Radio România Internațional

Tag: Tokyo Olympics

August 8, 2021 UPDATE

Covid-19RO. As of Sunday, France is on the red list of countries of high
epidemiological risk, the National Committee for Emergency Situations has
decided. The red zone also includes Greece, Spain, the United Kingdom, Ireland
and Portugal. Unvaccinated people arriving from these countries are quarantined
for 14 days upon arrival in Romania. Children under the age of three and those between
the ages of three and 16 are exempt if they have a negative COVID test. Turkey
entered the yellow list, which also includes Belgium and Israel, while Italy
and Germany remain in the green zone. The list of countries of epidemiological
risk is updated weekly. As regards the epidemiological situation in Romania, 208 new cases of Covid-19 were reported on
Sunday, out of 23,000 tests performed, as well as three related deaths. At
least 570 infected patients are hospitalized, of whom 80 in intensive care.

Protests. More than 230,000 people protested in France for the fourth
weekend in a row against a new health permit aimed at limiting the spread of
the coronavirus, according to authorities. These were the largest protests to
date against the health permit, a document that states that the holder has
either been completely vaccinated, has recently been tested negative or has had
Covid-19 and has recently recovered. Thousands took to the streets of Paris,
Toulon and Nice, shouting freedom. Starting Monday, the French will need this
permit to enter cafes, restaurants, nursing homes and some shopping malls.
Demonstrations against the introduction of the green vaccination certificate to
participate in indoor events and for teachers also took place in several
Italian cities this weekend. The green passport, an extension of the EU’s Covid
digital certificate, has become mandatory in Italy starting Friday, for access
to indoor cinema halls, museums and gyms restaurants indoors. School and
university staff will need this permit, as will students, and from 1 September
it will be mandatory on domestic flights and long-distance trains.

Wildfires. The patriarch of the Romanian orthodox church, Daniel, sent Ieronymos
II the Archbishop of Athens and All
Greece, a message of compassion for the suffering of those affected by
wildfires. More than 1,000 firefighters are trying to put out the blaze. More than 100 Romanian firefighters, with
23 special vehicles, have been helping since Sunday. While the flames in the
northern suburbs of Athens have been partially extinguished, they continue to
wreak havoc, especially in the north of the island of Evia, but also in the
Peloponnese. Thousands of people left their homes, many were evacuated by ferry,
houses were burned and tens of thousands of hectares of vegetation turned to
ashes. In another move, two Romanian Air
Force planes have intervened in North Macedonia in support of the authorities
in this country, which is also affected by wildfires. In Turkey, too, the worst
fires reported in the past decade have killed at least eight people and
destroyed 100,000 hectares of forest and farming land.

Declaration. Romanian Foreign
Minister Bogdan Aurescu welcomes the publication, on Sunday, of the Declaration
of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and
Security Policy, Josep Borrell, on behalf of the 27 member states, condemning
the recent attack on the tanker ‘Mercer Street’, as a result of which a
Romanian and a Brit lost their lives. Through the Declaration, the 27 reaffirm
the illegal and unjustified nature of the attack off the coast of Oman and
reconfirm that it’s a violation of international law. At the same time, the 27
emphasize the importance of guaranteeing freedom of navigation, in accordance
with international law. Last but not least, the Declaration reaffirms Iran’s
responsibility for the attack, stressing that all available evidence clearly
indicates it as the perpetrator. On Friday, the G7 foreign ministers also
accused Tehran of being responsible for the attack on the oil tanker. Iran has
denied any involvement, saying the allegations are unfounded.

Budget. In Romania, the first budget adjustment of the year is underway
and could be approved in no more than two weeks. The deficit to be covered is
80 billion lei (16.3 billion euros), and the Liberal Prime Minister Florin Cîţu
demands rigor in the distribution of money according to the capacity of the
ministries to use it. He has specified that he is in constant contact with the
ministers, to receive and evaluate their proposals. The prime minister has
stated again that he does not agree with the allocation of additional amounts
for the areas where the funds distributed since the beginning of the year have
not been spent. On the other hand, the Liberal leaders are currently
participating in the meetings of the local branches, where the new leaders are
appointed, in view of the party’s national elections due this autumn.

