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Tag: shooting

  • Romania at the Olympic games

    Romania at the Olympic games

    Shooting sports at world level has very few top-notch performers capable of measuring up to the achievements of Romanian Corneliu Ion. The Romanian was, in turn, a world record holder as well as an Olympic and European champion. Also, Corneliu Ion walked away with medals in all major shooting sports competitions. In the rapid-fire pistol event, Corneliu Ion was two times capable of getting the maximum number of points, 600 out of 600.

    Corneliu Ion was born in Focsani on June 27, 1951. Between 1971 and 1988, he was signed up by Steaua Bucharest sports club. As early as 1974 Corneliu Ion took international rankings by storm, winning the silver medal at the World Championships. Corneliu Ion became a European Champion in Bucharest, in 1977.

    We should note, however, that Corneliu Ion’s career-best is the gold medal he won in Moscow in 1980. At the end of a cut-throat contest, Corneliu Ion outperformed his challenger from the then German Democratic Republic, Jürgen Wiefel, after no less than three play-off ties. We recall Romania came in 7th in the nations’ competition at the aforementioned edition of the Olympics, with six gold medals. Back then, an appreciable number of Western countries boycotted the Olympic Games.

    In Los Angeles in 1984, countries belonging to the then Communist Bloc boycotted the Olympic Games. Romania did not join in, in a form of protest that was masterminded by the then Soviet leaders. In the nations’ competition, Romania was the runner-up delegation, with a tally of 20 medals. In the rapid-fire pistol event, Corneliu Ion walked away with silver. In 1985, Corneliu Ion became European champion, which was his last remarkable performance as a competitor.

    Corneliu Ion graduated from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest. In 1989 he graduated from the International shooting sports trainers School in Wiesbaden, Germany. Corneliu Ion’s specialised background as well as his business studies enabled him to be a successful holder of several management positions in the world of sports.

    Corneliu Ion retired from competition in 1988 and for 12 years he was head of the shooting sports section with Steaua Army Club in Bucharest. Between 1990 and 2001 Corneliu Ion was president of the Romanian Shooting Sports Federation. During his term, a couple of excellent sports shooters, such as Sorin Babii, got prestigious results in world-level competitions.

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  • Trump injured during shooting at Pennsylvania rally

    Trump injured during shooting at Pennsylvania rally

    SHOOTING – Former US president Donald Trump was shot in the right ear during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. The president was rushed off stage quickly by Secret Service. According to preliminary reports, the shooter fired multiple shots from an “elevated position” overseeing the stage before US Secret Service personnel “neutralized” him. Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger told the media that one audience member was also killed in the ensuing panic.  According to law enforcement officials, the shooting is now investigated as an attempted assassination.

     

    One of Trump’s senior campaign advisers released a statement after the attack, stating that “President Trump is doing well and grateful to law enforcement and first responders for their fast action”.

     

    Shortly after the attack, president Joe Biden was briefed on the developments. “I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it”, president Biden said in a statement.

    Scores of other US former and current officials have condemned the attack, wishing the former president a speedy recovery.

     

    Trump is expected to receive a formal nomination at the Republican National Convention, slated for Monday in Milwaukee, which will proceed on schedule, one party official said. (VP)

     

  • May 16, 2024 UPDATE

    May 16, 2024 UPDATE

    VISIT The Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu received the Hungarian minister for European affairs, János Bóka, who is visiting Romania, in the run up to Hungary taking over the six-month presidency of the EU Council, on July 1. The European and international context marked by multiple challenges and the transition period between two European electoral cycles were tackled. The Romanian official emphasised the interest in advancing the decisions regarding the EU enlargement policy in relation to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, as well as those regarding Romania’s accession to Schengen with its land borders too. The Hungarian side reconfirmed its support for the achievement of this goal. As regards the current state of bilateral relations, the importance of the strategic partnership between Romania and Hungary and the opportunities for sectoral cooperation were mentioned.

