucharest was invited to an emergency discussion at the ministry. Meanwhile, the US and UK announced they were joining Israel and preparing a quick and coordinated response. Tehran in turn denies the accusations, which it dismisses as ungrounded.

COMMEMORATION The 2nd of August is National Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day in Romania, marked since 2020. The Romanian Foreign Ministry pays tribute to the Roma Holocaust victims and emphasizes that the suffering of the Roma in Nazi concentration camps during WWII was for a long time unknown to the general public, which helped propagate prejudice against this community. According to the final report of the International Committee Studying the Holocaust in Romania, around 11,000 Roma ethnics died, out of the nearly 25,000 deported in Transdniester, a Russian-speaking breakaway region in todays Republic of Moldova. Also, on 2 August 1944, around 3,000 Roma were killed in the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. A total of 500,000 ethnic Roma were killed in Europe during the Holocaust.

WILDFIRES Entire sections of Mediterranean and Aegean Sea resorts are being evacuated and thousands of hectares of vegetation are burning in the south of Europe, from Italy to Turkey. Firefighters have been struggling to contain the wildfires for nearly a week, but temperatures of over 42 degrees Celsius and strong wind are making the intervention particularly difficult. Eight people died in Turkey, where an entire neighbourhood in the high-end resort of Bodrum has been evacuated. In Greece as well, the north-west of the Peloponnese peninsula, near the town of Patras, is in the grips of wildfires, and so are the regions Sicily, Puglia, Calabria, Lazio and Campania in Italy.

CANOE The Romanians Cătălin Chirilă and Victor Mihalachi have today qualified into the semi-finals of the canoeing 1,000m doubles race at the Tokyo Olympics, after coming in third in the quarter-finals. Cătălin Chirilă and Victor Mihalachi won the bronze medal in this years European Championships in Poznan, while Mihalachi also won 2 world championships in this event, in 2010 and 2014. Over the years, kayaking and canoeing have brought Romania 34 Olympic medals, 10 of them gold, 10 silver and 14 bronze. However, Romanian athletes last won an Olympic medal in Sydney, 21 years ago. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

2 August 2021
August 1, 2021 UPDATE

DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu Saturday had talks over the telephone with his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid, concerning the incident involving the Mercer Street vessel in the Hormuz Strait area, in which a Romanian and a British national were killed on 29 July. The Romanian foreign ministry says it is in touch with both the company managing the ship, and with the local authorities in Oman and the United Arab Emirates, and is prepared to provide consular assistance. Also on Saturday, Bogdan Aurescu exchanged views on the matter with the UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab, and agreed on the need to clarify as soon as possible the circumstances of the incident. Dominic Raab voiced the willingness of the British authorities to coordinate with the Romanian party with respect to the repatriation procedures. A Romanian national and a British citizen from the crew of the oil tanker “Mercer Street were killed in an attack in unclear circumstances, as the vessel was sailing with no cargo onboard off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea. The Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned ship is managed by the London-based company Zodiac Maritime, headed by an Israeli businessman.

COVID-19 On Sunday 152 new SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported, out of nearly 22,000 tests. The authorities also announced no new COVID-related deaths, but reported 5 previous deaths, over 400 people hospitalised and 59 patients in ICUs. Meanwhile, new COVID-19 relaxation measures took effect in Romania on Sunday. In places with infection rates below 2 per thousand, outdoor events may be attended by up to 75,000 people, private indoor events by 400 participants, and sports competitions may be held with crowds up to 75% of the venue capacity. Participants must be vaccinated, tested or must have recovered from the disease. A maximum of 500 people may take part in rallies, with mandatory face covering, which remains a prerequisite in all indoor or busy areas. Also as of Sunday, the COVID-19 vaccine platform allows appointments for youth aged 12 to 17. Over 5 million people have received at least one dose of anti-coronavirus vaccine in Romania. 7,330 people have got the vaccine in the past 24 hours.

FESTIVAL Cancelled last year due to the COVID pandemic, the Medieval Sighişoara Festival, the longest-lasting festival of its kind in Romania, bringing together artists, craftsmen and a large number of guests, came to a close on Sunday with a concert by the Romanian band Phoenix. The only medieval citadel still inhabited in southeastern Europe, Sighişoara saw over the weekend warriors, knights, ladies of the court and master craftsmen pouring in from all corners of the country and from abroad.

MOUNTAIN RESCUE The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis posted a message on Sunday, on National Mountain Rescue Day, praising the “dedication and self-sacrifice of mountain rescue workers. The Romanian Mountain Rescue Association, known as Salvamont, the only mountain rescue service in the country, celebrated on Sunday 117 years since the first mountain rescue structures were established in the country.