Olympics. At the end of 17 days of sports competitions,
the closing ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games took place in Tokyo on Sunday.
Romania completed this 32nd edition of the Olympics with 4 medals, one gold and
three silver. In the ranking of nations,
Romania is placed 46th. The team representing Romania at the Olympic Games in
Tokyo comprised 101 athletes, who competed in 17 disciplines. The Tokyo
Olympics were scheduled to take place in 2020, but the event had to be postponed
by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The next edition will be hosted by
the French capital, Paris, in 2024. (MI)

8 August 2021
August 4, 2021

Covid-19RO. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has today stated that the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be defeated by ‘discrimination’, by restrictive measures, but by vaccination, by raising public awareness, because immunization inhibits the development of the disease. According to the head of state, the decrease in the number of cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection was possible due to vaccination, and Romanians must understand that, unless they continue to get vaccinated, there is a risk of a fourth pandemic wave, as it has already happened in other European countries. In another move, the Minister of Education, Sorin Câmpeanu, has stated that the school will start on September 13 with pupils physically attending classes. He ruled out mandatory vaccination for the education staff, but encouraged them to get immunized. Minister Câmpeanu has stated that, this month, information campaigns on the importance of vaccination for the education staff will be run again, to help increase the level of immunization by the start of the new school year.

NRRP. Portugal,
Luxembourg and Belgium are the first states to receive money under their
National Recovery and Resilience Plans. This is a down-payment for amounts
promised under the EU’s post-pandemic recovery fund, totaling 800 billion euro.
According to a statement, this month, the European Commission will make
payments to other member countries as well. All states, except the Netherlands
and Bulgaria, have submitted their recovery plans to the European Commission
for approval. Romania has not yet received the green light to benefit from the European
money. Recently, the German publication Die Welt has written that Romania’s
plan is regarded with skepticism, and the Commission will decide on it by the
end of September. The Romanian Prime Minister Florin Cîţu has stated, though, that
95% of the Plan was negotiated with the European Union.

Fire. New vegetation
fires are breaking out in the north of
the Mediterranean, despite the superhuman efforts made by firefighters, who
have been battling the flames for more than a week. Greece, Turkey, Albania,
Bulgaria and Italy are on the list of countries where fire has so far destroyed
thousands of hectares of forest and vegetation. Hundreds of people have been
evacuated almost daily. In Turkey, where eight people have been killed by
flames, emergency services have managed to contain hundreds of fires, but new
outbreaks are caused by the hot wind. In Greece, the fire reached a
neighborhood on the outskirts of Athens, destroying many houses. The country is
facing the worst heat wave in decades.

Chisinau. In the Republic
of Moldova (ex-Soviet, majority Romanian-speaking), the future pro-European
government is to be invested, on Friday, by the Parliament dominated by the
Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), founded by President Maia Sandu. Last week,
she nominated Natalia Gavriliţă for the position of prime minister, after being
proposed by PAS, which, with 63 out of 101 deputy seats, has a comfortable
majority in the Chisinau Parliament. The new Cabinet will have 13 ministries.
Its immediate priorities include the efficient management of the health crisis
caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the
reform of the judiciary and the fight against corruption, the increase of the
population’s income and the resumption of external financing.

Attack. Representatives
of Britain, Romania and Liberia have informed the UN Security Council that it
is very likely that Iranian forces used one or more drones to carry out a
deadly attack on an oil tanker last week off the coast of Oman. This act
must be condemned by the international community, the representatives of
the three countries said in a letter to the 15-member council, which was
obtained by Reuters. Two crew members, a Romanian and a British man, died in
the July 29 incident. The EU and NATO have strongly condemned the drone attack
off the coast of Oman on the Israeli-run oil tanker, and Washington has
promised a collective response along with its allies against Iran. More
on this after the news.

TIFF. Transylvania
International Film Festival – TIFF – is back with a new edition in Sibiu
(center), between August 5 and 8, when over 30 films will be screened. The
event will open with the screening of the documentary ‘Wild Romania’, made by
Dan Dinu and Cosmin Dumitrache, designated the most beloved Romanian film at
this year’s TIFF in Cluj (northwest), where it won the Audience Award.
Initiated 10 years ago, ‘Wild Romania’ is the largest photography and
documentary film project dedicated to nature in Romania. The TIFF Sibiu
selection also includes the most awaited Romanian films of the year.

