Radio România Internațional

Tag: qualifiers

  • Olympic update

    Olympic update

    Romanian athlete Bianca Ghelber came in 9th in the hammer throw finals held as part of the Paris Olympics on Tuesday. Ghelber’s best throw measured 72 de meters and 36 de centimeters. Bianca had claimed her place in the final with the 11th throw in the competition, standing at 71 meters and 42 centimeters. World title holder, Canada’s Camryn Rogers, compelled recognition with a throw of 76 de metres and 97 centimetres.

    It is for the 4th time around when 34-year-old Bianca Ghelber participates in the Olympic Games, In Tokyo in 2021 Ghelber was 6th-placed accordion got the finbal rankings. in the final. At the London Olympics in 2012 Bianca Ghelber ranked 17th, while in 2008 in Beijing Bianca Ghelber was unable to go past the qualifiers. We recall that Romania last won an Olympic medal in athletics in 2008, when Constantina Dita walked away with gold in the marathon.

    Also in news from athletics, on Tuesday Alina Rotaru – Kottmann advanced to the long jump final, with the 9th performance in the qualifiers. Alina’s best jump measured 6 meters and 63 centimeters. World vice-champion, US athlete Tara Davis-Woodhall, managed a jump of 6 meters and 90 centimeters, the best performance in the qualifiers. She was followed by Italy’s Larissa Iapichino with a jump of 6 meters and 87 centimeters. Defending Olympic champion, Germany’s Malaika Mihambo, jumped 6 meters and 86 centimeters. In 2023 at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. lina Rotaru – Kottmann won bronze with a jump of 6 meters and 88 centimeters. The women’s long jump final is scheduled on Thursday.

    On Tuesday, Romanian rowers Ilie Sprîncean and Oleg Nuţă advanced to the 500m men’s pair race, having come in second in the first quarterfinal. Ilie Sprîncean and Oleg Nuţă clocked one minute and 40 seconds, being outclassed by Brazil’s Jacky Jamael Nascimento Godmann and Isaquias Guimaraes Queiroz, who clocked one minute, 38 de seconds and 78 hundredths of a second. The semifinals and the final are to be held on Thursday. Romania last won a kayak canoe medal in Sydney in 2000 when Florin Popescu and Mitică Pricop won gold in men’s 1000m pair race and bronze, in the 500m race.

  • Sports weekend

    Romania’s national football team in Bucharest
    on Sunday face the team of Andorra. The Group I fixture counts towards the
    preliminaries of the European Championship in 2024. A sanction was placed against
    the Romanian Football Federation as of late because of the stands incidents that
    occurred during Romania’s match against Kosovo, so the match against Andorra will
    be played in an empty stadium. Notwithstanding, children younger than 14 will
    be allowed to watch the game.


    In Budapest
    on Thursday, Romania’s match against Belarus ended in a blank draw. On home turf, Andorra sustained a nil-3 defeat by
    Kosovo. Israel’s upcoming home game against Switzerland was postponed to November 15. Switzerland
    is at the top pf the table, with 15 points. Romania and Israel follow suit,
    with 13 and 11 points, respectively. With 7 points on their record sheet,
    Kosovo are 4th-placed. Belarus are 5th-place, with 5
    points, while Andorra are at the bottom of the table, with 2 points. Switzerland
    and Israel have each played 6 fixtures so far, while the other teams, 7. Advancing
    to the European Championships’ final tournament are the first two teams in
    descending order.


    Romania’ s women’s handball team this coming Saturday take on Greece,
    away from home, in a Group 1 fixture counting towards the European Championship
    preliminaries 2024. In Mioveni on Wednesday, Cristina Neagu and her teammates trounced
    Bosnia and Herzegovina, 49 la 17. Also in Group I, in Karlovac, Croatia
    defeated Greece, 32 – 22. 24 teams will take part in the final tournament, that
    is the first two teams in descending order in the 8 qualifying groups, plus
    the best four 3rd-placed teams. Host teams, that is Austria, Hungary
    and Switzerland, qualify straight to the final tournament, and so does defending
    champion Norway.


    In Romania’s capital city on Sunday, the Bucharest International
    Marathon is held. Apart from the main race, other asphalt-running races are
    staged. We recall the first edition of Bucharest International Marathon was
    held 15 years ago.

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week

    Gymnastics for many years now has been among
    the sports disciplines that made Romania shine, literally. At the Olympic games,
    for instance, the Romanian gymnasts won 71 medals throughout the years. Of those
    medals, 25 were gold, 20 silver and 26 bronze. Most of the medals were won in
    the women’s version of the competition. There was also the women’s team who won last won the medals for Romania, at the London Olympics in 2012. We recall that back then Sandra
    Izbasa won gold in the vault event, while Catalina Ponor walked away with silver in
    the floor event. The Romanian team
    won bronze, in the nations’ competition.


    However, 2012 was the
    last year when the Romanian gymnastics teams, both men and women, succeeded to qualify to the Olympic Games. The Romanian gymnasts’ performance in
    individual events was also lackluster. In 2023, the Romanian gymnastics teams
    have yet again gained their position among the world’s Olympic-level teams. At
    the recently-held World Championships in Belgium’s Antwerp, the Romanian women’s team qualified to the 2024 edition of the Olympic Games in Paris.


    In the individual
    event, the best performance came from Sabrina Maneca – Voinea. Sabrina was that
    close to stepping onto a step of the podium, since she came in 4th
    in the floor final. Reason enough for Radio Romania International to designate Sabrina
    the Athlete of the week.


    As part of the Antwerp World Championships qualifiers, Sabrina Maneca Voinea competed in the beam and floor events alone, where she was granted 13.666
    points. Sabrina’s grades in the preliminary contest in Belgium were the best among
    the Romanian gymnasts’ performance. Her marks earned Sabrina the qualification
    to the floor finals, as well as the substitute position in the beam final. On
    Sunday, Sabrina was the last one to have fought for the floor medals. The
    winner was the US gymnast Simone Biles, with 14. 633 points. Second-placed was
    many-time world and Olympic champion, Brazil’s Rebeca
    Andrade, with 14.500 points. The bronze medals went to another Brazilian gymnast,
    Flavia Saravia, who got 13. 966
    points. Sabrina came in 4th, with a
    mere 2 tenths of a points from the third place of the podium.


    Sabrina Maneca Voinea was born in Constanta, in the south-east, on June 4,
    2007. Her mother, Camelia Voinea, is also her coach. We recall Camelia Voinea
    was a top-level gymnast who won gold at the World Championships in Rotterdam,
    in 1987 and silver in the Olympic Games in Seoul, in 1988, in the nations’
    competition. Sabrina has been a regular member of Romania’s juniors’ gymnastics
    team since 2017. In 2023, in the seniors’ version of the European Championships
    held in in Antalya in April, Sabrina won bronze in the floor event.

  • Sports weekend

    Sports weekend

    The World Gymnastics Championships will come to a close in Belgiums Antwerp. Apparatus pieces final are scheduled on Saturday and Sunday. Sabrina Voinea will represent Romania in the womens floor final on Sunday. Sabrina got the eighth mark in the qualifiers. Following a 12-year gap, the World Championships in Belgium have enabled Romanias national womens team to the 2024 edition of the Olympic Games in Paris. We recall that the London Olympics were the last games the Romanian gymnastics team took part in, in the nations competition. Back then the team walked away with the bronze medals. Also securing his qualification to the Olympic Games in Paris was Andrei Muntean. He came in 30th as part of mens individual all-around event qualifiers.



    As part of the ongoing World Rugby Cup in France, in Lille on Sunday, Romania plays its last fixture, taking on the team of Tonga state. In Group B, Romania and Tonga are at bottom of the table, with no points on their record sheet. Top of the table is South Africa, followed by Ireland and Scotland. We recall that two years ago Romania defeated Tonga in Bucharest, 32-20.



    In news from basketball, this coming Saturday CS Voluntari play a home game against cu U-BT Cluj-Napoca, as part of Mens National basketball league. After two rounds, CS Voluntari are at the top of the table in Group A. U-BT Cluj-Napoca have recently defeated the finalist of the 2022 of EuroCup, Türk Telekom Ankara, 80-71.



    This coming weekend will see matches being played, counting towards the Romanian football Superleagues 12th round. On Friday, FC U Craiova 1948 play FC Hermannstadt, while Rapid Bucharest take on Poli Iaşi. On Saturday, in Ploiesti, the local side Petrolul face UTA Arad, while FC Voluntari play a home game against Universitatea Craiova. Also on home turf, FC Botoşani go against FCSB. On Sunday, the newly-promoted Otelul Galati play a home game against defending champions Farul Constanta. In Bucharest, Dinamo are pitted against CFR Cluj. The 12 rounds last fixture is scheduled this coming Monday, with Universitatea Cluj taking on Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe. FCSB continue to be at the top of the table in the Superleague.


  • Sports weekend

    The world’s top-flight rugby
    competition, the World Cup or the Webb Ellis Cup, kick-starts on Friday,
    September 8th, 2023. It is hosted this year by 9 cities across
    France. The current edition is the 10th edition of the competition
    that has been organized since 1987, while for Romania it is the 9th
    time the national squad takes part in the World Cup. The 20 teams are
    distributed in four groups. The national squad has been included in Group B,
    alongside defending world champions and the world’s number 2 team, South Africa,
    top-of the table team, Ireland, 5th-placed team, Scotland,
    and 15th-placed team, Tonga.     According to the World Rugby ranking,
    Romania is 19th placed.

    A 33-strong delegation travels to France. 9
    rugby players are signed up by French teams. Two rugby players from Tonga, one
    from Australia and one from New Zealand have also been included in the Romanian
    delegation. According to the World Cup ranking, Romania is 19th-placed.
    The city of Bordeaux will host the Romanian delegation and it is also in Bordeaux
    that Romania plays its debut game, the fixture against Ireland. Romania earned
    its place in the history of the World Cup in 2015 for the most spectacular comeback
    during a game. With Canada having a 15-nil lead at half time, Romania braced up
    and eventually won the match, 17-15.


    On Saturday, Romania’s national
    football team plays Israel, while on Tuesday, September 12, Romania takes on Kosovo,
    with both fixtures being scheduled on home turf in Bucharest. The fixtures
    count towards the 1st qualifying group for the 2024 edition of the
    European championship hosted by Germany. Head-coach Edward Iordănescu summoned
    26 footballers, of which 13 play abroad, while other 13 play in the domestic
    championship. Romania plays alongside Switzerland, Israel, Belarus, Kosovo and Andorra.
    So far, Romania has defeated Andorra, 2-nil, away, and Belarus, 2-1, on home
    turf. Romania was held to a blank draw by Kosovo and drew against Switzerland,
    2-all, with both fixtures being played away from home. Switzerland is at the
    top of the table in the group, followed by Romania, with 8 points and Israel,
    with 7 points. Following in descending order are Belarus, with 3 points, Kosovo
    also with 3 points and Andorra, with 1 point. On Saturday, Kosovo takes on
    Switzerland.

  • Sports Weekend

    Sports Weekend


    Two Romanian football clubs stand chances of playing in this years Europa Conference League group stage. Farul Constanţa and Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe have qualified into the play-offs, after winning matches away from home.



    In the return leg of the preliminary round 3, Farul beat Flora Tallinn 2-0, after 3-0 on home turf. In the play-off, Farul will take on the Finnish side HJK Helsinki. Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, the Romanian Cup winners, Friday defeated Kazakhstans vice-champions Aktobe, 1-0, after a draw, 1-1 in the first leg. They are facing the Norwegian team Bodø/Glimt in the play-off.



    The 3rd Romanian team that played on Thursday in the Conference League qualifiers, FCSB, was kicked out of the competition after losing 0-2 away from home to the Danish side Nordsjælland, and a blank draw last week in the first leg.



    Also in football, this weekend matches are scheduled counting for the 6th round of the Romanian SuperLeague. Two games on Friday, pitting Petrolul Ploieşti against FC U Craiova 1948 and Universitatea Craiova against UTA, will be followed on Saturday by Oţelul Galaţi vs Botoşani and Dinamo Bucharest vs FC Voluntari. Two more matches are scheduled for Sunday in Bucharest: Rapid vs champions Farul Constanţa, and FCSB vs Poli Iaşi. The round ends on Monday with the last 2 matches: Sepsi vs Hermannstadt and Universitatea Cluj vs CFR Cluj. Top of the ranking are currently FCSB, with 12 points out of 4 matches, followed by Universitatea Craiova, with 11 points in 5 games.



    The World Athletics Championships begin on Saturday in Budapest. Romania takes part in the competition with 16 athletes, and the target set by the Romanian Athletics Federation is qualification in 3 finals. Last year, in the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Romanias best performances were a 6th place in hammer throw for Bianca Ghelber, and a 7th place in discus throw for Alin Firfirică.



    Also on Satuday, Romanias rugby team play their last match ahead of the World Cup in France. The Romanians are facing Italy away from home, in San Benedetto del Tronto. In the first test matches this summer, Romania lost 31-17 to the US in Bucharest, and 56-6 to Georgia, in Tbilisi. The first match for Romania at the World Cup is against Ireland, in Bordeaux, on 9 September. (AMP)


  • July 17, 2023

    July 17, 2023

    SUMMIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis
    takes part on Monday and Tuesday in Brussels in the 3rd summit of
    the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. The main goal of the summit is to revive the partnership
    between the EU and Latin American countries, in the context of current
    geopolitical developments, including Russia’s war against Ukraine. According to
    the Romanian presidency, Mr. Iohannis will highlight the importance of the
    cooperation between the 2 regions for the management of new global challenges,
    of the complex challenges facing both regions, and of the new development
    opportunities that may be capitalised on through enhanced cooperation. The
    Romanian president will also emphasise that Romania’s active commitment to a
    closer cooperation between the 2 regions was reconfirmed in all his meetings
    with his counterparts, during his official visits to Brazil, Chile and
    Argentina this April.


    GOVERNMENT The
    Social Democratic MPs Natalia Intotero and Simona Bucura-Oprescu have been
    appointed by their party leaders today as the new ministries for family and
    labour, respectively. The 2 positions were vacant after the resignation of Gabrielei
    Firea as minister for family and of Marius Budăi as labour minister, following
    a scandal concerning care home abuses in Ilfov County, near the capital
    Bucharest, where prosecutors are investigating organised crime groups exploiting
    vulnerable people. Simona Bucura-Oprescu chairs the Committee on public
    administration and country planning in the Chamber of Deputies. She was elected
    as Deputy for Argeş County as a Social Democratic candidate, first in 2012, and
    then in 2016 and 2020. Natalia Intotero was a minister for the Romanian
    diaspora in 2018-2019 and a state secretary with the Foreign Ministry. She is
    also at her 3rd term in office as an MP, and since December 2020 she
    has been chairing the Chamber’s committee on education.


    TAXATION The government of Romania is looking at a set of
    tax increases to be applied as of September 1 in order to offset the budget
    deficit. The planned changes include a new 1% tax on residential buildings
    worth over EUR 500,000, and higher taxes on tobacco products and gambling. According
    to governmental sources, 2 VAT rates will remain in force, with a 9% tax rate
    for foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals and prostheses, and a 19% rate for other
    products and services. The government is also considering the introduction of
    public health insurance contributions for employees in agriculture and
    constructions, thus eliminating current exemptions in these sectors. Additional
    taxes will be charged on transfers by companies that move their profits out of
    the country. As many as 85.8% of the small and medium-sized enterprises are
    against these proposed amendments to the Fiscal Code, the SME Council president
    Florin Jianu says.


    CULTURE This week’s agenda of the Timişoara – European Capital
    of Culture programme includes theatre, performing arts, cinema, exhibitions and
    gastronomy. The world-famous US actor John Malkovich stars in The Infernal
    Comedy staged by the National Theatre in Timişoara, supported by the Vienna
    Academy Orchestra, in 3 sold-out performances on Thursday and Friday. On
    Tuesday, the Revolution Memorial Museum opens an exhibition on The Berlin
    Wall, a border through Germany, and Wednesday sees the first screening of a travel
    documentary by Florin Iepan, entitled My journey to Romania – Letter from
    Timişoara, depicting the city as seen by a Norwegian traveller, Christoffer
    Johansen.


    SPORTS Romanian
    football champions Farul Constanţa take on Sheriff Tiraspol, of the R. of
    Moldova, on Tuesday night, in the Champions League’s first qualifying round. In the first leg, Farul won 1-0 on home
    turf. The winning team is next to play against the winner of the round pitting Maccabi Haifa (Israel) against Hamrun Spartans (Malta), in
    which the Israeli side won the first leg 4-0. Three
    Romanian teams are playing in Conference League as well. In the 2nd
    qualifying round, former champions CFR Cluj take on Adana Demirspor, of Turkey.
    Cup winners Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe are pitting against CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria), while
    vice-champions FCSB (Bucharest) are facing CSKA 1948 Sofia. The first leg is
    scheduled for July 27, with the return leg due a week later. (AMP)

  • Sports Flash

    Sports Flash

    Romania’s
    men’s handball team was defeated in Bucharest on Wednesday by Austria, 35 – 30.
    It was the last but one game for Romania ahead of the 2024 European
    Championship qualifiers, Group 4. In its last match, Romania will face Ukraine
    in Gummersbach, Germany on Sunday. At the time being, Austria is top of the
    group standings with 10 points out of 10, followed by Romania and the Faroe
    Islands with 4 points each, and Ukraine with 2 points. The top 2 teams in each
    group qualify to the final tournament, alongside the best 4 teams ranking 3rd.
    The European Championships will be hosted by Germany between January 10 and 28,
    2024. Romania last played in a men’s European Championship in 1996.




    The
    Romanian tennis player Jaqueline Cristian Wednesday qualified into the second
    round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid, with EUR 7,700,000 in total prize
    money. In the first round she beat Sloane Stephens of the US, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. Her
    next opponent will be Anastasia Potapova of Russia, seed no 21. Also on
    Wednesday, Gabriela Ruse lost to Alizé Cornet (France), 6-7, 6-4, 6-4. Also
    playing in the second round of the Madrid competition are Ana Bogdan, Sorana
    Cîrstea and Irina Begu.




    Sepsi
    Sfântu Gheorghe is the first finalist of the Romanian football Cup. On
    Wednesday, the team from Covasna defeated CFR Cluj in the semis, 3 – 0. Sepsi, the
    current cup holders, scored 10 minutes into the match, thanks to Nicolae Păun, 19
    minutes later through Marius Ştefănescu, and on 81 minutes through Venezuelan Mario
    Rondon. Defending champions CFR played more than half of the match with only 10
    men on the pitch, after defender Andrei Burcă was sent out on 43 minutes over a
    foul on Pavol Šafranko. The referee granted a penalty kick, but Cosmin Matei failed
    to score. The final is scheduled on May 24 in Sibiu. (AMP)

  • Sports Flash

    Sports Flash

    Romania’s
    men’s handball team was defeated in Bucharest on Wednesday by Austria, 35 – 30.
    It was the last but one game for Romania ahead of the 2024 European
    Championship qualifiers, Group 4. In its last match, Romania will face Ukraine
    in Gummersbach, Germany on Sunday. At the time being, Austria is top of the
    group standings with 10 points out of 10, followed by Romania and the Faroe
    Islands with 4 points each, and Ukraine with 2 points. The top 2 teams in each
    group qualify to the final tournament, alongside the best 4 teams ranking 3rd.
    The European Championships will be hosted by Germany between January 10 and 28,
    2024. Romania last played in a men’s European Championship in 1996.




    The
    Romanian tennis player Jaqueline Cristian Wednesday qualified into the second
    round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid, with EUR 7,700,000 in total prize
    money. In the first round she beat Sloane Stephens of the US, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. Her
    next opponent will be Anastasia Potapova of Russia, seed no 21. Also on
    Wednesday, Gabriela Ruse lost to Alizé Cornet (France), 6-7, 6-4, 6-4. Also
    playing in the second round of the Madrid competition are Ana Bogdan, Sorana
    Cîrstea and Irina Begu.




    Sepsi
    Sfântu Gheorghe is the first finalist of the Romanian football Cup. On
    Wednesday, the team from Covasna defeated CFR Cluj in the semis, 3 – 0. Sepsi, the
    current cup holders, scored 10 minutes into the match, thanks to Nicolae Păun, 19
    minutes later through Marius Ştefănescu, and on 81 minutes through Venezuelan Mario
    Rondon. Defending champions CFR played more than half of the match with only 10
    men on the pitch, after defender Andrei Burcă was sent out on 43 minutes over a
    foul on Pavol Šafranko. The referee granted a penalty kick, but Cosmin Matei failed
    to score. The final is scheduled on May 24 in Sibiu. (AMP)

  • Sports roundup

    Sports roundup


    Romanian women’s national handball team has made a giant leap forward towards the qualification to the World Championship, In the first leg as part of the qualifiers’ playoff tie. This past Saturday in Pitesti, Cristina Neagu and her teammates trounced the national team of Portugal, 35-20. The Romanian national squad’s most efficient scorers were Sorina Grozav, with 7 goals, then there were Nicoleta Dinca and Cristina Neagu, with 6 goals each. The second leg is scheduled on April 21st in Paredes. The final tournament will be jointly hosted by Denmark, Norway and Sweden, over November 20 and December 17. Romania is the only team to have participated in all editions of the World championship in women’s handball.



    In the WTA 250 tennis tournament in Bogota, an event with 260 thousand USD in prize money all told, this past Saturday Irina Bara and Sara Errani conceded a hard-fought defeat in the women’s doubles semifinals. The Romanian-Italian pair were overpowered by the Russian-Belarussian pair made of Irina Hromaceva and Irina Şimanovici, 6-3, 3-6,14-12. Şimanovici and Hromaceva eventually won the tournament, For their advancing to the semifinals, Bara and Errani were handed a cheque worth 4,020 USD and were granted 110 points in the WTA doubles’ rankings.



    In Romania’s national Swimming Championships hosted this past Saturday by the town of Otopeni, David Popovici won six finals. Popovici came in 1st in the 50m, 100m and 400m freestyle events, in the 100m backstroke, in the 50m and 100m butterfly events, setting a national record in the last two events. Also, in the 100m freestyle, for which he is a world record holder, Popovici has already met the set qualifiers target ahead of the 2024 edition of the Olympic Games.



    This coming weekend will see matches being played, counting towards the third round as part of domestic football championship’s Group1/Group 2 stage. In Group 1 on Saturday, in Ovidiu, in the south-east, Farul Constanţa defeated Universitatea Craiova, 3-2, while on Sunday in Cluj, the match pitting CFR against FCSB ended in a 1-all draw. On Monday, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe take on Rapid Bucharest. Farul are the leader in the rankings, with 39 points, followed by CFR Cluj, with 35.



    In Group 2 on Saturday, UTA Arad were held to a 1-all draw in the away fixture they played against FC Voluntari, while FC U Craiova grabbed a 3-1 home win against Universitatea Cluj. In Ploiesti on Sunday, FC Hermannstadt defeated Chindia Târgovişte, 2-1, while FC Botoşani grabbed a 1-nil home win against FC Argeş. With 28 points, FC U Craiova are at the top of the Group 2 table. They are followed by Petrolul Ploiesti, with 24.




  • Sports roundup

    Sports roundup


    Romanian women’s national handball team has made a giant leap forward towards the qualification to the World Championship, In the first leg as part of the qualifiers’ playoff tie. This past Saturday in Pitesti, Cristina Neagu and her teammates trounced the national team of Portugal, 35-20. The Romanian national squad’s most efficient scorers were Sorina Grozav, with 7 goals, then there were Nicoleta Dinca and Cristina Neagu, with 6 goals each. The second leg is scheduled on April 21st in Paredes. The final tournament will be jointly hosted by Denmark, Norway and Sweden, over November 20 and December 17. Romania is the only team to have participated in all editions of the World championship in women’s handball.



    In the WTA 250 tennis tournament in Bogota, an event with 260 thousand USD in prize money all told, this past Saturday Irina Bara and Sara Errani conceded a hard-fought defeat in the women’s doubles semifinals. The Romanian-Italian pair were overpowered by the Russian-Belarussian pair made of Irina Hromaceva and Irina Şimanovici, 6-3, 3-6,14-12. Şimanovici and Hromaceva eventually won the tournament, For their advancing to the semifinals, Bara and Errani were handed a cheque worth 4,020 USD and were granted 110 points in the WTA doubles’ rankings.



    In Romania’s national Swimming Championships hosted this past Saturday by the town of Otopeni, David Popovici won six finals. Popovici came in 1st in the 50m, 100m and 400m freestyle events, in the 100m backstroke, in the 50m and 100m butterfly events, setting a national record in the last two events. Also, in the 100m freestyle, for which he is a world record holder, Popovici has already met the set qualifiers target ahead of the 2024 edition of the Olympic Games.



    This coming weekend will see matches being played, counting towards the third round as part of domestic football championship’s Group1/Group 2 stage. In Group 1 on Saturday, in Ovidiu, in the south-east, Farul Constanţa defeated Universitatea Craiova, 3-2, while on Sunday in Cluj, the match pitting CFR against FCSB ended in a 1-all draw. On Monday, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe take on Rapid Bucharest. Farul are the leader in the rankings, with 39 points, followed by CFR Cluj, with 35.



    In Group 2 on Saturday, UTA Arad were held to a 1-all draw in the away fixture they played against FC Voluntari, while FC U Craiova grabbed a 3-1 home win against Universitatea Cluj. In Ploiesti on Sunday, FC Hermannstadt defeated Chindia Târgovişte, 2-1, while FC Botoşani grabbed a 1-nil home win against FC Argeş. With 28 points, FC U Craiova are at the top of the Group 2 table. They are followed by Petrolul Ploiesti, with 24.




  • Sports weekend

    Sports weekend

    Romanian men’s handball team Dinamo Bucharest on Thursday sustained an away defeat by the narrowest of margins, 33 to 34, in the game against German title holders Magdeburg. It was the last match Dinamo played in the Champions League’s Group A. Dinamo came in 5th, according to the final rankings. French team Paris Saint-Germain was at the top of the table in Group A, while Magdeburg was the runner-up team. The first two teams in descending order secured their direct qualification to the Champions League’s quarterfinals. According to a round-robin system, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th -placed teams in Groups A and B will play the playoff fixtures, in a bid to advance to the League’s quarterfinals. Dinamo are pitted against the other German team in the league, THW Kiel. Romanian title holders will play the first leg on March 22 in Bucharest, while the return leg is scheduled a week later in Germany.



    As part of the European Indoor Athletics Championships held in Turkyie’s Istanbul, the Romanian athlete Daniela Stanciu this past Thursday qualified to the high-jump finals. Stanciu jumped over the horizontal bar placed at 1 meter 91 centimeters, just as the other seven athletes who made it to the final. However, decisive for the qualification to the finals was the number of attempts each of the athletes needed to meet the set target. Stanciu needed two attempts, just Serbia’s Angelina Topic and Germany’s Christina Honsel. The final is scheduled on Sunday morning.



    At the World Cup in Gymnastics, held in Qatar’s Doha, the Romanian gymnasts have qualified to four of the competition’s finals. On Friday, Sabrina Maneca Voinea will prove her mettle in the women’s vault finals. On Saturday, Sabrina Maneca Voinea will again compete in the beam and floor finals, while Andrei Muntean competes in the men’s parallel bars finals.



    This coming Sunday in Tbilisi, Romania’s national rugby team take on Georgia, in a fixture counting towards the semi-finals of the Rugby Europe Championship 2023. 33 athletes have been summoned for the match, with 22 of them playing in the domestic championship and 11 being signed up by French clubs. According to the as-it-stands world rankings, Georgia are 12th-placed, while Romania, 20th-placed.



    We end with news from football. This week saw fixtures being played, counting towards the Romanian Super League’s 28th round. On Tuesday in Sibiu, Universitatea Cluj defeated FC Hermannstadt 1-nil. In Ploieşti, the match pitting Chindia Târgovişte and FC U Craiova ended in a blank draw, then in Ovidiu, Farul Constanţa won the game against Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, 2-nil. On Wednesday, FC Voluntari grabbed a 3-nil away win against Dacia Mioveni, Universitatea Craiova secured a 1-nil home win against FC Argeş, while Rapid Bucharest defeated FC Botosani away from home, 2-1. In Cluj on Thursday, CFR defeated UTA Arad, 2-1, while in Bucharest, FCSB a trounced Petrolul Ploiesti, 4-1. Fixtures counting towards the league’s 29th round are scheduled at the weekend. On Friday, Universitatea Cluj go against Farul Constanța. On Saturday, FC U Craiova play a home game against FC Botosani, while in Bucharest, Rapid play FC Hermannstadt. On Sunday, Dacia Mioveni face Chindia Targoviste, Petrolul from Ploiesti take on Universitatea Craiova, while UTA Arad play FCSB. On Monday, FC Voluntari are pitted against FC Argeș, while Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe face CFR Cluj. Farul are at the top of the table, with 61 points, followed by CFR, with 59. (EN)


  • Sports weekend

    Sports weekend

    Romanian men’s handball team Dinamo Bucharest on Thursday sustained an away defeat by the narrowest of margins, 33 to 34, in the game against German title holders Magdeburg. It was the last match Dinamo played in the Champions League’s Group A. Dinamo came in 5th, according to the final rankings. French team Paris Saint-Germain was at the top of the table in Group A, while Magdeburg was the runner-up team. The first two teams in descending order secured their direct qualification to the Champions League’s quarterfinals. According to a round-robin system, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th -placed teams in Groups A and B will play the playoff fixtures, in a bid to advance to the League’s quarterfinals. Dinamo are pitted against the other German team in the league, THW Kiel. Romanian title holders will play the first leg on March 22 in Bucharest, while the return leg is scheduled a week later in Germany.



    As part of the European Indoor Athletics Championships held in Turkyie’s Istanbul, the Romanian athlete Daniela Stanciu this past Thursday qualified to the high-jump finals. Stanciu jumped over the horizontal bar placed at 1 meter 91 centimeters, just as the other seven athletes who made it to the final. However, decisive for the qualification to the finals was the number of attempts each of the athletes needed to meet the set target. Stanciu needed two attempts, just Serbia’s Angelina Topic and Germany’s Christina Honsel. The final is scheduled on Sunday morning.



    At the World Cup in Gymnastics, held in Qatar’s Doha, the Romanian gymnasts have qualified to four of the competition’s finals. On Friday, Sabrina Maneca Voinea will prove her mettle in the women’s vault finals. On Saturday, Sabrina Maneca Voinea will again compete in the beam and floor finals, while Andrei Muntean competes in the men’s parallel bars finals.



    This coming Sunday in Tbilisi, Romania’s national rugby team take on Georgia, in a fixture counting towards the semi-finals of the Rugby Europe Championship 2023. 33 athletes have been summoned for the match, with 22 of them playing in the domestic championship and 11 being signed up by French clubs. According to the as-it-stands world rankings, Georgia are 12th-placed, while Romania, 20th-placed.



    We end with news from football. This week saw fixtures being played, counting towards the Romanian Super League’s 28th round. On Tuesday in Sibiu, Universitatea Cluj defeated FC Hermannstadt 1-nil. In Ploieşti, the match pitting Chindia Târgovişte and FC U Craiova ended in a blank draw, then in Ovidiu, Farul Constanţa won the game against Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, 2-nil. On Wednesday, FC Voluntari grabbed a 3-nil away win against Dacia Mioveni, Universitatea Craiova secured a 1-nil home win against FC Argeş, while Rapid Bucharest defeated FC Botosani away from home, 2-1. In Cluj on Thursday, CFR defeated UTA Arad, 2-1, while in Bucharest, FCSB a trounced Petrolul Ploiesti, 4-1. Fixtures counting towards the league’s 29th round are scheduled at the weekend. On Friday, Universitatea Cluj go against Farul Constanța. On Saturday, FC U Craiova play a home game against FC Botosani, while in Bucharest, Rapid play FC Hermannstadt. On Sunday, Dacia Mioveni face Chindia Targoviste, Petrolul from Ploiesti take on Universitatea Craiova, while UTA Arad play FCSB. On Monday, FC Voluntari are pitted against FC Argeș, while Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe face CFR Cluj. Farul are at the top of the table, with 61 points, followed by CFR, with 59. (EN)


  • Sports flash

    Sports flash


    Romanian
    men’s basketball team CSM CSU Oradea this past Wednesday
    grabbed a 95-84 home win against German opponents Brose Bamberg, in a Group L
    fixture as part of FIBA Europe Cup. CSM CSU Oradea have
    thus snatched the second consecutive group win and are still in the race for
    the quarterfinal’s qualifiers. In the other Group L match, Cypriot team Keravnos
    sustained a 65-78 home defeat by Poland’s Anwil Włocławek. Anwil Włocławek are still
    at the top of the table in Group L, with 7 points. CSM CSU Oradea and Brose
    Bamberg follow, in descending order, with 6 and 5 points, respectively. This
    coming Wednesday, CSM CSU Oradea play an away game agia9nst the Polish team, in
    the last but one round as part of the FIBA Europe Cup’s Group stage. The first
    two teams in the group advance to the competition’s quarterfinals.


    In women’s basketball, in a fixture
    counting towards EuroCup, Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe sustained a 76-91 defeat by
    French team LDLC ASVEL, in Lyon. The match counted towards the first leg as part
    of the competition’s round of 16. Holders Sepsi are highly unlikely to secure a
    win in the return leg, to be played in Sfantu Gheorghe this coming Wednesday.


    Romanian men’s volleyball team Arcada Galati,
    in a fixture counting towards the CEV Cup’ playoff stage, sustained a 1-3 defeat
    by Italian opponents Piacenza this past Wednesday. We recall the Italians also
    secured a first-leg, 3-nil win in Galați.


    The Australian Open in
    Melbourne has reached the semi-finals stage. The last Romanian standing is to
    prove her mettle on Friday. Elena-Gabriela Ruse, pairing up with Ukraine’s Marta
    Kostyuk, will try to advance to the competition’s finals. Ruse and Kostyuk go
    against the top-seeded, all-Czech pair made of Barbora
    Krejcikova and Katerina Synyakova. Elena-Gabriela Ruse and Marta Kostyuk have
    hit their career-best in a Grand Slam tournament. (EN)

  • Sports flash

    Sports flash


    Romanian
    men’s basketball team CSM CSU Oradea this past Wednesday
    grabbed a 95-84 home win against German opponents Brose Bamberg, in a Group L
    fixture as part of FIBA Europe Cup. CSM CSU Oradea have
    thus snatched the second consecutive group win and are still in the race for
    the quarterfinal’s qualifiers. In the other Group L match, Cypriot team Keravnos
    sustained a 65-78 home defeat by Poland’s Anwil Włocławek. Anwil Włocławek are still
    at the top of the table in Group L, with 7 points. CSM CSU Oradea and Brose
    Bamberg follow, in descending order, with 6 and 5 points, respectively. This
    coming Wednesday, CSM CSU Oradea play an away game agia9nst the Polish team, in
    the last but one round as part of the FIBA Europe Cup’s Group stage. The first
    two teams in the group advance to the competition’s quarterfinals.


    In women’s basketball, in a fixture
    counting towards EuroCup, Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe sustained a 76-91 defeat by
    French team LDLC ASVEL, in Lyon. The match counted towards the first leg as part
    of the competition’s round of 16. Holders Sepsi are highly unlikely to secure a
    win in the return leg, to be played in Sfantu Gheorghe this coming Wednesday.


    Romanian men’s volleyball team Arcada Galati,
    in a fixture counting towards the CEV Cup’ playoff stage, sustained a 1-3 defeat
    by Italian opponents Piacenza this past Wednesday. We recall the Italians also
    secured a first-leg, 3-nil win in Galați.


    The Australian Open in
    Melbourne has reached the semi-finals stage. The last Romanian standing is to
    prove her mettle on Friday. Elena-Gabriela Ruse, pairing up with Ukraine’s Marta
    Kostyuk, will try to advance to the competition’s finals. Ruse and Kostyuk go
    against the top-seeded, all-Czech pair made of Barbora
    Krejcikova and Katerina Synyakova. Elena-Gabriela Ruse and Marta Kostyuk have
    hit their career-best in a Grand Slam tournament. (EN)