     

    SHOOTING The Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is in intensive care, and his health condition is stable. He underwent several hours of surgery after having been shot in the chest and abdomen on Wednesday, while in a city in the centre of the country, where he had chaired a government meeting. The suspected attacker was detained by the police. According to local media, he is a 71-year-old man, a poet and civic activist. The politicians in power say the attack was politically motivated. Robert Fico is a controversial left-wing politician, accused of pro-Russian sympathies. Returning to power last year, he cancelled military support for Ukraine and announced plans to reform public radio and television, opposed by citizens in street protests. World leaders condemned the attack on the Slovak prime minister, unprecedented in recent European history. Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis said that such extremist acts threaten fundamental European values.

     

    FESTIVAL The city of Craiova (south), is hosting until May 26 the 14th edition of the International Shakespeare Festival. More than 300 world-class theatre performances, concerts, parades, workshops, book launches, installations, VR trips will cover the entire city of Craiova and its surroundings, in conventional spaces, and also in the most original and unexpected places. Shakespeare Village – a British village from the 1600, rebuilt from scratch on the Craiova Hippodrome, will be the venue for dozens of concerts and shows. Famous names in international theatre and performance creators can be found in the festival program, including Robert Wilson, Peter Brook, Declan Donnellan, Robert Lepage, Philip Pârr, Jesus Herrera, and Christian Friedel.

     

    FOOD WASTE The Romanian agriculture ministry Wednesday released for public review a draft resolution aimed at reducing food waste, given that Romania disposes of over 2.5 million tons of food per year. All food operators, prior to destroying foodstuffs past their expiration date, will have to enter annual plans to reduce food waste and annual reports on the amounts of food given away in a dedicated National Platform. According to the European Commission, food loss and food waste increase food insecurity risks and affect the environment, and account for some 16% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the Union’s food system.

     

    GOVERNMENT In Thursday’s Cabinet meeting the government passed a number of road and railway infrastructure investment projects. Over EUR 2.2 bln will be spent on revamping the approx. 150 km Focşani – Roman railway route in the east of the country in the next 3 years, the Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu said. According to him, a rough EUR 200 mln has been earmarked for the revamping of a 42-km long segment of the A1 Bucharest-Piteşti motorway. A similar amount will be used by the agriculture ministry to support farmers in the poultry and the pig farming sector. Next week the government is to come up with a decision concerning the salary issues notified by the culture ministry with respect to museum personnel around the country, as well as other professional categories, the PM added.

  • Sports flash

    Sports flash

    We begin with the latest from women’s
    volleyball. In the semifinals of the CEV Cup, Europe’s second-tier competition,
    Romania’s title holders CSM Volei Alba Blaj grabbed a first-leg 3-nil semifinal
    win against vice-champions CSM Târgoviște. It took Volei Alba Blaj one hour and 23 minutes to win
    the game, grabbing a 25-15 win in the first set. The second set was a little
    bit more balanced, yet Alba Blaj also won the set, 25-18 this time. The third
    set was a cliffhanger as Volei Alba Blaj won by the narrowest of margins,
    25-23. The return leg is scheduled on March 23rd. In the second semi-final, the Italian team Palazzo Wanny Florence grabbed a 3-nil home win against Turkish opponents THY Istanbul.


    21-year-old gymnast Gabriel
    Burtănete came in 8th, the last position, in the vault
    final as part of the World Cup held in Azeri capital Baku, with 13. 249 points. The gold
    medal went to the 2021 world champion, Carlos Edriel Yulo of the Philippines, with 14.933
    points. Representing Romania at the World Cup in Baku were brothers Gabriel and
    Robert Burtănete, and Nicholas Ţarcă.


    In the Singapore Smash 2023 table
    tennis tournament’s round of 16, Elizabeta Samara sustained a nil-3 defeat by Austrian challenger
    Sofia Polcanova. In the previous stage, Samara provided a surprise, defeating Olympic
    champion, China’s Meng Chen, 3-2.


    Romania’ s women’s rifle team came in 11th
    at the European seniors’ and juniors’ Shooting Sports Championships held in Estonia’s
    Tallin, in the 10 meter-air rifle event. Romania succeeded 937.7 points all
    told in the qualifiers yet failed to earn a position among the competition’s
    first 8 teams. The gold medals went to Norway, silver went to Serbia, while Poland
    and Germany won the bronze medals. However, Romania won a silver medal, through
    junior Luca Joldea, in the pistol event.(EN)

  • Sports flash

    Sports flash

    We begin with the latest from women’s
    volleyball. In the semifinals of the CEV Cup, Europe’s second-tier competition,
    Romania’s title holders CSM Volei Alba Blaj grabbed a first-leg 3-nil semifinal
    win against vice-champions CSM Târgoviște. It took Volei Alba Blaj one hour and 23 minutes to win
    the game, grabbing a 25-15 win in the first set. The second set was a little
    bit more balanced, yet Alba Blaj also won the set, 25-18 this time. The third
    set was a cliffhanger as Volei Alba Blaj won by the narrowest of margins,
    25-23. The return leg is scheduled on March 23rd. In the second semi-final, the Italian team Palazzo Wanny Florence grabbed a 3-nil home win against Turkish opponents THY Istanbul.


    21-year-old gymnast Gabriel
    Burtănete came in 8th, the last position, in the vault
    final as part of the World Cup held in Azeri capital Baku, with 13. 249 points. The gold
    medal went to the 2021 world champion, Carlos Edriel Yulo of the Philippines, with 14.933
    points. Representing Romania at the World Cup in Baku were brothers Gabriel and
    Robert Burtănete, and Nicholas Ţarcă.


    In the Singapore Smash 2023 table
    tennis tournament’s round of 16, Elizabeta Samara sustained a nil-3 defeat by Austrian challenger
    Sofia Polcanova. In the previous stage, Samara provided a surprise, defeating Olympic
    champion, China’s Meng Chen, 3-2.


    Romania’ s women’s rifle team came in 11th
    at the European seniors’ and juniors’ Shooting Sports Championships held in Estonia’s
    Tallin, in the 10 meter-air rifle event. Romania succeeded 937.7 points all
    told in the qualifiers yet failed to earn a position among the competition’s
    first 8 teams. The gold medals went to Norway, silver went to Serbia, while Poland
    and Germany won the bronze medals. However, Romania won a silver medal, through
    junior Luca Joldea, in the pistol event.(EN)

  • Sports roundup

    Sports roundup

    The Romanian rower Cătălin Chirilă has walked away with two medals in the recently-held World-Cup-level rowing competition in Racice, the Czech Republic. This past Saturday, Chirila won bronze in the men’s canoe single 500m final, while on Sunday, Cătălin Chirilă won silver in the men’s canoe single 1,000 final. Romania’s representative in the women’s canoe single events for the same races, Mălina Trifescu, failed to qualify for the 500m and 1,000m races finals.



    The Romanian delegation will then travel to Poland’s Poznan, where yet another World-Cup-level competition will be held this coming weekend. In Poznan, Catalin Chirila will prove his mettle in the 500m, 1,000m and 5,000m races, while Malina Trifescu will compete in the 200m and 500m races.



    This past Saturday in Stavanger, Norway, in the first leg counting towards the EHF European Cup in men’s handball, Minaur Baia Mare sustained a 25-29 defeat by Nærbø. The return leg of the final tie will be played in Baia Mare this coming Saturday.



    With a 6-3, 6-3 straight-set win against Germany’s Tatjana Maria in the second round as part of the ongoing Roland Garros tennis tournament, this past Sunday Sorana Cirstea advanced to the second round. 26th- seeded Cirstea will face US opponent Sloane Stephens. Also in the first round, Gabriela Ruse sustained a 3-6, 1-6 defeat by 31st-seeded tennis player in Roland Garros, Belgium’s Elise Mertens.



    In shooting sports, this past Sunday the Romanian Laura Ilie came in 2nd in the 10m air rifle event as part of the shooting sports Grand Prix final held in Granada, Spain. Laura Ilie’s most recent feat has earned the Romanian the 2nd place according to the event’s world rankings. Laura continues to amass points that will earn her the qualification to the 2024 edition of the Olympic Games in Paris. Next week Laura Ilie will compete in the Grand Prix contest in Baku, Azerbaijan.



    This past Saturday, first-leg fixtures were played, decisive for the teams’ promotion or staying in Romanian League One in football. In Chiajna, second-tier squad Concordia defeated Chindia Targoviste, 2-1. Then in Cluj, the local side Universitatea, also a second-tier team, defeated Dinamo Bucharest, 2-nil. The return-leg matches are scheduled this coming Sunday, May 29th.



    In the last round as part of Romanian League One’s Group 2, on Friday, Universitatea Craiova grabbed a 4-1 home win against Farul Constanta. In Buzau on Saturday, FCSB defeated CFR Cluj, 3-1. CFR Cluj emerged as the new title holders as early as last week, for the fifth time running and for the eighth time in the club’s history.


    (EN)




  • Sports roundup

    Sports roundup

    The Romanian rower Cătălin Chirilă has walked away with two medals in the recently-held World-Cup-level rowing competition in Racice, the Czech Republic. This past Saturday, Chirila won bronze in the men’s canoe single 500m final, while on Sunday, Cătălin Chirilă won silver in the men’s canoe single 1,000 final. Romania’s representative in the women’s canoe single events for the same races, Mălina Trifescu, failed to qualify for the 500m and 1,000m races finals.



    The Romanian delegation will then travel to Poland’s Poznan, where yet another World-Cup-level competition will be held this coming weekend. In Poznan, Catalin Chirila will prove his mettle in the 500m, 1,000m and 5,000m races, while Malina Trifescu will compete in the 200m and 500m races.



    This past Saturday in Stavanger, Norway, in the first leg counting towards the EHF European Cup in men’s handball, Minaur Baia Mare sustained a 25-29 defeat by Nærbø. The return leg of the final tie will be played in Baia Mare this coming Saturday.



    With a 6-3, 6-3 straight-set win against Germany’s Tatjana Maria in the second round as part of the ongoing Roland Garros tennis tournament, this past Sunday Sorana Cirstea advanced to the second round. 26th- seeded Cirstea will face US opponent Sloane Stephens. Also in the first round, Gabriela Ruse sustained a 3-6, 1-6 defeat by 31st-seeded tennis player in Roland Garros, Belgium’s Elise Mertens.



    In shooting sports, this past Sunday the Romanian Laura Ilie came in 2nd in the 10m air rifle event as part of the shooting sports Grand Prix final held in Granada, Spain. Laura Ilie’s most recent feat has earned the Romanian the 2nd place according to the event’s world rankings. Laura continues to amass points that will earn her the qualification to the 2024 edition of the Olympic Games in Paris. Next week Laura Ilie will compete in the Grand Prix contest in Baku, Azerbaijan.



    This past Saturday, first-leg fixtures were played, decisive for the teams’ promotion or staying in Romanian League One in football. In Chiajna, second-tier squad Concordia defeated Chindia Targoviste, 2-1. Then in Cluj, the local side Universitatea, also a second-tier team, defeated Dinamo Bucharest, 2-nil. The return-leg matches are scheduled this coming Sunday, May 29th.



    In the last round as part of Romanian League One’s Group 2, on Friday, Universitatea Craiova grabbed a 4-1 home win against Farul Constanta. In Buzau on Saturday, FCSB defeated CFR Cluj, 3-1. CFR Cluj emerged as the new title holders as early as last week, for the fifth time running and for the eighth time in the club’s history.


    (EN)




  • May 11, 2021

    May 11, 2021

    COVID-19 According to the latest updates, 620 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Romania in 24 hours, out of 11,000 tests conducted. Most cases occurred in Bucharest. The authorities also announced another 68 COVID-19 related deaths and 962 patients in intensive care. Meanwhile, the vaccine rollout continues, at a record high rate of over 100,000 jabs per day. Measures such as vaccination marathons and drive-through vaccination centres helped increase the number of people immunised every day, and so did the involvement of family physicians. Coordinator Valeriu Gheorghita said on the other hand that there is not enough scientific data to confirm the need for a third vaccine dose to cover possible viral mutations.



    ALERT The state of alert will be extended by another month as of Thursday, the government of Romania decided. Certain restrictions have been lifted, such as the ones concerning participation in religious processions or pilgrimages, while others, including in the hospitality sector, remain in place. Pilot cultural and sports events will be organised, attended by people who have got the vaccine or recovered from COVID in the past 3 months, as well as those who test negative for the disease.



    TRAVEL The National Committee on Emergency Situations updated the list of countries with high epidemiological risk for which quarantine is required upon entering Romanian territory. The number of countries in the list went up from 57 to 75. Countries like India, Nepal, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Monaco and the United Arab Emirates are new on the list, joining the Netherlands, France, Germany and Hungary or summer tourist destinations like Greece, Croatia or the Maldives.



    EXERCISE The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda are attending today a multinational military exercise in Galaţi County in the east. The exercise takes place at the Smârdan base, and Poland takes part with the military forces it has deployed to Romania as part of the Allied matched forward presence in the eastern flank through the NATO multinational brigade stationed in Craiova. Justice Sword 21 is a tactical exercise aimed at testing the capacity of participating structures to implement planned actions and measures, as well as Romanias ability to provide support to the military forces and equipment that transit its territory.



    ATTACK At least 11 people, mostly children, were killed, and many others wounded by an unknown number of attackers in a school shooting in the Russian town of Kazan, some 725 km east of Moscow. The town is the capital of Tatarstan, an autonomous republic with mostly Muslim population. Russian media quoted by international news agencies speak about one or two teenage shooters. School shootings are uncommon in Russia. A similar incident was reported in 2018, in Crimea, annexed by Russia 4 years before, where a student killed 19 people and killed himself. In September 2004, some 325 people, mostly kids, were also killed after Russian special forces stormed a school in Belsan, North Ossetia, where pro-Chechen mercenaries were keeping over 1,000 hostages.



    TENSIONS The EU called for an immediate end to the clashes between Israeli and Palestinians. According to the EU, rocket strikes from Gaza strip against civilians in Israel are unacceptable and fuel escalation. The US also condemned “in the strongest terms the Hamas rocket attacks, calling them “an unacceptable escalation. The UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab also condemned the attacks and called for immediate de-escalation on both sides. Tensions have been reported in the region since the start of the Ramadan, the Muslim fasting and prayer month, with many Palestinians angry over the Israeli police restricting access to some sectors in Jerusalem. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • The Athlete of the Week

    The Athlete of the Week

    The Romanian shooter Laura Coman has
    yet again demonstrated she is in excellent form. On Saturday in Wroclaw,
    Poland, she won a new title at the 10m European Shooting Championships. She
    also won the title last year in Osijek, in Croatia. This time around in Poland,
    she had only ranked third in the qualifiers, with 629.6 points. Norway’s Jenny
    Stene was in first place with 623.3 points and Russia’s Anastasia Galashina was
    in second with 630.9 points. In the final, however, Coman won with 251.2
    points, closely followed by Galashina. Serbia’s Andrea Arsovic was in third
    place with 228.9 points. Let us also note that, according to the competition’s
    Twitter page, Laura Coman was the only European champion from Osijek to defend
    her title in Wroclaw.




    Laura Coman was born in Bucharest on
    30th April 1993. She has been practicing the sport since 2010 and
    has been taking part in competitions since 2012. She is a member of the Dinamo
    Sports Club in Bucharest, where her coach is Olimpiu Marin. She is currently
    ranked third in the world standings in the 10m shooting event, being the
    highest ranked shooter from Europe. This year, Coman’s main objective is
    winning an Olympic medal in Tokyo, being considered Romania’s best chance in
    shooting. It is also worth noting that Romania
    relatively recently won an Olympic title in 10m shooting, Alin
    Moldoveanu at the 2012 London Games.

  • The Athlete of the Week

    The Athlete of the Week

    The Romanian shooter Laura Coman has
    yet again demonstrated she is in excellent form. On Saturday in Wroclaw,
    Poland, she won a new title at the 10m European Shooting Championships. She
    also won the title last year in Osijek, in Croatia. This time around in Poland,
    she had only ranked third in the qualifiers, with 629.6 points. Norway’s Jenny
    Stene was in first place with 623.3 points and Russia’s Anastasia Galashina was
    in second with 630.9 points. In the final, however, Coman won with 251.2
    points, closely followed by Galashina. Serbia’s Andrea Arsovic was in third
    place with 228.9 points. Let us also note that, according to the competition’s
    Twitter page, Laura Coman was the only European champion from Osijek to defend
    her title in Wroclaw.




    Laura Coman was born in Bucharest on
    30th April 1993. She has been practicing the sport since 2010 and
    has been taking part in competitions since 2012. She is a member of the Dinamo
    Sports Club in Bucharest, where her coach is Olimpiu Marin. She is currently
    ranked third in the world standings in the 10m shooting event, being the
    highest ranked shooter from Europe. This year, Coman’s main objective is
    winning an Olympic medal in Tokyo, being considered Romania’s best chance in
    shooting. It is also worth noting that Romania
    relatively recently won an Olympic title in 10m shooting, Alin
    Moldoveanu at the 2012 London Games.

  • December 14, 2018 UPDATE

    December 14, 2018 UPDATE

    EU SUMMIT – The EU long-term budget, the single market, migration and foreign relations, the Eurozone and Brexit were the key topics discussed in the winter European Council in Brussels, which ended on Friday. In the summit conclusions, the European Council says more needs to be done to ensure that the Single Market provides a solid underpinning for an outward-looking, confident and more autonomous European Union in a challenging global environment. With respect to migration, the EU leaders plead for vigilance on all existing and emerging routes, in particular in view of recent increases on the Western and Eastern Mediterranean routes. President Klaus Iohannis, who represented Romania in the summit, emphasised the importance of the cohesion policy and of the common agricultural policy in the new multi-annual budget framework. On the sidelines of the meeting, the President of Romania held talks with the British PM, Theresa May, to discuss the Brexit deal and the situation of the Romanian community in the UK. Klaus Iohannis mentioned that the withdrawal agreement would be a major element in guaranteeing the rights of those who live, work or study in that country. In turn, Theresa May appreciated the dialogue with President Klaus Iohannis, considering Britains prospective withdrawal from the EU during Romanias presidency of the EU Council, in the first half of 2019.




    SWINE FEVER – African swine fever cases are currently reported in over 300 villages in 18 counties in Romania. The over 1,000 outbreaks affect 18 pig farms, and 500 other cases involve wild pigs. According to the National Veterinary Authority, 12 outbreaks have been closed so far in Satu-Mare County in the north-west, where the virus was first reported in Romania, last July. Veterinary authorities remind citizens that in order to prevent the virus from spreading, all susceptible animals must be culled, and owners will be compensated for their losses in keeping with the relevant legislation. African swine fever is not transmitted to humans, but it has major economic consequences.




    ATTACK – A 4th victim of the shooting in Strasbourg, who had been in a critical state since Tuesday night, died on Friday, Paris prosecutors announced. The perpetrator of the Strasbourg Christmas market attack was shot dead by the police on Thursday night. More than 700 police took part in the extensive manhunt operation.




    SPORTS – Romania Friday night lost the semi-finals of the European Womens Handball Championship to defending Olympic champions Russia, 22-28. The teams star player and leader Cristina Neagu, who is the highest scoring player in the history of the European championships, did not play on Friday, because of an injury in the match against Hungary on Wednesday, which Romania lost. The match for the European bronze is scheduled for Sunday. The national womens handball team has nonetheless ensured their ticket to the World Championship in Japan next year.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)