Tokyo. The Romanian
athlete Alexandru Novac has qualified, today, in the final of the men’s javelin
throw at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, with the best personal performance of the
season. Novac managed a throw of 83.27 meters, with which he qualified for the
final. Also in the Olympic athletics competition, Bianca Ghelber came in 6th in
the final of the women’s hammer throw event. She finished the race with a
result of 74.18 meters, which is a new personal record. Instead, Rareş Toader
missed the qualification for the final of the weightlifting event. Kriszta
Incze also has also failed to qualify for the next stage of the women’s
wrestling competition, in which she would have competed for bronze. (MI)

4 August 2021
Athletes of the Week

The Tokyo Olympics have entered the final week of competitions. Most Romanian athletes have already competed, many of them with good results. The highest performances were recorded, so far, by the rowing team, whose athletes have climbed the podium three times. In the women’s double sculls, Romania won the gold medals, and in the men’s quadruple sculls and coxless pair events, the silver medals. Following these results, Radio Romania International designates the members of the women’s double sculls crew, Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radiş, Athletes of the Week.

In the double sculls final, Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radiş won after leading the race all the way through. The podium was completed by rowers from New Zealand and the Netherlands. The Romanian boat recorded a time of 6 minutes, 41 seconds and 3 hundredths, setting a new Olympic record, over 3 seconds better than the previous record, set in London in 2012 by the British crew.

Ancuta Bodnar was born on September 25th, 1998, in the village of Vatra Moldovitei, in the northern county of Suceava. She is registered with the Dinamo Bucharest club. Simona Radis was born on April 5th, 1999, in Botosani, in northern Romania and is a member of Dinamo’s rival club, Steaua Bucharest. The two sportswomen have formed a pair for the double sculls events since 2019. Their first performance was recorded the same year, at the beginning of June, when they won the silver medals at the European Championships in Lucerne, Switzerland.

In September, in Linz, they won the silver medals at the World Championship. At the next major competitions, namely the European Championships in Poland, in Poznan, in 2020, and in Italy, in Varese, this year, Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radiş have won the gold medals.You have been listening to Athlete of the Week. Don’t’ forget you can revisit our sports shows on the internet, at rri.ro, and also on Facebook. (MI)

3 August 2021
Athletes of the Week

The Tokyo Olympics have entered the final week of competitions. Most Romanian athletes have already competed, many of them with good results. The highest performances were recorded, so far, by the rowing team, whose athletes have climbed the podium three times. In the women’s double sculls, Romania won the gold medals, and in the men’s quadruple sculls and coxless pair events, the silver medals. Following these results, Radio Romania International designates the members of the women’s double sculls crew, Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radiş, Athletes of the Week.

In the double sculls final, Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radiş won after leading the race all the way through. The podium was completed by rowers from New Zealand and the Netherlands. The Romanian boat recorded a time of 6 minutes, 41 seconds and 3 hundredths, setting a new Olympic record, over 3 seconds better than the previous record, set in London in 2012 by the British crew.

Ancuta Bodnar was born on September 25th, 1998, in the village of Vatra Moldovitei, in the northern county of Suceava. She is registered with the Dinamo Bucharest club. Simona Radis was born on April 5th, 1999, in Botosani, in northern Romania and is a member of Dinamo’s rival club, Steaua Bucharest. The two sportswomen have formed a pair for the double sculls events since 2019. Their first performance was recorded the same year, at the beginning of June, when they won the silver medals at the European Championships in Lucerne, Switzerland.

In September, in Linz, they won the silver medals at the World Championship. At the next major competitions, namely the European Championships in Poland, in Poznan, in 2020, and in Italy, in Varese, this year, Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radiş have won the gold medals.You have been listening to Athlete of the Week. Don’t’ forget you can revisit our sports shows on the internet, at rri.ro, and also on Facebook. (MI)

3 August 2021
July 30, 2021 – UPDATE

CORONAVIRUS — 153 new infections with Covid-19 have been reported in the last 24 hours, out of 28,000 tests performed, the Group for Strategic Communication announced. Also, 3 related deaths were announced. Most confirmed cases were registered in the capital Bucharest (30) and in the counties of Constanta (14) and Timis (9). Ten counties reported no infections and the country remains in the green zone. Some 410 people are treated in hospital, of whom 49 in intensive care. Also, more than 46,500 people are quarantined at home and 540 are in institutionalized quarantine. A new batch of over 100,000 doses of anti-COVID-19 vaccine produced by Moderna arrived in Romania on Friday. So far, Romania received over 1.7 million dozes of the Moderna vaccine, while over 700,000 have already been administered. We recall that, starting next month, children aged 12-17 can get the anti-COVID jab produced by Moderna, additionally to the Pfizer vaccine. Also on Friday, Johnson & Johnson delivered over 93,000 doses of its own vaccine. So far, half a million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine reached Romania, of which less than half have been administered to the population. Romania has almost 5 million people vaccinated, way below the target authorities initially set themselves.

MOLDOVA – The pro-European president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, on Friday signed the decree to appoint Natalia Gavriliță as Prime Minister of Moldova after a round of consultations with parliamentary parties. A former Minister of Finance in the Sandu Cabinet in 2019, Natalia Gavriliță has two weeks to decide on her team and submit a governing program to Parliament. She had been previously designated Prime Minister in February, but was not supported by the Parliament majority controlled by the Socialists. On Thursday, the new Parliament decided on its leadership. The Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), which supports president Sandu, holds the majority. Its leader, Igor Grosu, will serve as Parliament Speaker. PAS holds 63 seats, the Bloc of Socialists and Communists 32 and Shor Party 6.

FESTIVAL – Cancelled last year due to the COVID pandemic, the Medieval Sighişoara Festival, the longest-lasting festival of its kind in Romania, will this year bring together artists, craftsmen and a large number of guests. The only medieval citadel still inhabited in southeastern Europe, Sighişoara will this weekend see warriors, knights, ladies of the court and master craftsmen pouring in from all corners of the country and from abroad. On Friday, the medieval play The Farce of Master Pathelin, stage directed by our colleague from the Aromanian Service, Toma Enache, who is also the festivals stage director, will be premiered. Entry is free of charge, face masks are mandatory and only vaccinated people or those presenting a negative PCR test for COVID-19 can attend the plays.

ATTACK – A Romanian and a Briton, members of the crew of Mercer Street oil tanker, were killed in an attack on the ship on Friday, the Israeli company Zodiac Maritime, which administers the ship announced, Agerpres News Agency reports. According to the British maritime operations website UKMTO, the attack was signaled on Thursday around 18:00 GMT some 280 km off the coast of Oman. The crew eventually regained control over the oil tanker which was escorted, by an American ship, to a safe harbor, Zodiac Maritime announced.

OLYMPICS – Romania ranked 4th in the overall medal standings in rowing at the Tokyo Olympics after grabbing three medals, one gold and two silver. New Zealand ranked first, followed by Australia and the Netherlands. We have met our objective of winning two medals, the Romanian Rowing Federation said, adding that our athletes performance is all the more notable as our country didnt win any medals at the London Olympics of 2012, and won only one bronze medal in Rio. The gold medal was won by the Romanian lightweight double-scull crew made up of Simona Radiş and Ancuţa Bodnar. The Federation also praised the medals won by the mens crews, the first after a break of 29 years. The Romanian four crew, made up of Mihăiţă Vasile Ţigănescu, Mugurel Semciuc, Ştefan Constantin Berariu and Cosmin Pascari, won silver, just like the mens pair, made up of Marius Cozmiuc and Ciprian Tudosă. On Friday, the Romanian womens eight crew ranked 6th in the A finals. This is the second edition in the last 41 years when Romania doesnt make the podium, the only other exception being the 2012 London Olympics. Also on Friday, Alin Alexandru Firfirică failed to qualify to the final of the discus throw event, ranking 17 in the general standings. On Thursday, swimmer David Popovici ranked 7th in the final of the of 100-meter freestyle event.

WEATHER – A wave of extreme heat continues to grip Romania. Most regions are under a code yellow alert for extreme heat and thermal discomfort, while Bucharest and seven counties in the south are under a code orange alert. Thunderstorms and heavy rainfall are expected locally, in addition to strong wind and hail. Highs will range between 30 and 39 degrees Celsius. (EE)

30 July 2021
July 30, 2021

COVID-19 – A new batch of over 100,000 doses of
anti-COVID-19 vaccine produced by Moderna will arrive in Romania today. So far,
Romania received over 1.7 million dozes of the Moderna vaccine, while over
700,000 have already been administered. We recall that, starting next month, children
aged 12-17 can get the anti-COVID jab produced by Moderna, additionally to the
Pfizer vaccine. Also today, Johnson & Johnson will be delivering over
93,000 doses of its own vaccine. So far half a million doses of the Johnson
& Johnson vaccine reached Romania, of which less than half have been administered
to the population. Romania is closing in on the 5 million vaccinated people
mark, most of whom have completed the full vaccination scheme. The authorities
on Friday announced 153 new cases of COVID infection, in addition to 1 related
fatality. 49 people are currently in intensive care.

MOLDOVA – Pro-European president of the
Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, today signed the decree to appoint Natalia Gavriliță as
Prime Minister of Moldova after a round of consultations with parliamentary
parties. A former Minister of Finance in the Sandu Cabinet in 2019, Natalia
Gavriliță has two weeks to decide on her team and submit a governing program to
Parliament. She was previously designated Prime Minister in February, but was
not supported by the Parliament majority controlled by the Socialists. On
Thursday, the new Parliament decided on its leadership. The Action and
Solidarity Party (PAS), which supports president Sandu, holds the majority. Its
leader, Igor Grosu, will serve as Parliament Speaker. PAS holds 63 seats, the
Bloc of Socialists and Communists 32 and Shor Party 6.

FESTIVAL – Cancelled last year due to the COVID
pandemic, the Medieval Sighişoara
Festival, the longest-lasting festival of its kind in Romania, will this year
bring together artists, craftsmen and a large number of guests. The only
medieval citadel still inhabited in southeastern Europe, Sighişoara will this
weekend see warriors, knights, ladies of the court and master craftsmen pouring
in from all corners of the country and from abroad. Today, the medieval play The Farce of Master Pathelin, stage
directed by our colleague from the Aromanian Service, Toma Enache, who is also
the festival’s stage director, will be premiered. Entry is free of charge, face
masks are mandatory and only vaccinated people or those presenting a negative
PCR test for COVID-19 can attend the plays.

FOOTBALL – FCSB
football club was ousted on Thursday from Europa Conference league after losing
to Shakhter Karagandy of Kazakhstan 5-3 at the penalty shootout in the second
preliminary round. Also on Thursday, another Romanian team, Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe was eliminated by Spartak
Trnava of Slovakia, losing 4-3 at the penalty shootout, also in the
second preliminary round of Conference League. The third team representing
Romania in the competition, Universitatea Craiova, was also knocked out after
ending 0-0 the home match against KF Laci of Albania. In Champions League, CFR Cluj will be playing
Young Boys Berne of Switzerland in the third preliminary round. In the previous
round Young Boys ousted Slovan Bratislava, while CFR Cluj won against FC Lincoln
Red Imps of Gibraltar.

OLYMPICS – Romania ranked 4th in the
overall medal standings in rowing at the Tokyo Olympics after grabbing three
medals, one gold and two silver. New Zealand ranked first, followed by
Australia and the Netherlands. We have met our objective of winning two medals,
the Romanian Rowing Federation said, adding that our athletes’ performance is
all the more notable as our country didn’t win any medals at the London
Olympics of 2012, and won only one bronze medal in Rio. The gold medal was won
by the Romanian lightweight double-scull crew made up of Simona Radiş and
Ancuţa Bodnar. The Federation also praised the medals won by the men’s crews,
the first after a break of 29 years. The Romanian four crew, made up of Mihăiţă
Vasile Ţigănescu, Mugurel Semciuc, Ştefan Constantin Berariu and Cosmin
Pascari, won silver, while the men’s pair, made up of Marius Cozmiuc and
Ciprian Tudosă also won silver. Today, the Romanian women’s eight crew ranked 6th
in the A finals. This is the second edition in the last 41 years when Romania
doesn’t make the podium, the only other exception being the 2012 London
Olympics. Also today, Alin Alexandru Firfirică failed to qualify to the final
of the discus throw event, ranking 17 in the general standings. On Thursday,
swimmer David Popovici ranked 7th in the final of the of 100-meter
freestyle event.

WEATHER – A wave of extreme
heat continues to grip Romania. Most regions are under a code yellow alert for extreme
heat and thermal discomfort, while Bucharest and seven counties in the south
are under a code orange alert. Thunderstorms and heavy rainfall are expected
locally, in addition to strong wind and hail. Highs will range between 30 and
39 degrees Celsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was 30 degrees. (VP)

30 July 2021
Silver for Romanian rowing

Every new
day at the Olympics seems to yield a new medal for the Romanian delegation. On
Thursday morning, the Romanian men’s pair made up of Ciprian Tudosă and Marius
Cozmiuc scooped silver after finishing the race in second place with a time of
6.16 minutes. The Romanians were outranked by Martin and Valent Sinkovic of
Croatia, who led the race from the beginning. The bronze medal went on Frederic
Vystavel and Joachim Sutton of Denmark. After the awards ceremony, Criprian Tudosă
told the media:

It was a
beautiful and hard race. It was the final. We are very happy with this result,
and this Olympic cycle ended well for us, I might say.

In turn,
Marius Cozmiuc had this to say:

We will
see what the future has in store for us. We hope we will do better, and the
men’s four crew as well, and the girls. We hope the whole team gets goods
results.

Also on
Thursday, Ionela Cozmiuc and Gianina Beleagă ranked 6th in the A
finals of the women’s lightweight double-scull event. Two-time world champions
in 2017 and 2018, Ionela and Gianina were out of pace in the race, and failed
to secure a medal. On Friday, the women’s eight crew will also compete in the A
final after setting a new world record in the repechage, 5.52 min

utes.
Until then, the men’s pair performance is all the more notable, considering
that Romania’s last medal in men’s rowing dates back to 1992, in Barcelona.
Back then, the Romanian men’s four won gold, the men’s eight scooped silver,
and the men’s double-scull walked home with bronze. A long period of subpar
results followed, but recently, things have improved significantly,
particularly after the Romanian Rowing Federation brought in a coach from
Italy. Antonio Colamonici has been training the men’s rowing team for the last
three years, and the women’s team in the last year. Let us further note that in
swimming, David Popovici ranked 7th in the 100-meter freestyle
final, finishing the race in 48.4 seconds. The gold went to Caeleb Dressel of
the United States, who also set a new Olympic record. Popovici’s best result at
Tokyo remains his 4th place in the 200-meter freestyle final, when
he came very close to scooping bronze. On Friday, David Popovici will perform
in the 50-meter freestyle qualifying round. (VP)

29 July 2021
July 28, 2021

COVID-19 – The number of infections in Romania
remains low, although it has gone up in recent days. According to the head of
the vaccination campaign, medical doctor Valeriu Gheorghiţă, nearly 90% of the
people currently diagnosed with COVID-19 are not vaccinated, while over 91% of
related fatalities were people who hadn’t taken the anti-COVID jab. Right now,
some 30% of Romania’s total population got immunized. Starting August 2, young
people aged 12-17 can also receive the Moderna vaccine, Valeriu Gheorghiţă
said. The Romanian official went on to say that, by mid-September, Romania
might start administering the third dose of the vaccine for at-risk categories,
such as health workers, chronically ill and people over 65 years of age. So
far, 4.8 million people have completed the full vaccination scheme in Romania.
On Wednesday, 159 new COVID infections were reported and 1 related death. 47
people are in intensive care.

GOVERNMENT – The Government is today discussing plans to further ease
anti-COVID restrictions starting August 1. Additional measures will be taken in
the case of vaccinated people, those who present a negative PCR test, no older
than 72 hours, or a rapid test no older than 24 hours, or those who have had
the disease in the last six months. All of the aforementioned categories will
be allowed to attend cultural events held outdoors within the limit of 2,500
people, in those towns and villages where the incidence rate is below 3 per
thousand inhabitants, and within the limit of 75,000 people where the rate is
below 2 per thousand. The 2,500-limit can be exceeded in the case of vaccinated
people. For sports events, crowd attendance is limited to 50% of the venue’s
full capacity. Also today, the Government is expected to discuss a bill
modifying the adoption law, by cutting waiting times and making the application
process non-discriminatory.

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

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

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

BEAR CENSUS – A bear census worth 11 million Euro
started on Wednesday in Romania. Minister for Investments and European
Projects, Cristian Ghinea, explained the project is funded under the Large
Infrastructure Operational Programme. There will be two lines of investment,
one focusing on the bear census itself, while the other will help implement state-of-the-art
technologies aimed at limiting the interaction of bears with humans. On the
other hand, the Senate convened in an extraordinary sitting today to discuss
the Government’s emergency decree regulating emergency intervention in case of
bear attacks. Adopted last week, the bill stipulates bears can be tranquilized
and relocated in low-risk cases, or even shot if they pose a risk to the
livelihood of people or their livestock.

OLYMPICS – Romania has won two medals in Wednesday’s
rowing finals at the Tokyo Olympics: Ancuţa
Bodnar and Simona Radiş won gold in the women’s double scull event, while
Romania’s four crew, made up of Mihăiţă Ţigănescu, Mugurel Semciuc, Ştefan
Berariu and Cosmin Pascari scooped silver. Adding to the two medals is
Ana-Maria Popescu’s silver medal scooped in the women’s epee event. Also on
Wednesday, three Romanian rowing crews secured qualification to the A Finals:
the women’s lightweight double scull crew, the men’s pair and the women’s eight
crew. In swimming, David Popovici has qualified to the A final of the 100-meter
freestyle event from fifth position with a time of 47.72. Earlier this month,
Popovici set a new world junior record at the European championships in Rome. (VP)

28 July 2021
July 26, 2021 UPDATE

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – 84 new infections and 2 related fatalities were reported on Monday in Romania. 38 people are now in intensive care, while experts say the fourth wave of the pandemic is by now inevitable. The National Institute for Public Health expects the rate of infection to exceed 1,500 cases per day by mid-September. Health Minister Ioana Mihăilă warned that unvaccinated people pose the highest risk of infection. As regards immunization, over 14,000 people have taken the anti-COVID jab in the last 24 hours. Some 4.8 million people have completed the full vaccination scheme since the start of the vaccination campaign.

PHARMA – The competition between pharmaceutical companies to develop an anti-Covid oral medicine intensifies. A Japanese company has already started clinical trials and enters the race alongside Pfizer or Merck Sharp & Dohme. The pill developed by the Japanese company should be taken once a day and should neutralize the virus within ten days from infection. American laboratories Pfizer and MSD are in a more advanced stage of this process. Pfizer announced that its oral medicine, to be administered twice a day, could reach the market this year. On the other hand, the Israeli Health Ministry announced a decrease in the effectiveness of the Pfizer -BioNTech vaccine in preventing symptomatic Covid infections, but said this vaccine is still highly effective in preventing severe forms of the disease. The Delta strain of Covid-19 has become dominant in Israel where a third dose of the vaccine is already being administered to people with low immunity, people who underwent organ transplant and to patients under chemotherapy. Across the world at least 194 million people have been infected with COVID-19, and there are more than 4.1 million related casualties, according to worldometers.info.

JRC – The feeling of loneliness doubled across the EU during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, reads a report of the Joint Research Center of the European Commission. According to the report, loneliness increased four times for peopled aged 18-35 compared to 2016. Whereas in 2016 some 12% of EU citizens said they felt lonely half the time, the share went up 25% in the first months of the pandemic. Loneliness increased by less than 10% in Romania over April-July 2020.

EDUCATION – Romanian Education Minister Sorin Cimpeanu said that physical presence in school is necessary for students to catch up with what they missed when classes were held mostly online, due to the pandemic. Cimpeanu has said in a news conference that he is confident a prospective fourth wave of the pandemic will not be as aggressive as to disrupt classes that start in autumn. According to the minister, around 60% of the teaching staff have been vaccinated and the figure is higher in the case of university professors.

SUPPORT – Romania granted 300,000 Euro to the Republic of Moldova for the consolidation of civil society and the independence of the media. The announcement was made by the Romanian Foreign Ministry on Monday, which specified that the move comes after a decision in this respect had been taken last week by Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu during an official visit to Chisinau. A similar contribution, of 250 thousand Euro, was made in November 2020. On this occasion, the Romanian Foreign Ministry reiterates the countrys strong commitment to supporting Moldovas European path.

OLYMPICS – Boxer Maria Claudia Nechita on Monday advanced to the quarterfinals in the 54-57-kg category after ousting Somalias Ramla Said Ahmed Ali on points, 5-0. Nechita thus secured the first win in womens boxing at the Olympics. In the next stage she will go up against Sena Irie of Japan on July 28. A win would secure a medal. The womens double scull crew and the mens four crew have qualified to the A final to be held on July 28. So far, