Radio România Internațional

Tag: Storhamar

  • Athlete of the Week

    Athlete of the Week

    Upon the European Championship, which ended the year 2024 for women’s handball, the inter-club competitions have again grabbed the limelight.

    The Champions League saw its ninth leg and the EHF European League kicked off with its groups phase.

    Today we are going to talk about the only Romanian success registered in the past weekend in the Champions League, which belonged to Gloria Bistrita Nasaud. On Saturday, the Romanians clinched their third win in the present edition of the aforementioned competition, where our handballers had just made their debut. Coach Florentin Pera’s trainees clinched a 31 – 28 home win against the Norwegians from Storhamar, a side which defeated them twice last year;  the first time  in the finals of the EHF European League, in Austria in May, and also on Storhamar’s own ground in October, when they got a 25-23 win.

    The Norwegians were also close to victory in Bistrita as well, as they were leading the game 15-13 before the break. However, Gloria managed an excellent second half and secured the victory in the end of the game.

    Spanish player Danila So Delgado Pinto was Gloria’s most effective scorer with 7 goals scored. Left wing Sonia Serafinceanu also managed six goals at the end of her best game in the Champions League this season. And for this reason, Radio Romania International has designated her Athlete of the Week.

    Sonia Mariana Serafinceanu was born in Hunedoara, on July 25th 1997 and took up handball at the local school sports club. She made her debut in the national league with local side Muresul and played for various top-tier sides, such as Cetate Deva, Universitatea Cluj, CSM Slatina and Minaur Baia Mare.

    She has been playing for Gloria since 2021. Sonia made her debut with Romania’s national side in 2029 at the 51st edition of the Carpathians Trophy, held in Brăila. She was part of the national lineup at the last year’s edition of the European Championship. After a lackluster play against Czechia, she scored 6 goals against Montenegro, 7 against Serbia and 3 against France. She didn’t play against Sweden but joined the Romanian lineup in the match against Hungary, where she scored 5 times.

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  • Sports Weekend

    Sports Weekend

    Three women’s handball sides from Romania will this weekend play in the third leg of the Champions League. In Group A, on their own turf, Gloria Bistrita will be up against Slovenian team Krim Ljubljana, which is presently a force to be reckoned with as they won the first two games they played this season: 24-23 against Podravka Koprivnica of Croatia, then 35-25, at home against the Danish side Nykøbing Falster. Gloria secured a 30-26 win against CSM Bucharest and lost in France to local side, Metz, 26-28. CSM will play an away game against a side that lost all the two games they played so far, Podravka Koprivnica. After their home defeat by the Slovenian champions, the Croatians also lost to the Hungarian champions Ferencváros, 24-33. CSM, however, comes after a win against the Norwegians from Storhamar, 32-28 in Bucharest.

    In Group B, Rapid Bucharest will be up in a home match against German side Ludwigsburg, formerly known as Bietigheim, the finalist of the League’s edition last year. Ludwigsburg, the champions of the last two years in Germany, lost the first two games this year: 22-28 to Odense, in Denmark, then 26-31, at home against Győr. Rapid comes after a home win against Buducnost Podgorica, 32-27, and a 30-all draw in Norway against local side Vipers Kristiansand.

    This weekend will be seeing games counting towards the tenth leg of Romania’s Football Superleague. Two matches on Friday, FC Botoşani versus Gloria Buzău and Oţelul Galaţi versus Dinamo Bucharest. On Saturday, FC Hermannstadt will be playing CFR Cluj in Sibiu and FCSB will receive Petrolul Ploieşti in Bucharest.

    On Sunday, Farul Constanţa will be up against Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, in Ovidiu, and Universitatea Cluj will be playing Universitatea Craiova.

    Monday will be seeing the leg’s last two games, UTA Arad versus Poli Iaşi and Unirea Slobozia versus Rapid Bucuresti. Universitatea Cluj tops the table with 21 points, followed by Otelul Galaţi with 16.

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  • December 18, 2022 UPDATE

    December 18, 2022 UPDATE

    COMMEMORATION Timisoara, a city in
    Western Romania, on Saturday kept a moment of silence in memory of the first
    victims of the Romanian anti-communist revolution 33 years ago. Following the
    orders given by dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, officers with the Interior and
    Defence Ministries opened fire on the peaceful protesters who had taken to the
    streets of this martyr-city. The anti-communist revolt broke out in Timisoara,
    on December 16th and extended to Bucharest on December 21st and also to other
    cities across Romania. Over one thousand people were killed and about 3
    thousand were wounded in clashes between the protesters and troops of the
    defence and interior ministries all over Romania, the only country in eastern
    Europe where the communist regime was changed through violence and
    bloodshed.








    SPORT Romanian swimmer David Popovici
    on Sunday won the silver medal in the 200 meter free-style race of the FINA
    World Swimming Championship 25 meters in Melbourne, Australia. The Romanian
    came second after South-Korean Sunwoo Hwang with Tom Dean of Britain coming
    third in the race. Popovici’s prize closet also includes a European title in
    the 200 meter free-style race, which he won in Kazan last year. In 2022 he
    walked away with gold in the 100 meter and 200 meter races both in the European
    and world championships.








    TALKS
    After heated debates on Saturday night, negotiators of the European Parliament
    and EU Council reached an agreement to overhaul the bloc’s carbon market,
    cutting planet-heating emissions faster and imposing new CO2 costs on fuels
    used in road transport and buildings. According to the Czech Environment
    Minister Marian Jurecka, the agreement will allow the EU to meet climate
    objectives within the main sectors of the economy while making sure the most
    vulnerable citizens and micro-enterprises are effectively supported in the
    climate transition.


    GAS Azerbaijan intends to slightly increase its gas exports to Europe in
    2023, the country’s president Ilham Aliyev has said as Brussels seeks to
    replace the diminishing energy supplies from Russia, Reuters reports. On
    Thursday, Gazprom announced its exports to countries outside the Community of
    Independent States dropped 45.1% between January 1st and December 15th
    as compared to the same period in 2021. If Russia completely stops gas
    deliveries to Europe and Chinese gas demand rebounded from the Covid-19
    restrictions, the EU could face a shortfall of 27 billion cubic meters of gas
    next year.






    REFUGEES According to sources with the Interior Ministry in Bucharest,
    since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24th,
    4,396 Ukrainian nationals have applied for asylum in Romania. They are
    benefitting all the rights stipulated by the national legislation. According to
    a communiqué released on Sunday, since March 3rd, more than 98
    thousand residence permits have been issued for those who requested temporary
    protection, of which 21 in the past 24 hours.








    TOURISM According to data released by the National Institute for
    Statistics, foreign tourists traveling to Romania spent about 600 million Euros
    in the first nine months of the year. More than half of them came to Romania on
    business trips and almost three quarters of them arrived here by plane. 16.5%
    came by car and a little over 5% by bus.










    MESSAGE In his Christmas pastoral
    message, Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church urges believers to
    show merciful love and solidarity to everybody but mainly to those suffering
    from war. According to the Church’s Holy Fathers, selfish acts like greed, the
    love for money, power and pleasure have a negative effect on the spirit, says
    the Patriarch. This negative effect will be further affecting the relationships
    among people, causing tension, conflicts and even violence, mainly due to the injustice
    and suffering caused by the greed or will of some peoples to conquer others. At
    the same time, the head of the Romanian Orthodox Church has urged believers to
    pray for the Romanians abroad in order to keep the national unity of faith.








    HANDBALL Romania’s vice-champions in women’s handball CSM Bucharest
    clinched a 27-24 home win against trophy-holder Norwegian side Vipers
    Kristiansand in a group A match counting towards the Champions League. CSM end
    the year first in their group with 15 points. In group B, Romania’s champions
    Rapid Bucharest secured a 36-29 away victory against Storhamar Handball Elite
    also from Norway. The Romanians are ranking second in their group with the same
    number of points, 14, as the leader, Team Esbjerg of Denmark. In the men’s
    competition of the Champions League, Dinamo Bucharest obtained a 31-all home draw
    against Telekom Veszprem of Hungary. Dinamo rank fourth in their group with 11
    points. Bucharest is the only European capital with three sides in the
    continent’s most prestigious club tournament.






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  • Sports roundup

    Sports roundup

    Last
    weekend saw the European competitions in women’s handball. In the Champions
    League’s group A, on Saturday in Budapest, local side Ferencvaros secured a
    31-27 win against CSM Bucharest. The Romanians had a two-goal advantage at the
    break as it was 16-14 to CSM, a team that ranks second in the group with 11
    points out of 9 games.






    Russian
    side Rostov-Don comes first in the ranking with 13 points out of 8 games. In
    group B on Sunday SCM Ramnicu Valcea came a cropper against the Hungarians from
    Gyor in a home match that ended 37-20 to the visitors. The Romanian champions
    are on the last position in their group with no points.






    Two
    sides representing Romania in the European League made their debut with wins.
    In the competition’s group C, on Saturday, Minaur Baia Mare clinched a 33-29
    home win at home against the Norwegians from Storhamar, while in group D, on
    Sunday, Dunarea Braila obtained a 29-27 home win against the French from Fleury
    Loiret.






    Qualification matches for the Australian Open have
    already kicked off in Doha, Qatar for men’s competitions and in Dubai for
    women’s competitions.


    Two
    Romanians, Irina Bara and Gabriela Talaba have been eliminated by Yuki Naito of
    Japan and Chloe Paquet of France, respectively. However, Romania will have five
    players on the women’s main draw: Simona Halep, Patricia Tig, Sorana Cirstea,
    Irina Begu and Ana Bogdan. The tournament in Melbourne is due over February 8th
    and 21st.






    Domestic
    football championship has resumed in Romania. On Sunday, in Ovidiu, southern
    Romania, local side Viitorul Constanta secured a 2-1 win against Hermannstadt
    in a remaining game from the previous legs.






    This
    week will see the matches of the competition’s 16th leg. Two matches
    are due on Tuesday when Gaz Metan Medias will be taking on FC Voluntari and
    Universitatea Craiova will be up against Sepsi Sf. Gheorghe. FCSB tops the
    table with 34 points followed by Universitatea Craiova with 32 and CFR with 31.




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  • Sports roundup

    Sports roundup

    Last
    weekend saw the European competitions in women’s handball. In the Champions
    League’s group A, on Saturday in Budapest, local side Ferencvaros secured a
    31-27 win against CSM Bucharest. The Romanians had a two-goal advantage at the
    break as it was 16-14 to CSM, a team that ranks second in the group with 11
    points out of 9 games.






    Russian
    side Rostov-Don comes first in the ranking with 13 points out of 8 games. In
    group B on Sunday SCM Ramnicu Valcea came a cropper against the Hungarians from
    Gyor in a home match that ended 37-20 to the visitors. The Romanian champions
    are on the last position in their group with no points.






    Two
    sides representing Romania in the European League made their debut with wins.
    In the competition’s group C, on Saturday, Minaur Baia Mare clinched a 33-29
    home win at home against the Norwegians from Storhamar, while in group D, on
    Sunday, Dunarea Braila obtained a 29-27 home win against the French from Fleury
    Loiret.






    Qualification matches for the Australian Open have
    already kicked off in Doha, Qatar for men’s competitions and in Dubai for
    women’s competitions.


    Two
    Romanians, Irina Bara and Gabriela Talaba have been eliminated by Yuki Naito of
    Japan and Chloe Paquet of France, respectively. However, Romania will have five
    players on the women’s main draw: Simona Halep, Patricia Tig, Sorana Cirstea,
    Irina Begu and Ana Bogdan. The tournament in Melbourne is due over February 8th
    and 21st.






    Domestic
    football championship has resumed in Romania. On Sunday, in Ovidiu, southern
    Romania, local side Viitorul Constanta secured a 2-1 win against Hermannstadt
    in a remaining game from the previous legs.






    This
    week will see the matches of the competition’s 16th leg. Two matches
    are due on Tuesday when Gaz Metan Medias will be taking on FC Voluntari and
    Universitatea Craiova will be up against Sepsi Sf. Gheorghe. FCSB tops the
    table with 34 points followed by Universitatea Craiova with 32 and CFR with 31.




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  • January 9, 2021

    January 9, 2021

    SCHOOL The National Committee
    for Emergency Situations in Romania decided to extend the online education
    process until February 7th. The suspension of activities involving
    the physical presence of preschoolers and students in schools and other
    education facilities comes right after the winter holiday. Education Minister
    Sorin Campeanu had earlier specified that students could return to schools
    starting February 8th. At a meeting with trade unions in the field,
    representatives of parents and students’ associations, Campeanu said that it
    all depends on the evolution of the pandemic adding that schools are going to
    open differently taking into account the infection rate in the region. The
    opposition PSD and AUR as well as the ruling UDMR are favoring the reopening of
    schools, which they believe can be done next week.










    REPATRIATION The Romanian sailor kidnapped from the Agisilaos ship off the
    shores of Togo has been released and is to be repatriated in the following
    days, the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest has announced today. According to the
    same sources, in order to settle the incident, the Crisis Management Cell set
    up on this occasion, has made a lot of efforts, which involved the company
    which hired the Romanian and other international partners. On November 30th
    2020, sources with the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest announced that Minister
    Aurescu had summoned an inter-institutional crisis management cell to address
    the incident in Togo involving the Agisilaos, where several sailors, including
    a Romanian citizen, had been kidnapped.










    DECISION The government in Bucharest is expected to pass an emergency
    ordinance to grant additional sums of money to the medical personnel involved
    in the anti-Covid National Vaccination Campaign. Under the draft, physicians
    are to receive 20 Euros per hour and nurses 10, Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu
    said. Family physicians are also going to get more money as they are considered
    an essential pillar in the immunization campaign. Roughly 100 thousand people
    have been immunized since the onset of the campaign; out of these only 314
    reported minor side effects. Romania has so far received nearly 300 thousand
    doses and 120 thousand of these doses have been directed to vaccination points.
    Roughly 5,000 fresh Covid infections were reported on Friday, most of them in
    capital Bucharest. The death toll exceeds 16,500 and 11 hundred are in
    intensive care.










    HANDBALL Romania’s vice-champions in
    women’s handball, CSM Bucharest are in Budapest to take on local side
    Ferencvaros Budapest in their first match counting towards the Champions League
    Group A. The first game went to the Romanians 25-19. CSM ranks second in the
    group with 11 points whereas Ferencvaros comes fourth with 8. On Sunday in the
    Champions League’s Group B, Romanian champions, SCM Ramnicu Valcea are taking
    on another Hungarian side, Gyor in a home match. The Romanians are last in
    their group with no point out of 5 games played. Two other Romanian sides are
    making their debut in the European League: Minaur Baia Mare takes on Norwegian
    side Storhamar Handball Elite, while Dunarea Braila are up against French side
    Fleury Loiret on Sunday.








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