WEATHER Romania remains in the grip of a severe heat wave, with 16 counties and the capital Bucharest subject to code orange alerts for extreme heat and severe thermal discomfort valid on Monday, and a similar, code yellow alert in another 8 counties. The heat index is over the critical 80-unit threshold. Highs will be ranging between 37 and 40-41 degrees Celsius.

MOLDOVA A new, pro-European and pro-reform government may be sworn in within days in the Republic of Moldova, after president Maia Sandu nominated Natalia Gavriliţă, from Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), for prime minister. She announced she would make public a proposed cabinet list in the following days, and voiced hopes that the new government will be sworn in as soon as possible. PAS, which holds a majority of seats in Parliament following the election of June 11, and the small party ŞOR, said they would support the new cabinet, whereas the Socialists and Communists warned they would vote against. Natalia Gavriliţă is the vice-president of PAS, a party founded by incumbent president Maia Sandu 5 years ago. She was an education minister in Maia Sandus cabinet in 2019, held several positions in Moldovas economy and education ministries, and worked for several years in private multinational companies.

OLYMPICS Romanias rowing team returned on Sunday to the country with 3 medals—a gold and 2 silver—from the Tokyo Olympics. Romania finished the rowing competition on 4th place in the ranking after New Zealand (3 gold, 2 silver), Australia (2 gold, 2 bronze) and the Netherlands (1 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze). The 3 medals won by the Romanian team coached by the Antonio Colamonici (Italy) were brought home by Ancuţa Bondar and Simona Radiş—gold in women’s double sculls; Mihăiţă Ţigănescu, Mugurel Semciuc, Ştefan Berariu and Cosmin Pascari—silver in mens coxless four; and Marius Cozmiuc and Ciprian Tudosă—silver in mens two-frame event. The overall medal count for the Romanian rowers in the Olympics is 20 gold, 12 silver and 9 bronze medals. So far in Tokyo Romania has won one other medal, silver for Ana-Maria Popescu in the epee event. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

1 August 2021
August 1, 2021

DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu Saturday had talks over the telephone with his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid, concerning the incident involving the Mercer Street vessel in the Hormuz Strait area, in which the Romanian national capital and a British national were killed. With respect to the July 29 incident, the Romanian foreign ministry says it is in touch with both the company managing the ship, and with the local authorities in Oman and the United Arab Emirates, and is prepared to provide consular assistance. Also on Saturday, Bogdan Aurescu exchanged views on the matter with the UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab, and agreed on the need to clarify as soon as possible the circumstances of the incident. Dominic Raab voiced the willingness of the British authorities to coordinate with the Romanian party with respect to the repatriation procedures. A Romanian national and a British citizen from the crew of the oil tanker “Mercer Street were killed in an attack in unclear circumstances, as the vessel was sailing with no cargo onboard off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea. The Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned ship is managed by the London-based company Zodiac Maritime, headed by an Israeli businessman.

COVID-19 On Sunday 152 new SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported, out of nearly 22,000 tests. The authorities also announced no new COVID-related deaths, but reported 5 previous deaths, over 400 people hospitalised and 59 patients in ICUs. Meanwhile, new COVID-19 relaxation measures take effect in Romania today. In places with infection rates below 2 per thousand, outdoor events may be attended by up to 75,000 people, private indoor events by 400 participants, and sports competitions may be held with crowds up to 75% of the venue capacity. Participants must be vaccinated, tested or must have recovered from the disease. A maximum of 500 people may take part in rallies, with mandatory face covering, which remains a prerequisite in all indoor or busy areas. Also as of Sunday, the COVID-19 vaccine platform allows appointments for youth aged 12 to 17, with Modernas Spikevax. Over 5 million people have received at least one dose of anti-coronavirus vaccine in Romania.

FESTIVAL Cancelled last year due to the COVID pandemic, the Medieval Sighişoara Festival, the longest-lasting festival of its kind in Romania, bringing together artists, craftsmen and a large number of guests, comes to a close today with a concert by the Romanian band Phoenix. The only medieval citadel still inhabited in southeastern Europe, Sighişoara has seen this weekend warriors, knights, ladies of the court and master craftsmen pouring in from all corners of the country and from abroad. The medieval play The Farce of Master Pathelin was premiered, stage directed by our colleague from RRIs Aromanian Service, Toma Enache, who is also the festival’s stage director. Entry was free of charge, face masks were mandatory and only vaccinated people or those presenting a negative PCR test for COVID-19 were allowed to attend the performances.

