Radio România Internațional

Tag: swimming

  • Sports roundup

    Sports roundup

    The year 2025 in sports has begun in Otopeni, nearby Bucharest, with a top-flight water polo competition, actually the World Cup fixtures. On Tuesday, in Division One’s Group C, Romania sustained a 7-10 defeat by the United States. In the first part of the game, Romania succeeded to put on a balanced game against the bronze medalists at the Paris Olympics, yet the US team had the upper hand in the final part of the match. On Wednesday, Romania take on Japan.

    Division One’s first six teams in descending order advance to the Super Final. Joining them are Division Two’s two best teams. Taking part in the competition are the world’s strongest teams. Serbia, in Group B, is the defending Olympic champion. Also part of Group B is Croatia, the Olympic vice-champions. In Group A, Spain is the European champion and the current World Cup holders.

    After three legs in the Dakkar Rally, the Romanian motorcyclist Emanuel Gyenes is 3rd-placed. In the third leg, Gyenes was 30th-placed, finishing 24 minutes and 20 seconds later than the winner. In the auto class, one of the Romanian carmaker Dacia’s cars is piloted by the French Sebastien Loeb, a nine-time rallies world champion. Also driving a Dacia Sandriders is Qatar’s Nasser Al Attiyah, who is second-placed according to the general rankings, arriving 7 minutes and 17 seconds later than the leader, the South-African Henk Lategan, driving a Toyota Gazoo Racing.

    In news from tennis, on Wednesday Monica Niculescu and Fanny Stollar have advanced to the women’s doubles finals as part of the WTA 250 tournament in Tasmania’s Hobart, an event with 275, 094 USD in prize money. The Romanian-Hungarian in the round of 16 defeated the all-American pair made of Sabrina Santamaria and Sloane Stephens, 5-7, 6-3, 10-4. In Melbourne where the Australian Open is well under way, Anca Todoni and Gabriela Ruse have reached the last round of the qualifiers. On Wednesday, Todoni grabbed a 6-3, 6-2 win against Spanish challenger Leyre Romero Gormaz. Ruse defeated Germany’s Anna-Lena Friedsam, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

    A training stage is ongoing in Turkey’s Antalya for several Romanian football teams. In the recently-played friendlies, on Tuesday, FC Botosani and Bulgarian champion team Ludogoreţ Razgrad, drew, 1-all. Gloria Buzău grabbed a 2-1 win against third-tier Turkish team Kastamonuspor. FC Hermannstadt Sibiu grabbed a 3-nil win against third-tier German team Alemania Aachen. Alo on Tuesday, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe sustained a 1-4 defeat by Swiss champions Young Boys Berne. We recall on Monday Sepsi sustained a 1-3 defeat by second-league Belgian team Molenbeek.

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    The European women’s handball championship has ended. In the final in Vienna on Sunday, Norway defeated Denmark 31 to 23. In the final ranking of the competition, Romania took 11th place. In a ceremony also held in Vienna, but on Saturday, former Romanian handball players Luminiţa Huţupan-Dinu and Carmen Amariei were included in the Gallery of European handball legends, the EHF Hall of Fame. In this classification, inaugurated in 2023, there are two more Romanians: Narcisa Lecuşanu and Cristina Vărzaru.

     

    Now swimming. Romania ended the World Aquatics Swimming Championships, also known as shorts course worlds, in Budapest without having any athlete qualified in the finals. The best result was obtained by Andrei-Theodor Proca, a swimmer who ranked 12th in the 1,500 meters event. Robert Badea, who set a new national record in the 400-meter mixed race, also stood out. The time he achieved, the 11th of the heats, was still not good enough to ensure him a place in the eight finals.

     

    Now rugby. Dinamo Bucharest won Romania’s Rugby Cup, after defeating Ştiinţa Baia Mare in the final, score 29-24. The Bucharest team scored five tries, namely two by Mihai Graure and the other three by Ovidiu Cojocaru, Joe Perez and Jondre Williams. Two of these were converted by Helarius Kisting. Kefetnse Mahlo, Ghiorghi Menabde and Adriaan Ludick scored tries for Ştiinţa Baia mare, all converted by Paul Popoaia, who also scored from a penalty kick.

     

    Let’s move on to football. Romania has found out its opponents in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Thus, the Romanian footballers will be part of group H, along with Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus and San Marino. On March 21 next year, the first match will take place in Bucharest pitting Bosnia against Herzegovina. The winners of the 12 preliminary groups will qualify directly. Competing for the other four places available for the European zone, are the 12 teams ranked second in the groups and the best ranked group winners of the League of Nations, 2024-25 edition, that did not qualify following the preliminaries.

     

    At the weekend, games were played counting for the Romanian Superliga, stage number 20. On Friday, Hermannstadt defeated in Botoşani 2-1, and Dinamo defeated Poli Iasi 2-0 in Bucharest. On Saturday, Oţelul ended the game in Galaţi with UTA in a draw, 1-1, then, in Craiova, Universitatea defeated Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe 2-1. In the last match of the day, Universitatea Cluj defeated Petrolul Ploieşti 4-1 at home. Two matches were played on Sunday: Unirea Slobozia with CFR Cluj and Farul Constanţa with FCSB, both ending with the same score: 1-1. Monday sees the last match of the stage: Rapid Bucharest with Gloria Buzău. Universitatea Cluj leads the ranking, with 36 points. Next is Dinamo, with 35 and FCSB, with 34. (LS)

  • 2024 Olympic Profiles

    2024 Olympic Profiles

     

    Before the Olympic Games in Paris, David Popovici was the athlete on whom the vast majority of Romanians’ hopes were pinned. And he did not disappoint. He became the new Olympic champion of the 200m freestyle event and won the bronze in the 100m freestyle race. In Paris, he was the first member of Team Romania to win a gold medal, on Monday, July 29th. His success in the 200m race was also the first Olympic title for Romania in men’s swimming. The girls had won Olympic gold medals in 2000, in Sydney, (Diana Mocanu in the 100m and 200m backstroke), and in 2004, in Athens (Camelia Potec in the 200m freestyle).

     

    In the 200m freestyle final in Paris, David was the most likely to win. He had the best performance of the season, and had achieved the best times in the Olympic qualifiers and semi-finals. But the final was unexpectedly balanced. Germany’s Lukas Maertens, the Olympic 400m champion, started very well, but by mid-race he slowed down. The American Luke Hobson and Britons Matthew Richards and Duncan Scott also seemed able to win, but eventually David Popovici triumphed.

     

    Aged only 19, David thus added to his track record the only medal he was missing, the Olympic one. He had won 2 world champion titles, in Budapest in 2022, and 5 European champion titles: on in Kazan, in 2021, in a short-course pool, and then 2 each in Rome, in 2022 and in Belgrade, this year, in Olympic-size pools.

     

    In the 100m freestyle event, David came out 3rd after a breathtaking final, in which China’s Pan Zhanle broke the world record by 0.40 sec. With 2 medals, gold and bronze, Popovici remains the Romanian athlete with the best individual performance at the Paris Olympics.

  • THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    OG 2024 – Romanian performance

    By Friday, August 2, during the first week of the Olympic Games in Paris, Romanian athletes won 6 medals – 2 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze. At the age of 19, swimmer David Popovici won the final of the 200-meter freestyle event, then won bronze in the 100-meter freestyle final. And rowing provided real moments of joy. Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache won the gold medals in men’s double rowing. Ancuța Bodnar and Simona Radiş also had a heroic race, ending with silver medals in women’s double rowing. Ioana Vrînceanu and Roxana Anghel won the silver in the women’s double sculls, and Gianina van Groningen and Ionela Cozmiuc – also the silver – in the women’s double sculls, light category. We remind you that Romania’s team at the Olympic Games in the French capital, which will end on August 11, consists of 106 athletes competing in 18 sports disciplines.

    New Romanian sites on the UNESCO Heritage List

    The Monumental Ensemble ‘Way of Heroes’, made by Constantin Brâncuşi in Târgu Jiu, a city from his native region in the southwest of Romania, as well as the Borders of the Roman Empire – Dacia, were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The decision was taken by the World Heritage Committee during its 46th session, held in India. The “Way of Heroes” is a sculptural ensemble erected between 1937 and 1938, consisting of the Endless Column, dedicated to the Romanian heroes who fell in the First World War in the region, the Kissing Gate, and the Table of Silence, surrounded by 12 round chairs, completed by 30 chairs with a square headboard, all placed directly on the ground, as a natural plinth. The ensemble represents a turning point in the history of modern art, especially monumental sculpture and public art. As for the Frontiers of the Roman Empire – Dacia, this represents the most complex nomination for the World Heritage List prepared by Romania so far. The case file lists 285 elements scattered along more than 1,000 kilometers, in 16 counties of Romania. Romania has 9 more objectives included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

    Sex scandal in the Romanian university environment

    The Ministry of Education in Bucharest has asked for investigations to be made in universities regarding the cases of sexual harassment that have been in the headlines of the Romanian news for several days. The National Council of Rectors will make a Guide of good practices regarding behavior in the university environment . The measures were announced after several female students declared, in the public space, that they were sexually abused by their teachers, and that their behavior was known among the professional entourage of the respective teaching staff, but that no one took any action. Three names are heavily circulated – sociologists Alfred Bulai and Marius Pieleanu, both from the National School of Political and Administrative Studies (SNSPA), as well as professor Dorin Ştefan Adam from the University of Architecture in the Capital. Alfred Bulai denies the accusations, but submitted his request for retirement. SNSPA suspended him from the position of director of the Department of Sociology, he will no longer teach during the internal investigation by the Faculty’s Ethics Commission, and he has a criminal record for using his position for sexual purposes. Meanwhile, dozens of people sent emails to the Prosecutor’s Office about his behavior. Marius Pieleanu was accused of sexual harassment by Ana Birchall herself, former Minister of Justice, but the Public Prosecutor’s Office says that it has not received any notification in this case. In the end, Dorin Ştefan Adam asked to be suspended from teaching work at the School of Architecture, after female students claimed that he was sending them indecent messages and naked pictures of himself. On the other hand, the Control Corps of the Ministry of Culture will go to the National Art Museum of Romania, after receiving memos, including about actions that can be interpreted as sexual harassment. In Thursday’s Government meeting, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu emphasized that such situations cannot be tolerated, regardless of the name of the aggressor. The Minister of Education, Ligia Deca, spoke about possible measures being considered – among them, one that provides that reports be sent directly to prosecutors, even if they are anonymous. And the Minister of the Family, Natalia Intotero, urged all those who feel that there is pressure on them or harassment to not wait, and to notify the authorities immediately.

    Romanian firefighters on duty in Greece

    The requests from abroad addressed to Romanian firefighters are proof that the civil defense system works – declared the Minister of the Interior, Cătălin Predoiu, on the occasion of the departure of a contingent of rescue workers to Greece. They have proven their ability to save lives, to protect communities, in the country and abroad – the official recalled. The current mission of the Romanian firefighters is carried out within the framework of the European Mechanism for Civil Protection, with European funding. A first contingent of 40 firefighters, accompanied by 8 technical devices, went to Greece to help the Greek authorities manage the situations caused by the fires. They will be replaced, after a few weeks, by two other batches of rescuers. The Romanian firefighters are requested for the 4th time in a row to send contingents to Greece.

  • Olympic Update

    Olympic Update

    Swimmer David Popovici on Wednesday won the bronze medal in the 100m Olympic race. The winner of the race was China’s Chan Zhanle, who set a new world record 46 seconds and 40 hundredths of a second. The runner-up competitor was Australia’s Kyle Chalmers, who clocked 47 seconds and 48 hundredths of a second. David Popovici came in third, with a timing of 47 seconds and 49 hundredths of a second. For David, it was the second medal he scooped as the ongoing edition of the Olympic Games in Paris, having won gold in the 200m race.

    In rowing, Florin Arteni and Florin Lehaci also on Wednesday advanced to the men’s double sculls final. Arteni and Lehaci already won the first semi-final. The Romanian crew had the lead three quarters of the race and hit the finish line two seconds earlier than the British crew. The final is scheduled on Friday. Romania last won a men’s double sculls Olympic medal in Tokyo, in 2021. Back then the silver medal went to Marius Cozmiuc and Ciprian Tudosă.

    Also qualifying to the final was the lightweight women’s pair, made of Gianina van Groningen, nee Beleagă, and Ionela Cozmiuc. On Wednesday, the Romanian crew succeeded a laid-back win of the second semifinal, arriving more than a second earlier than the Greek crew and also succeeding the best timing of the semifinals. The final is scheduled on Wednesday. In the lightweight women’s pair, Romania last won an Olympic medal in 2004 in Athens, when the gold medal went to Angela Alupei and Constanţa Burcică.

    Also on Friday, the finals are scheduled, of lightweight women’s double sculls, with Ioana Vrînceanu and Roxana Anghel representing Romania. Vrinceanu and Anghel on Wednesday came in second in the first semifinal. Romania last won a lightweight women’s double sculls Olympic medal in Beijing in 2008. Back then Georgeta Andrunache and Viorica Susanu won gold.

    Romania’ s representatives in table tennis have all been eliminated from the individual competitions. The last Romanian table tennis player to have competed individually, Bernadette Szőcs, was eliminated in the round of 16. 5th-seeded Szocs was defeated by the 15th-seeded competitor in Paris, Moldovan-born Austrian player Sofia Polcanova, 4- nil. We recall that in the mixed doubles, pairing up with Ovidiu Ionescu, Bernadette Szocs came in 5th.Romania will carry on fighting in the nations’ competition, taking on India in the round of 16, on August 5.

  • June 22, 2024 UPDATE

    June 22, 2024 UPDATE

     

    WEATHER Weather experts in Romania have issued a number of alerts for Sunday, June 23, concerning extreme heat and significant heat stress in most of the country. A code red alert for extreme heat will be in place the south of Romania. The heat wave will be persistent and temperatures will be extremely high for the 5th consecutive day, reaching 38-39 degrees Celsius, with lows around 20 degrees.

     

    EMPLOYMENT The number of public sector employees in Romania in April 2024 was 1,292,549,up 3,009 since the previous month, according to data made public by the finance ministry. Of the over 826,000 employees in the central public administration, more than 600,000 were working in institutions fully funded from the state budget. The largest number of such positions was reported in the education ministry (302,230), followed by the interior ministry (123,859), defence ministry (73,818), finance ministry (24,762) and health ministry (18,156). Working in local public administration institutions this April were 466,308 people, of whom 286,443 in institutions fully funded from local budgets and 179,865 in institutions fully or partly financed from other revenues.

     

    DISINFORMATION The Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu and the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed in Washington a Memorandum of Understanding on countering information manipulation. Among other things, the document provides for the coordinated development of relevant strategies, as well as for the involvement of independent media, civil society and the academia in fighting disinformation. According to a news release, the two officials have also reviewed the progress made by Romania towards inclusion in the Visa Waiver Programme, and have reconfirmed their commitment to close cooperation in view of reaching this goal as soon as possible. During her visit to the US, organised in the context of celebrating 20 years since Romania joined NATO, the Romanian diplomacy chief also had meetings with the National Security Council senior director for Europe Michael Carpenter, with whom she discussed items on the Romanian-US economic and security agenda, as well as regional developments and preparations for the forthcoming NATO Summit in Washington. Also, during a meeting with Samantha Power, USAID administrator, Luminiţa Odobescu highlighted the two countries’ shared interest in strengthening the resilience of partners in the Black Sea region, with a focus on the Republic of Moldova.

     

    ORGANISED CRIME The Romanian interior minister Cătălin Predoiu had a meeting with the British ambassador to Bucharest, Giles Matthew Portman. The talks focused on measures to be taken in order to curb transnational organised crime. According to the interior ministry, another topic approached by the 2 officials was improving the efficiency of police work, including institutional reforms, so as to handle current challenges. Predoiu highlighted the very good cooperation between the two countries, as well as the opportunities to further develop it under the Romanian-British Strategic Partnership. The Romanian official pointed out that border protection is a priority for Romania, whose goal is to strengthen and protect the Schengen area. Mr. Predoiu also mentioned that the implementation of the Pact on migration and asylum would be both a challenge for the Member States, and an opportunity to improve national migration and asylum management systems.

     

    FESTIVAL Sibiu, in central Romania, is hosting the 31st International Theatre Festival (FITS). For 10 days, the public can choose from as many as 830 events, including theatre performances, music, dance, circus, exhibitions and public reading sessions, which bring together over 5,000 artists from 82 countries. Internationally acclaimed actors, directors and writers such as John Malkovich, Tim Robbins, Pippo delBono and Neil LaBute are also expected to attend. Many of the international productions in FITS may be viewed online this year, on the online platform “Scena Digitală” of the Sibiu “Radu Stanca” National Theatre, the main organiser of FITS 2024. “In terms of the number of participants, the number of partners, the diversity of projects in the festival, I believe this is the most complex cultural event in Romania and a major one at international level,” said the culture minister Raluca Turcan, who attended several events in the Festival, including the opening of the Romania-Poland Cultural Season, the first in the history of the 2 countries’ bilateral relations.

     

    SWIMMING The Romanian swimmer David Popovici defended his gold at the 200m freestyle event in the European Aquatics Championships in Belgrade, after also winning the 100m freestyle race. The next challenge for the Romanian swimmer is the Olympic competition, in which Romania will be represented by 93 athletes. The latest one to qualify is the wrestler Răzvan Arnăuţ, in the 60kg Greco-Roman category, after the International Olympic Committee disqualified several Russian and Byelorussian athletes. (AMP)

  • June 22, 2024

    June 22, 2024

     

    WEATHER A code red alert for extreme heat is in place today in 5 counties in the south of Romania, with temperatures expected to reach 38-39 degrees Celsius. On Sunday the heat wave is predicted to stay in place and even extend to the capital city Bucharest as well. Later this afternoon, heavy rainfalls and storms are expected in the northern part of the country.

     

    DISINFORMATION The Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu and the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed in Washington a Memorandum of Understanding on countering information manipulation. Among other things, the document provides for the coordinated development of relevant strategies, as well as for the involvement of independent media, civil society and the academia in fighting disinformation. According to a news release, the two officials have also reviewed the progress made by Romania towards inclusion in the Visa Waiver Programme, and have reconfirmed their commitment to close cooperation in view of reaching this goal as soon as possible. During her visit to the US, organised in the context of celebrating 20 years since Romania joined NATO, the Romanian diplomacy chief also had meetings with the National Security Council senior director for Europe Michael Carpenter, with whom she discussed items on the Romanian-US economic and security agenda, as well as regional developments and preparations for the forthcoming NATO Summit in Washington. Also, during a meeting with Samantha Power, USAID administrator, Luminiţa Odobescu highlighted the two countries’ shared interest in strengthening the resilience of partners in the Black Sea region, with a focus on the Republic of Moldova.

     

    ORGANISED CRIME The Romanian interior minister Cătălin Predoiu had a meeting with the British ambassador to Bucharest, Giles Matthew Portman. The talks focused on measures to be taken in order to curb transnational organised crime. According to the interior ministry, another topic approached by the 2 officials was improving the efficiency of police work, including institutional reforms, so as to handle current challenges. Predoiu highlighted the very good cooperation between the two countries, as well as the opportunities to further develop it under the Romanian-British Strategic Partnership. The Romanian official pointed out that border protection is a priority for Romania, whose goal is to strengthen and protect the Schengen area. Mr. Predoiu also mentioned that the implementation of the Pact on migration and asylum would be both a challenge for the Member States, and an opportunity to improve national migration and asylum management systems.

     

    FESTIVAL Sibiu, in central Romania, is hosting the 31st International Theatre Festival (FITS). For 10 days, the public can choose from as many as 830 events, including theatre performances, music, dance, circus, exhibitions and public reading sessions, which bring together over 5,000 artists from 82 countries. Internationally acclaimed actors, directors and writers such as John Malkovich, Tim Robbins, Pippo delBono and Neil LaBute are also expected to attend. Many of the international productions in FITS may be viewed online this year, on the online platform “Scena Digitală” of the  Sibiu “Radu Stanca” National Theatre, the main organiser of FITS 2024.

     

    SWIMMING The Romanian swimmer David Popovici defended his gold at the 200m freestyle event in the European Aquatics Championships in Belgrade, after also winning the 100m freestyle race. The next challenge for the Romanian swimmer is the Olympic competition, in which Romania will be represented by 93 athletes. The latest one to qualify is the wrestler Răzvan Arnăuţ, in the 60kg Greco-Roman category, after the International Olympic Committee disqualified several Russian and Byelorussian athletes.

     

    FOOTBALL Romania’s national football team plays against Belgium tonight in Cologne, in Group E of the European Football Championship. A draw against Belgium would give Romania enough reasons to hope for a qualification in the eighth-finals. On Friday, Ukraine, which lost its first match in this tournament, 3-0 to Romania, defeated Slovakia 2-1. Romania, Ukraine and Slovakia have 3 points each in Group E, while Belgium has no points yet. More than 20,000 Romanian fans will support the team in Cologne tonight. This is Romania’s 6th participation in the Euro, after the ones in 1984, 1996, 2000, 2008 and 2016. A team of Romanian referees also takes part in this year’s continental competition. (AMP)

  • June 20, 2024

    June 20, 2024

    UKRAINE In Bucharest, the Supreme Defence Council convened today to analyse a possible transfer of a Patriot missile system to Ukraine’s armed forces, after the US president Joe Biden called on the NATO member states in Europe that own such systems to look into the possibility of donating some to Ukraine. Over a month ago in Washington president Klaus Iohannis said in a meeting with the US president at the White House that Bucharest would find a solution for a possible transfer, but emphasised at that point that it was unacceptable for Romania to be left without anti-aircraft defence. In the Council meeting today, the participants will also present Bucharest’s goals at the NATO Summit due in Washington next week, given that a deterrence posture is critical for Romania, and the country’s defence capacity must be complete. On the other hand, president Klaus Iohannis stated yesterday that after the discussion in the Council he would also make public his decision regarding his NATO leadership candidacy, after both Hungary and Slovakia had announced their support for Mark Rutte (Netherlands) as the next NATO secretary general.

     

    DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu is on a 2-day official visit to the US as of today. She is scheduled to have political talks with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and will also have meetings with National Security Council members. The Romanian diplomat will also take part in the opening of the Romania-US Economic Forum, where she will highight the development potential of the Romanian-US economic relations, including through cooperation in the energy sector and in the Ukraine reconstruction efforts. Organised in the context of the celebration of 20 years since Romania joined NATO, the visit is an opportunity to review the progress made in the bilateral relations, in the cooperation for strengthening Euro-Atlantic security, with a focus on the Black Sea region and on identifying means to consolidate the Romania-US Strategic Partnership.

     

    MILITARY Romania takes over for 6 months the command of a NATO vessel group operating in the Mediterranean, which also includes military ships from Italy, Spain and Turkey, officials for the Romanian Naval Forces announced. The “Viceamiral Constantin Bălescu” minelayer, with a crew of 85 Romanian and foreign troops, leaves the Constanţa military port to the port of Salamis, in Greece, where the command transfer ceremony is scheduled on Friday. The Romanian Naval Forces mentioned that, with the participation in this mission, Romania helps meet the commitments regarding regional security and strengthen international cooperation in view of maintaining stability in the Mediterranean.

     

    VISIT Romania and Italy will continue to work together and to cooperate with all Allies towards strengthening NATO’s role in preventing any wars, president Klaus Iohannis said after a meeting with his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella, who was on an official visit to Bucharest on Wednesday. Klaus Iohannis highlighted the foundations for the development of the bilateral relation and cooperation with Italy, including as part of European and Euro-Atlantic structures. In turn, Sergio Mattarella said he supported Romania’s full Schengen membership. As for the European dimension, the president of Italy emphasized that the EU enlargement was a major objective.

     

    SWIMMING The Romanian swimmer David Popovici won the 100m freestyle race on Wednesday night at the European Aquatics Championships in Belgrade, with 46 sec 88/100. Popovici was only two hundredths of a second away from the European record he set in Rome in 2022. The world record (46 sec 80/100) was set in February by China’s Zhanle Pan. Second in the European competition came Nandor Nemeth (Hungary), 47 sec 49/100, followed by Serbia’s Andrej Barna, 47 sec 66/100. In the 2022 European Championships in Rome, David Popovici won Romania two gold medals, in the 100m and 200m freestyle races. (AMP)

  • Sports flash

    Sports flash

    Romanian swimmer David Popovici walked away with gold this past Wednesday in the 100m freestyle event. as part of the European Swimming Championships in Belgrade. Popovici clocked 46 seconds and 88 hundredths of a second, a mere two minutes away from the record he set in Rome, in 2022.
    We recall Popovici’s performance back then was also a new world record China’s Pan Zhanle broke in February 2024.

    In Belgrade, David Popovici was followed suit by Hungary’s Nandor Németh, who clocked 47 seconds and 49 hundredths of a second. Stepping onto the third step of the podium was Serbian swimmer Andrej Barna, who finished the race 17 hundredths of a second later than Nemeth. After the result in the Serbian capital, David Popovici has reconfirmed his Olympic medal hopeful status, in the 100m freestyle event.

    This coming weekend will reveal if David Popovici is still in full command of the other event where he is the defending European champion, the 200m freestyle. In 2022 in Rome, Popovici set a new juniors’ European and world record. Back then David clocked one minute, 42 seconds and 97 hundredths of a second. He was less than a second away, actually 97 hundredths of a second, from the world record set by Germany’s Paul Biedermann in 2009.

    In 2024, as part of the Mare Nostrum contest in Barcelona, in the 200m race, David clocked one minute, 44 seconds and 74 hundredths of a second. In the final, Popovici outperformed the event’s world champion, South-Korean Sun-woo Hwang, finishing the race nearly one second earlier.
    The Romanian swimmers’ performance in the European Championships in Belgrade have been unassuming for the other events they competed in.

    In the women’s 200m backstroke final on Tuesday, Aissia-Claudia Prisecariu came in 7th. Also 7th came Denis Laurean Popescu in the 50m butterfly final. On Wednesday in the 10-meter platform dive final, Ioana-Andreea Cârcu came in 11th.
    In the swimming contest, Denis -Laurean Popescu has wasted the opportunity to qualify to the 100m butterfly final.

  • February 5, 2024 UPDATE

    February 5, 2024 UPDATE

    TALKS Representatives of the Sanitas and Solidaritatea
    Sanitară trade union federations on Monday held talks with Prime Minister
    Marcel Ciolacu amid recent protests to discuss pay rise demands and staff
    shortages. Talks are still underway but the government has pledged a 15% pay
    rise besides the 5% indexation early this year. The Executive proposed to apply
    the raise in two stages, one in March of 10% and another one in June of 5
    percent. Representatives of the Solidaritatea Sanitara say they will continue
    the talks with the government as well as their protests, which are to culminate
    with a large-scale meeting in the Victory Square in Bucharest on March 11.
    Trade unionists say the Romanian medical system is facing an acute staff
    shortage, including nurses, paramedics and other auxiliary personnel. Health
    Minister Alexandru Rafila has given assurances that a significant part of the
    pay claims made by the protesters will be solved. He has also admitted to the
    salary gaps in the Romanian hospitals.






    AMBASSADOR Romania’s
    former ambassador to Spain, George-Gabriel Bologan is to become presidential
    advisor after Romanian president Klaus Iohannis signed his appointment on
    Monday. George-Gabriel Bologan was Romania’s ambassador to Spain since 2022 and
    also served as the country’s ambassador in Italy in 2016. The decision comes
    after on January 30, Iohannis signed the resignation of foreign policy advisor
    Bogdan Aurescu, who in November was elected judge of the UN International Court
    of Justice for a mandate due to commence on February 6.






    SWIMMING 19-year-old
    Romanian swimmer Andrei Enache broke a new world record, winning the fastest
    heat in the 250 m freestyle race, while Dragoş Ghile won the gold in the 100 m
    butterfly race, also breaking the world record, on Sunday, on the final day of
    the European Ice Swimming Championship hosted by the Romanian city of Oradea. Simona
    Chiru won the silver medal in the women’s 50 m freestyle race, having come
    first in Saturday’s final in the 100 m freestyle race and setting a new world
    record. The water in the Olympic stadium in Oradea was 4.4 degrees Celsius.
    This 1st edition of the European Ice Swimming Championship held
    between 1st and 4th February brought together teams from
    27 different countries. Romania was represented by 35 swimmers.






    FARMERS The problems of farmers are to be discussed by
    Euro MPs meeting this week in Strasbourg. They will assess the situation of
    farmers and the prices of agricultural products amid protests in many EU
    countries, including Romania. Farmers are worried about the Union’s
    environmental and commercial policies and their alleged negative impact on
    agriculture. Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis is also to travel to Strasbourg
    to attend the debates in the European Parliament on Wednesday. This series of
    debates was launched in 2022, soon after the start of the war against Ukraine
    and 12 such meetings with European leaders have taken place since then. The aim
    is to reiterate European values and unity, to consolidate democratic debate on
    current issues and to generate a consistent vision of the future of the
    European project.




    (bill)

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week


    Swimmers of 25 countries
    late last week proved their mettle in a top-notch international competition
    held in Luxembourg. Taking the start in Euro Meet were more than 600 swimmers eager to prove themselves but also to meet the qualification standards set for
    the Olympic Games in Paris. The world’s best swimmer today, David Popovici, was
    among the participants. He won gold in the 100m and 200m freestyle events.


    Reason
    enough for Radio Romania International to designate David Popovici the Athlete of
    the week.


    In the 100m
    freestyle event, Popovici La 100 de metri liber, as part of Euro Meet in Luxembourg
    Popovici set a new competitional record, clocking 48 seconds and one hundredth
    of a second. With 46 seconds and 86 hundredths of a seconds, Popovici is the
    event’s record holder, so in Luxembourg, David Popovici was not at the peak of his career.

    His timing in the 200m freestyle event was not
    extraordinary either. In Luxembourg, Popovici clocked 46 seconds and 86 hundredths
    of a second. We recall that at the 2023 edition of the World Championships in Japan’s
    Fukukoa, where Popovici came in 4th, he clocked 44 seconds and 86
    hundredths of a second. There is still a lot more work to be done ahead of the
    Olympics…David Popovici announced he would not take part in the World
    Championships, scheduled in February in Qatar, which proves he will totally
    focus on his training for the Olympic Games in Paris.


    David
    Popovici was born in Bucharest, on September 15, 2004. David compelled
    recognition in 2021, in the juniors’ competitions. We recall that back then at
    the European Championships in Rome, Popovici won the 200m, 100m and 50m free-style
    events, setting a new world record for the latter event as well as a new world
    juniors’ record event. Subsequently, David broke the world juniors’ records in
    the 100m and 200m freestyle event. He succeeded the qualification to the Tokyo
    Olympics, where he came in fourth in the 200m free-style event, being two hundredths
    of a second away from stepping onto a step of the podium. In the seniors’
    category, Popovici first won his major title in November 2021. We recall that
    back then, in Russia’s Kazan. Popovici became a European champion in the 200m
    freestyle event.


    David’s
    career-best so far occurred in 2022. At the World Seniors’ Championships held
    in June 2023in Budapest, Popovici won the 100m and 200m freestyle events, an
    absolute first for Romanian sports. Then in August 2023, at the European Championships
    in Rome, in 2023, David Popovici clocked 46 seconds and 86 hundredths of a
    second, setting a new world record. He was that close to setting another world
    record when he won the 200m freestyle event.


    In
    2023, David maintained his position according to the world rankings, yet he was
    unable to step onto a step of the podium in the major competitions held in an Olympic
    swimming pool.

  • Sports Roundup

    Romania ended the European Short Course Swimming Championship with two bronze medals. In Otopeni, near Bucharest, Andrei Ungur ranked 3rd in the final of the 100m backstroke on Friday, then, on Sunday, David Popovici also finished 3rd in the 100m freestyle race. In 2021, at the previous edition of the European short course swimming championship, in Kazan, Russia, Popovici won the gold medal in the 200m freestyle, and Robert Glinţă won silver in the 100m backstroke and bronze in the 50m backstroke.



    Now news from handball. Romania’s women’s handball team will not go to next year’s Olympic Games in Paris. At the World Championships taking place these days in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, coach Florentin Pera’s trainees missed the qualification in the quarterfinals, a performance that would have opened their way to the pre-Olympic tournaments. From the main Group III, Denmark and Germany, the two teams that defeated Romania, managed to obtain qualification. On Saturday, the Romanian handballers defeated Japan 32 to 28. Romania’s last match takes place on Monday, against Poland.



    We pass on to rugby. Dinamo Bucharest is Romania’s rugby champion again, after a 15-year break. On Saturday, at the Arcul de Triumf (Arch of Triumph) arena in Bucharest, in the final of the National League, the Dinamo players defeated the champion of the last four editions, Ştiinţa Baia Mare, score 17 to 13. It is the 17th national championship title won by Dinamo. SCM Timişoara won bronze, after defeating Steaua Bucharest in the third place match with the score 26-8.



    Now football. Over the weekend, matches were played in the Romanian Football Superleague, counting for stage number 19. On Friday, Poli Iași defeated UTA Arad 1-0 at home. On Saturday, FC Voluntari won, away from home, against Rapid Bucharest, 2-1. With the same score, Hermannstadt defeated, on Sunday, in Sibiu, Universitatea Craiova. Also on Sunday, Farul Constanţa won the match in Ovidiu with Petrolul Ploieşti 3-1, and the match in Cluj, between CFR and FCSB, ended in a draw 1-1. Monday will see two more matches: FC U Craiova 1948 with FC Botoşani and Dinamo Bucharest with Universitatea Cluj. The stage ends on Tuesday, when Oţelul will take on Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe in Galati. FCSB leads the ranking, with 38 points. Next is CFR with 33. (LS)

  • December 9, 2023 UPDATE

    December 9, 2023 UPDATE

    Diphtheria – The Romanian Health Ministry announced on Saturday that medical doctors detected strains of non-toxigenic cutaneous diphtheria in two men aged 38 and 40, drug users, infected with HIV. According to the quoted source, the two were admitted to an infectious diseases hospital in Bucharest, with skin lesions, but their evolution is favorable. The last case of diphtheria with toxigenic strains was registered in Romania in 1989. This type of diphtheria is prevented by vaccination from the first year of life, with the vaccine included in the National Program, the Health Ministry informs.



    Ukraine — The Romanian FM, Luminiţa Odobescu, reiterated, on Friday, Romanias support for opening accession negotiations between the EU and Ukraine, a topic which, along with the launch of a similar action for the Republic of Moldova, will dominate the European summit scheduled, in one week, in Brussels. During the discussions in Bucharest, the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olha Ştefanișina thanked Romania for the constructive dialogue related to the prospects of accession and pointed out that her country made enormous efforts to overcome the obstacles in the way of reforms. The deputy prime minister also recalled that the Ukrainian parliament adopted, on Friday, the amendments to the National Minorities Law, in order to implement the latest recommendations of the European institutions. On November 8, 2023, the European Commission positively assessed Ukraines reforms in the field of rule of law and fighting corruption, but asked Kyiv to make rapid improvements to the law on the use of national minorities languages ​​in the education system and the public space, according to the Venice Commissions recommendations. The decision to launch accession negotiations requires unanimity from the 27 member states, but is threatened by the opposition of the Hungarian PM Viktor Orban.



    Timişoara – 80,000 people have so far visited the Brâncusi Exhibition, open at the National Art Museum in Timişoara (western Romania) until January 28, 2024. According to the authorities, it is the most successful event of the European Capital of Culture program and represents the debut of major artistic projects. Timişoara officially ended the European Capital of Culture program with a festive gala held on Friday evening at the Palace of Culture. “Timişoara 2023 has shown that we can imagine a creative and prosperous future of solidarity, not just for our city, but for the entire Europe, said the mayor of the city, Dominic Fritz. The events that mark the end of the Timişoara European Capital of Culture program will end on Sunday with the concerts given by Jessie J and Roisin Murphy, international stars with thousands of fans around the world.



    Handball — Romania’s womens handball team defeated Japan 32-28, in the second match of the main groups at the World Championship organized in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. In the first game, they lost to Germany. With four accumulated points, the Romanian handballers are ranked 3rd in a group led by Germany and Denmark. Their last match is on Monday, against Poland. Romania is the only team that participated in all 26 editions of the World Womens Handball Championship and has a gold medal, two silver medals and one bronze. In the previous edition, the Romanian players took 13th place.



    Swimming – The Romanian athlete David Popovici ranked only fourth in the final of the 200 m freestyle, on Saturday, at the European Short Course Swimming Championships (25 meters) in Otopeni, near Bucharest. Popovici, the defending European champion, had qualified for the final with the best time. On Friday, Andrei Ungur won the first medal for Romania, bronze in the 100m backstroke.



    Tel Aviv – Israel on Saturday continued bombing the Gaza Strip in the war against Hamas, after the US vetoed a UN resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is apocalyptic, according to NGOs. France Presse reports that Washingtons blocking the UN Security Council resolution was quickly condemned by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas terrorists, who have been in power in the Gaza Strip since 2007. The Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said a ceasefire would prevent the collapse of the Hamas organization. The war was triggered by a bloody attack committed on October 7 by Hamas commandos who infiltrated the Israeli territory, an attack in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed, according to Israeli authorities. Approximately 240 people were taken hostage and taken to Gaza, where 138 are still being held. (LS)

  • Sports weekend


    Headline-hitting these days is the IHF Womens World Handball Championship. Romania sustained a defeat in the competitions main group stage. In Denmarks Herning, Florentin Peras trainees on Thursday were outclassed by Germany, 24-22, after a confrontation where the winner was decided in the second part of the second half of the game. Romania had a 12-9 lead at half time. The teams top scorer was Eliza Buceschi, with 8 goals scored. Not completely recovered after a recent injury, Cristina Neagu was also on the pitch, for the first time at this edition of the world championship, and scored three goals.



    After their most recent run at the ongoing World Championship, Romania are 5th placed in Main Group III, with a mere two points on their record sheet. On Saturday, also in Herning, Romania faces Japan, the team that on Thursday defeated Denmark, 27-26. Advancing to the quarterfinals are the first two teams in descending order in each of the main groups.



    The European Short-course Swimming Championships are underway in Otopeni, near Bucharest. A 21-strong delegation of Romanian swimmers, 7 girls and 14 boys, will prove their mettle in the competition. Several events are scheduled later this week, with the Romanian swimmers standing a real chance to grab a medal. In 2021, at the previous edition of the Short-course Championships, held in Russias Kazan, David Popovici walked home with gold in the 200m freestyle event, while Robert Glinta won silver, in the 100m backstroke event, and bronze, in the 50m backstroke event.



    The last fixtures as part of Romanian Football Cups group stage have been played this week. On Thursday, in Group C, FC U Craiova grabbed a 2-nil home win against FCSB, while Bucharest Dinamo and Otelul Galaţi drew, 3-all. In the quarterfinals, scheduled on April 3rd, 2024, second-league team Corvinul Hunedoara go against CFR Cluj, FC U Craiova face FC Voluntari, Oţelul Galaţi play an away game against Universitatea Craiova, while Universitatea Cluj play a home fixture against FC Hermannstadt of Sibiu.



    Matches counting towards Romanian Football Super leagues 19th round are scheduled at the weekend and early next week. On Friday, Poli Iaşi are pitted against UTA Arad. On Saturday, Rapid Bucharest play FC Voluntari. On Sunday, FC Hermannstadt face Universitatea Craiova, Farul Constanţa go against Petrolul Ploieşti while CFR Cluj play FCSB. On Monday, FC U Craiova 1948 take on FC Botoşani, while Dinamo Bucharest go against Universitatea Cluj. The 19th rounds last game is Otelul Galatis home fixture against Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe. FCSB are at the top of the table, with 37 points. CFR Cluj follow, with 32.




  • October 9, 2023

    October 9, 2023

    WAR Clashes were still reported on Monday between the
    Israeli army and Palestinian fighters infiltrated in the south of the country
    from Gaza, after Israel reportedly hit over 500 targets of Hamas and the
    Islamic Jihad organisations during the night. The Israeli defence forces have
    full control over the southern part of the country, attacked by the Palestinian
    Hamas forces, an Israeli military spokesman said on Monday, quoted by AFP and
    Reuters. This is the 3rd day of violent clashes that have so far
    killed around 1,200 people, over 700 of whom Israelis and at least 493
    Palestinians, EFE reported on Monday. Israel’s security cabinet declared war following the attacks of the Palestinian
    organisation Hamas, allowing the government to undertake significant military
    activities, the PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced on Sunday.


    ISRAEL On Monday 96 Romanian nationals were repatriated from Israel, via
    Jordan, on a Tarom flight, the foreign ministry announced. Another 245 Romanian citizens were repatriated on Sunday, including 2 pilgrim
    groups. The foreign ministry reiterates its recommendation that Romanian
    nationals should reschedule their planned trips to Israel and monitor the Travel
    Alerts section on its home page. Meanwhile, a mobile consular team from the
    Romanian embassy in Israel and from Romania’s representation office in Ramallah is at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv
    to provide assistance to the Romanians there. A unit from the ministry’s emergency
    response team has also been deployed to Israel, to help in the repatriation
    efforts.


    VISIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis is on a visit to Portugal,
    where he is scheduled to have talks today with PM António Costa, with the president
    of the Assembly of the Republic Augusto Santos Silva, and with Portuguese MPs.
    On Saturday, Iohannis had a meeting with his Portuguese counterpat, Marcelo
    Rebelo de Sousa, discussing the war in neighbouring Ukraine, in which context
    he reiterated thanks for Portugal’s substantial contribution to the defence and
    deterrence posture on NATO’s eastern flank. The presence on Portuguese troops
    in Romania is a strong signal of Portugal’s solidarity and support to
    strengthening Romania’s security, president Iohannis said. On the other hand,
    the president of Portugal said his country was supporting Romania’s Schengen
    and OECD accession.


    MEETING PM Marcel Ciolacu said today in Varna, Bulgaria, that during the
    Romania – Bulgaria – Greece trilateral meeting the 3 countries agreed to
    implement a joint action plan aimed at significant development in trilateral
    cooperation in sectors such as transports, energy, trade and security. In the
    presence of EC officials, of the Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the Bulgarian
    PM Nikolay Denkov, we have reiterated Romania’s ambition of quickly becoming a
    Schengen member state and an influential economic player in the region, Marcel
    Ciolacu said. The Romanian official also added that Romania, in a partnership
    with Bulgaria and Greece, may have a greater influence in the EU, promoting its
    central role in the reconstruction of Ukraine and its willingness to see the
    Republic of Moldova and Western Balkans countries joining the European bloc as
    soon as possible.


    HOLOCAUST Romania marks today the National Holocaust Remembrance Day. On
    October 9, 1941, the deportation of Jews from Bessarabia and Bukovina to
    Transdniester started. The Holocaust was recognised by the Romanian authorities
    in 2004, based on the conclusions reached by a commission headed by Nobel prize
    winner Elie Wiesel. The Jews and Roma who died during the Holocaust were
    commemorated in Bucharest, while Timişoara is hosting a concert organised by
    the local Jewish community.


    SWIMMING The Romanian athlete David Popovici, the defending European
    champion in the 100 and 200m freestyle races, won all the 4 short course competitions
    in which he took part this weekend in Nyon (Switzerland). On Sunday he finished
    the 100m and 50m freestyle events in the first position, with 47.22s and 21.83s
    respectively, after on Saturday he had won the 400 and 200m freestyle races. The
    competition in Switzerland is training opportunity ahead of the European short
    course championships scheduled in December in Otopeni, near Bucharest. (AMP)