MOUNTAIN RESCUE The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis sent a message today, on National Mountain Rescue Day, praising the “dedication and self-sacrifice of mountain rescue workers. The Romanian Mountain Rescue Association, known as Salvamont, the only mountain rescue service in the country, celebrates today 117 years since the first mountain rescue structures were established in the country. The association is celebrated every year on the 1st of August, the most difficult month of the year for mountain rescue workers, when the largest number of incidents are reported.

WEATHER Romania remains in the grip of a severe heat wave, with most of the country and the capital Bucharest subject to code orange and code yellow alerts for extreme heat and thermal discomfort today. The heat index is over the critical 80-unit threshold. Highs are ranging between 31 and 40 degrees Celsius.

OLYMPICS Romania has today qualified into the quarter-finals of the Olympic womens table tennis competition, after defeating Egypt 3-0, at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Romanias womens table tennis team takes part for the 3rd time in an Olympic competition, after ranking 7th in Beijing 2008 and 9th in Rio 2016. Romania’s first participation in the event was in Barcelona 1992, and the Romanian athletes have not missed any Olympic Games ever since. In the 2012 Olympics in London, Adrian Crişan played the quarter-finals, the best Olympic performance for Romania in this sport to date. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

1 August 2021
July 29, 2021

EXTREME WEATHER Meteorologists have issued a code orange alert against storms and hailstorms, valid on Thursday in the eastern part of the country. Strong wind, hail and thunderstorms are expected, with rainfalls between 25 and 40 litres per square metre. A code yellow alert against unstable weather is also in place on Thursday in the centre, north and south of the country, while a code orange alert against extreme heat and thermal discomfort is in place until Sunday in seven counties in the south and the capital Bucharest. Heavy storms hit several towns and villages on Wednesday, including the capital city Bucharest. The wind brought down trees, damaging cars and leaving many houses without roofs. The storms disrupted railway traffic, with many trains delayed for hours or even cancelled.

COVID-19 The number of new COVID-19 cases announced on Wednesday was 50% higher than on the corresponding day last week, namely 159. 47 patients are in intensive care, and one COVID-related death was reported. The Government meanwhile approved plans to further ease COVID-related restrictions starting August 1. Arts, sports and private events are generally open for vaccinated people, for those who have recovered from the disease or for those who test negative for it. The new measures valid as of August 1 will be applicable in areas with an infection rate below 2 per thousand, as against 3 per thousand at present. The maximum number of participants in outdoor events will also be raised to 75,000.

AMBULANCE Every person who gets immunised contributes to ending this severe health crisis, president Klaus Iohannis said on National Ambulance Day. On the same occasion, he decorated 45 physicians and nurses. The COVID-19 pandemic is not over, even if the number of new cases is lower these days, the head of state emphasised, as he once again urged citizens to get vaccinated. Romania is getting near the target of 5 million people who received at least one dose of anti-COVID vaccine, with 10,700 people getting the jab in the past 24 hours. On the other hand, president Iohannis mentioned that the pandemic shed light on many problems in the healthcare system, but said this is a chance to rebuild it.

ANTHEM Romania celebrates National Anthem Day today, with special events organised in many cities to mark this holiday first introduced in 1998. The capital Bucharest hosted a public ceremony in which successive national anthems have been performed. Wake up, ye Romanian! was first officially performed in Râmnicu Vâlcea on 29 July 1848, by a group of young revolutionaries, and was chosen as national anthem shortly after the anti-communist uprising of December 1989. The lyrics were written by poet, journalist and translator Andrei Mureşanu (1816-1863) and the music by the poet, musician and ethnographer Anton Pann (1796-1854).

SEARCHES Prosecutors and police are today conducting over 20 house searches in view of dismantling an organised crime group operating in the field of human trafficking, drug trafficking, illegal border crossing and facilitating illegal stay in Romania. Sources in the judiciary say the group was made up of Syrian, Iraqi, Egyptian and Romanian citizens, who helped illegal migrants to cross the border into Bulgaria and Serbia. The group would charge up to 5,000 euro per migrant.

OLYMPICS Romania has today won a new medal in the Tokyo Olympics. Rowers Marius Cozmiuc and Ciprian Tudosă won the silver in the mens coxless pair final. This is the 3rd medal for Romanias rowing team, after the gold won by Ancuţa Bondar and Simona Radiş in the women’s double scull event, and the silver brought home by the mens four crew, made up of Mihăiţă Ţigănescu, Mugurel Semciuc, Ştefan Berariu and Cosmin Pascari. Romania was represented in the Tokyo rowing competition by 36 athletes and 9 boats. Adding to this performance is Ana-Maria Popescu’s silver medal in the women’s epee event. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

29 July 2021
July 28, 2021 UPDATE

HEAT WAVE Meteorologists have issued a code orange alert against extreme heat and thermal discomfort in seven counties in the south and the capital Bucharest, in place until Saturday. Maximum temperatures are expected to reach 40 degrees Centigrade locally. A code yellow alert against extreme heat is in place until Saturday for all other regions, with highs ranging from 34 to 39 degrees. Passenger and freight trains will travel at reduced speeds during this period. Road traffic authorities have also warned some
restrictions will be introduced due to the extreme heat, on Thursday, Friday
and Saturday, between noon and 8 pm in most of the country.

COVID-19 The number of COVID-19 infections in Romania remains low, although it has gone up in recent days. The authorities announced 159 new cases on Wednesday, one new COVID-related casualty and 47 patients in intensive care. According to the head of the vaccination campaign, medical doctor Valeriu Gheorghiţă, nearly 90% of the people currently diagnosed with COVID-19 are not vaccinated, while over 91% of related fatalities were people who hadn’t taken the anti-COVID jab. At present, some 30% of Romania’s total population is immunised. Starting August 2, young people aged 12-17 can also receive the Moderna vaccine, Valeriu Gheorghiţă said. The Romanian official went on to say that, by mid-September, Romania might start administering the third dose of the vaccine for at-risk categories, such as health workers, chronically ill and people over 65 years of age. So far, 4.8 million people have been fully vaccinated in Romania.

GOVERNMENT The Government Wednesday approved plans to further ease COVID-related restrictions starting August 1. PM Florin Cîţu mentioned, among others, that outdoors cultural and entertainment events may be attended by a maximum of 75,000 people, in places where the COVID-19 infection rate is under 2 per thousand, on condition that participants are vaccinated, recovered from the disease or have tested negative for it. For indoor and outdoor sports events, crowd attendance is limited to 75% of the venue’s full capacity, provided a physical distance of at least 1 m between viewers is ensured. In areas with an infection rate below 2 per thousand, bars, nightclubs, restaurants and gambling venues will also be open between 5 am and 2 am.

IMF The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday maintained its 6% economic growth estimate for the world economy this year and upgraded its outlook on the United States and other developed economies, while downgrading its forecast for a number of developing countries affected by the fallout of COVID-19. In the case of Romania, in October last year the IMF estimated a growth rate of 4.6% this year. The new outlook expects Romanias economic growth rate to reach 6% this year. Additionally, the IMF has upgraded its forecast for 2022, from 3.9% as originally estimated, to 4.8%. According to the new report, Romania’s economic growth rates for 2021 and 2022 will stand above the European average.

INFRINGEMENT The European Commission decided to start infringement procedures against 12 Member States, including Romania, for failure to transpose EU rules banning unfair trade practices in the agricultural and food supply chain. The deadline for transposing the regulations into national law was May 1, 2021. The Commission sent letters of formal notice to Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Spain, requesting them to adopt and notify relevant measures. The Member States have now two months to reply.

BEAR CENSUS A bear census worth 11 million euro was launched on Wednesday in Romania. The Minister for Investments and European Projects Cristian Ghinea explained the project is funded under the Large Infrastructure Operational Programme. There will be two lines of investment, one focusing on the bear census itself, while the other will help implement state-of-the-art technologies aimed at limiting the interaction of bears with humans. Last week the Government had passed an order regulating human intervention in situations involving bears, under which bears can be driven away in low-risk cases, and tranquilized and relocated or even shot if they attack people or livestock.

OLYMPICS Romania won two medals in Wednesday’s rowing finals at the Tokyo Olympics: Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radiş won gold in the women’s double scull event, while Romania’s four crew, made up of Mihăiţă Ţigănescu, Mugurel Semciuc, Ştefan Berariu and Cosmin Pascari scooped the silver. Adding to the two medals is Ana-Maria Popescu’s silver medal in the women’s epee event. Romanian fighter Maria Claudia Nechita Wednesday failed to qualify into the 57 kg boxing semi-finals, after losing to Japans Sena Irie, 3-2. A victory would have secured her an Olympic medal. Also on Wednesday, Romanias under-23 football team drew with New Zealand, in its last Group B match, and failed to move forward into the quarter-finals. The Romanians came out 3rd in the group, after South Korea and New Zealand and ahead of Honduras.

FESTIVAL The 2021 edition of the largest cinema event in Romania, the Transylvania International Film Festival (TIFF) continues in Cluj-Napoca (north-west), until Sunday. Over 170 films are screened in this years festival. Concerts and meetings with film industry representatives are also organised as part of the event. TIFF aims to promote cinema by presenting some of the most important contemporary works which reflect the originality of their authors, less common forms of cinematic expression and new cultural trends. This years special guest in the festival is international star Sergei Polunin, regarded as the most talented ballet dancer of his generation. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

28 July 2021
July 27, 2021

COVID-19 The National Committee for Emergency Situations decided that children up to 6 years of age should no longer be tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection upon arriving from high-risk regions. The requirement remains in place for children aged between 6 and 16. RT-PCR tests must be conducted 72 hours at most before boarding on public transport means or before entering Romanian territory. Also, athletes arriving in Romania from red-listed countries to take part in competitions are exempt from the obligation to isolate if they produce a negative RT-PCR test completed 72 hours at most before entering the country and if they only take part in competition activities. Meanwhile, the Romanian authorities continue to urge citizens to get vaccinated, arguing that immunization reduces the risk of the authorities having to introduce new restrictions. For the time being, however, containment measures are further eased. As of 1 August, the maximum number of participants in private events is higher. The interior minister Lucian Bode warned that face covering remains compulsory indoors. On Monday 84 new Covid-19 cases were reported, with a 0.73% positive test rate. Two COVID-related deaths were also reported. The number of hospitalized patients is currently over 300, with 38 of them in ICUs.

BUDGET Romanias consolidated budget deficit for the first half of the year is 2.96% of GDP, down since the previous year, according to data made public by the finance ministry today. In January-June, investment expenses were around 1 billion euro higher than in the corresponding period of 2020, while exceptional pandemic-related expenses amounted to a rough 1.6 billion euro. The budget deficit target for this year is 7.16% of GDP. The Government is working on an emergency order to amend the state budget, expected to be passed in mid-August. Several ministries, including the transport and agriculture, requested additional funding. The education minister Sorin Cîmpeanu has also requested funds to finance an additional 6,000 resident doctor positions compared to last year.

TIFF The 2021 edition of the largest cinema event in Romania, the Transylvania International Film Festival (TIFF) continues in Cluj-Napoca (north-west), until 1 August. Scheduled for screening today are “The Flood Wont Come (Lithuania, director Marat Sargsyan) and “Persian Lessons (Russia, directed by Vadim Perelman). A deeply atypical war film, “The Flood Wont Come brings about a downpour of intense visual experiences, dark humour and moral conflicts. “Persian Lessons tells the true story of a Jew who pretends to be Iranian to escape the Holocaust. Over 170 films are screened in this years festival. Concerts and meetings with film industry representatives are also organised as part of the event. TIFF aims to promote cinema by presenting some of the most important contemporary works which reflect the originality of their authors, less common forms of cinematic expression and new cultural trends.

UNESCO The National Opera House in Bucharest is hosting today an event to mark 65 years since Romania joined UNESCO. The event includes a photo and fine art exhibition, documentary screenings and a choral concert. Romania joined the Paris-based United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation on 27 July 1956.

OLYMPICS The Romanian and world swimming superstar David Popovici this morning put up an outstanding performance in the 200m free-style final of the Tokyo Olympics. The 16-year old swimmer was only 2 hundredths of a second away from the bronze medal, but he nevertheless set up a new national record. Also this morning, the Romanian Robert Glinţă came out the 8th in the 100m backstroke final. Romanias 3×3 basketball womens team are wrapping up their Olympic run today, with a last match in the group stage, against France. The Romanians only managed to beat Mongolia, and lost to China, Japan, Italy, USA and Russia. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

27 July 2021
July 23, 2021 UPDATE

Covid-19 In Romania, 104 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were reported on Friday, out of over 26,000 tests performed. Authorities have also announced 2 Covid-19 related deaths and 38 people admitted to intensive care. The number of cases started to increase on July 12 and, according to an analysis by the National Center for Surveillance and Control of Infectious Diseases, last week almost half of the cases were reported in Bucharest, Cluj (center-west), Iasi (northeast), Ilfov and Constanta (southeast). According to data from the European Covid-19 Forecast Hub, it is estimated that by the end of the month, in Romania, up to 200 new cases will be registered per day. Experts say vaccination is the way out of this pandemic. Regarding immunisation, the authorities announced that almost 16,000 people have been vaccinated in the last 24 hours. Currently, over 4.7 million Romanians have been fully vaccinated.

Report Accessing EU funds must be a priority for authorities, in order to support investments and to modernize the economy, the National Bank of Romania recommends in a report on financial stability. The NBR mentions that Romania can access funds of over 52 billion euros from the multiannual budget of the Union, adding to which will be another 32 billion euro, after the National Recovery and Resilience Plan is approved. The report also shows that in order to maintain easy access to and low costs of borrowing from foreign financial markets, Romania must engage in fiscal reforms that improve the sustainability of public finances and ensure better predictability of the legal framework. The document also shows that the net wealth of the population reached an all-time high after increasing this year by 6% compared to 2019. Real estate assets still account for most of the wealth of Romanians (75%), while financial assets account for approximately 24% of the total.

Visit Not only will Romania continue to support the Republic of Moldova, but it will accelerate the provision of support in all fields, the Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said at a joint press conference with Moldovas President Maia Sandu. He talked about the implementation of several long-term projects especially in the fields of energy and infrastructure. In turn, Maia Sandu said she appreciated a lot the Romanian authorities’ availability and support. Bogdan Aurescu’s visit takes place just days before the first meeting of the new Parliament and the formation of a new government in Chisinau. He is the first official from an EU member state to visit Moldova after the parliamentary elections of July 11th, won by pro-Europeans. Also in Chisinau, Mr. Aurescu attended the ceremony granting new humanitarian aid to the Republic of Moldova, consisting in 100,000 doses of anti-Covid-19 vaccine.

Pandemic The European Medicines Agency (EMA) Friday approved the use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for the 12-17 age bracket. Moderna becomes the second vaccine authorised for EU teenagers, after Pfizer/BioNtech. Two hundred million Europeans have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, which is more than half of the adult population, the European Commission announced on Thursday. The Commission had set the goal of 70% of adults to be vaccinated by the end of this summer. At a meeting of health ministers and officials in Athens, the WHO warned that the COVID-19 pandemic would have a long-term impact on people’s mental health. In another development, following the increase in the number of infections in Europe, countries are taking additional measures to prevent the spread of the virus. Greece announced on Thursday that all unvaccinated workers in tourism and hospitality would have to undergo regular coronavirus tests. In turn, Italy has announced that it will introduce a compulsory health permit as of 6 August for access to enclosed spaces such as clubs and restaurants. Worldwide, over 193 million people have been infected with the novel coronavirus so far. According to worldometers.info, nearly 176 million have recovered and more than 4.1 million have lost their lives to this disease.

Olympics The Summer Olympics, the world’s largest sports competition, kicked off in Tokyo on Friday. Japans tennis superstar Naomi Osaka, no 2 in the world, was the one to light the Olympic flame. Due to COVID-related restrictions, the opening ceremony was simple and restrained, with no public on the National Olympic Stadium, except for 950 people, including Emperor Naruhito of Japan, the president of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach, the president of France Emmanuel Macron, and First lady Jill Biden. The public will not have access to any of the Olympic events, as Tokyo is in a state of emergency. Nearly 2,000 new infections were reported on Thursday, the biggest figure in six months. Despite the restrictions, the number of cases has also increased in the Olympic Village by the day. Romania is represented by 101 athletes at this 32nd edition of the games, who will compete in 17 events. Canoeist Simona Radiş and swimmer Robert Glinţ were the bearers of the national flag. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

23 July 2021
July 23, 2021

Covid-19 RO. In Romania, 104
new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 have been reported today, out of some
26,600 tests performed. Authorities have also announced 2 Covid-19 related deaths
and 38 people admitted to intensive care. The number of cases started to
increase on July 12 and, according to the graph in the analysis drawn up by the
National Center for Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases, last
week, almost half of the cases were reported in Bucharest, Cluj (center-west),
Iasi (northeast) , Ilfov (southeast) and Constanta (southeast). According to
data from the European Covid-19 Forecast Hub, it is estimated that by the end
of the month, in Romania, up to 200 new cases will be registered per day.
Experts say vaccination is the way out of this pandemic. Regarding
immunization, the authorities announced that almost 16,000 people have been
vaccinated in the last 24 hours. Currently, over 4.7 million Romanians have been
fully vaccinated.

Pandemic. Two hundred
million Europeans have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, which is more
than half of the adult population, the European Commission announced on
Thursday. The Commission had set the goal of 70% of adults to be vaccinated by
the end of the summer. At a meeting of health ministers and officials in
Athens, the WHO warned that the COVID-19 pandemic would have a long-term
impact on people’s mental health. In another development, following the
increase in the number of infections in Europe, countries are taking additional
measures to prevent the spread of the virus. Greece announced on Thursday that
all unvaccinated workers in the tourism and restaurant sectors would have to
undergo regular coronavirus tests. For its part, Italy has announced that it will
introduce a compulsory health permit as of 6 August for access to enclosed
spaces such as clubs and restaurants. Worldwide, over 193 million people have
been infected with the novel coronavirus so far. According to
worldometers.info, nearly 176 million have recovered and more than 4.1 million
have lost their lives to this disease.

Visit. Not
only that Romania will continue to support the Republic of Moldova, the former
Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population, but it will accelerate
the provision of support in all fields, the Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan
Aurescu said at a joint press conference with Maia Sandu. He talked about the
implementation of several long-term projects especially in the fields of energy
and infrastructure. In turn, the Moldovan President Maia Sandu said she
appreciated a lot the Romanian authorities’ availability and support. Bogdan
Aurescu’s visit takes place just days before the first meeting of the new
Parliament and the formation of the new government in Chisinau. He is the first
official from an EU member state to visit Moldova after the parliamentary
elections of July 11th, won by pro-Europeans. Also in Chisinau, Mr.
Aurescu attended the ceremony granting a new humanitarian aid to the Republic
of Moldova, in the form of 100,000 doses of anti-Covid-19 vaccine.

Report. Accessing European funds must be a priority for authorities, in their efforts to support investments and to modernize the economy, the National Bank of Romania recommends in a report on financial stability. The NBR recalls that Romania can access, from the multiannual budget of the Union, funds of over 52 billion euros, to which another 32 billion will be added, after the approval of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The report also shows that in order to maintain easy access to and low costs on foreign financial markets, it is necessary for Romania to engage in fiscal reforms that improve the sustainability of public finances and ensure better predictability of the legal framework. The document also shows that the net wealth of the population reached an all-time high after increasing this year by 6% compared to 2019. Real estate assets still have a majority share in the wealth of Romanians, respectively 75%, while financial assets represents approximately 24% of the total, the population being interested in secure instruments, such as cash and deposits, and then investments such as private pensions.

TIFF. The 2021 edition
of the largest film event in Romania, the Transylvania International Film
Festival (TIFF), starts today, to last until August1st. The opening film, the
Spanish comedy Dinner with the neighbors upstairs, will be screened in 20 towns
and cities, with the gala screening to be hosted by Cluj-Napoca (northwest). At
this year’s edition of the festival, more than 170 films will be screened in 10
days. They will be accompanied by concerts, but also by meetings with
representatives of the film industry.

Olympics. The Summer
Olympics, the world’s largest sports competition, kicks off in Tokyo today.
Despite pandemic restrictions, the Japanese authorities organized a special
show at the National Olympic Stadium, a tribute especially to those who during
this period helped humanity overcome the obstacles and difficulties brought by
the new coronavirus. The games will be opened by the Emperor of Japan Naruhito,
but only 950 dignitaries and international officials will attend the ceremony.
The public will not have access to any of the events, as Tokyo is in a state of
emergency. Nearly 2,000 new infections were reported on Thursday, the biggest
figure in six months. Despite the restrictions, the number of cases has also
increased in the Olympic Village by the day. Romania is counting on 101 athletes
at this 32nd edition of the games, who will compete in 17
disciplines. Canoeist Mădălina Bereş and
swimmer Robert Glinţ are the bearers of the national flag. (MI)

23 July 2021
Athlete of the Week

According to Agerpres News Agency, at the European Race Walking championships hosted by Podebrady in the Czech Republic, Romanian athlete Marius Iulian Cocioran managed a 12th position in the 50 km race and has thus booked plane tickets to Tokyo Olympics. The Romanian set a new national record of 3 hours 55 minutes and 29 seconds. For his performance in Podebrady, Radio Romania International has designated Cocioran Athlete of the week

Pavel Remus Radoi was the second best Romanian athlete to attend the aforementioned race where he came in 27th in 4 hours, 13 minutes and 35 seconds setting a personal record. Ionut Vasilica Plesu has also registered a personal record in Podebrady after coming 30th in four hours, 26 minutes and 58 seconds. Another Romanian representative, Narcis Mihaila didnt manage to end the race.

Romania came in 6th in the teams contest. In the womens contest, Ana Veronica Rodean came in 13th setting a national record of 2 hours, 59 minutes and 27 seconds. In the 20 kilometer race walking Mihaela Acatrinei came in 39th while Maria Diana Lataretu abandoned the 10 kilometer race.

Marius Cocioran was born in Reşiţa, central Romania on 10th July 1983. He has already participated in two editions of the Olympic Games. He came 36th in the 50 kilometer race walking in London in 2012 and abandoned the race four years later in Rio. He is the sixth Romanian athlete to have qualified for Tokyo after long jumpers Florentina Iuşco and Alina Rotaru, Claudia Bobocea in the 1.500-meter dash, Daniela Stanciu, in the high jump event and discus thrower Alin Firfirică. Romania now boasts 85 athletes qualified for the Olympic Games this year.

(bill)

23 July 2021
Sports roundup

We’re only
a couple of days away from the kick-start of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Romania has sent a 101-strong delegation to the upcoming edition of the
Olympics. In 17 sports disciplines, 46 athletes will be competing in the women’s
version of the games, and 55 in the men’s version. Our athletes are set to
prove their mettle in swimming, athletics, rowing, football, artistic
gymnastics, 3-on-3 women’s basketball, cycling, wrestling, shooting sports,
canoeing, table tennis, boxing, judo, archery and lawn tennis.

Also included
in the delegation are 9 substitute athletes and 40 head-coaches. Footballers at
the first ones to enter the competition, one day before the Olympics’ opening
ceremony. On July 22, our national team goes against Honduras.

The
European officials have made public the fact that in a written message
dispatched to the president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas
Bach, they demanded that the European Union flag should accompany the Slovenian
delegation at the opening ceremony held in Tokyo on Friday. Signing the letter
were the European Commission’s Vice-president, Margaritis Schinas, and
Slovenian prime Minister Janez Jansa. We recall that Slovenia has taken over
the Union’s rotating presidency as of July the 1st this year.

Horia
Tecău and Kevin Krawietz were defeated in the men’s doubles final in the
Hamburg tennis tournament, an event with 1, 030, 900 Euro in prize money all told.
The pair made of Germany’s Tim Puetz and Michael Venus of New Zealand secured a
6-3, 6-7, 10-8 win against the Romanian-German pair. It was for the fourth time
when Tecău and Krawietz teamed up for a final fixture, and their second match
on a clay court. Tecau and Krawietz won their only title together in June this
year, in Halle, on a grass court. Tecau and Krawietz played the final of the
Rotterdam tournament on a hard court. They played another final in Barcelona,
on a clay court.

A new
edition of the Romanian League One domestic football championship kick-started
late last week. On Thursday, FC Botosani held FCSB to a blank draw. On Friday,
Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe grabbed a 2-nil home win against Academica Clinceni. Also
on Friday, holders CFR Cluj secured a 3-2 win against FC U Craiova. On
Saturday, Gaz Metan Medias won the game they played against CS Mioveni, 1-nil,
while Universitatea Craiova grabbed a 1-nil home win against FC Arges.

On
Sunday, UTA Arad ended in a blank draw the home fixture against Farul
Constanta. In a match hosted by the National Arena in Bucharest, Rapid defeated
Chindia Targoviste, 1-nil.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)

19 July 2021
Sports roundup

We’re only
a couple of days away from the kick-start of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Romania has sent a 101-strong delegation to the upcoming edition of the
Olympics. In 17 sports disciplines, 46 athletes will be competing in the women’s
version of the games, and 55 in the men’s version. Our athletes are set to
prove their mettle in swimming, athletics, rowing, football, artistic
gymnastics, 3-on-3 women’s basketball, cycling, wrestling, shooting sports,
canoeing, table tennis, boxing, judo, archery and lawn tennis.

Also included
in the delegation are 9 substitute athletes and 40 head-coaches. Footballers at
the first ones to enter the competition, one day before the Olympics’ opening
ceremony. On July 22, our national team goes against Honduras.

The
European officials have made public the fact that in a written message
dispatched to the president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas
Bach, they demanded that the European Union flag should accompany the Slovenian
delegation at the opening ceremony held in Tokyo on Friday. Signing the letter
were the European Commission’s Vice-president, Margaritis Schinas, and
Slovenian prime Minister Janez Jansa. We recall that Slovenia has taken over
the Union’s rotating presidency as of July the 1st this year.

Horia
Tecău and Kevin Krawietz were defeated in the men’s doubles final in the
Hamburg tennis tournament, an event with 1, 030, 900 Euro in prize money all told.
The pair made of Germany’s Tim Puetz and Michael Venus of New Zealand secured a
6-3, 6-7, 10-8 win against the Romanian-German pair. It was for the fourth time
when Tecău and Krawietz teamed up for a final fixture, and their second match
on a clay court. Tecau and Krawietz won their only title together in June this
year, in Halle, on a grass court. Tecau and Krawietz played the final of the
Rotterdam tournament on a hard court. They played another final in Barcelona,
on a clay court.

A new
edition of the Romanian League One domestic football championship kick-started
late last week. On Thursday, FC Botosani held FCSB to a blank draw. On Friday,
Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe grabbed a 2-nil home win against Academica Clinceni. Also
on Friday, holders CFR Cluj secured a 3-2 win against FC U Craiova. On
Saturday, Gaz Metan Medias won the game they played against CS Mioveni, 1-nil,
while Universitatea Craiova grabbed a 1-nil home win against FC Arges.

On
Sunday, UTA Arad ended in a blank draw the home fixture against Farul
Constanta. In a match hosted by the National Arena in Bucharest, Rapid defeated
Chindia Targoviste, 1-nil.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)

19 July 2021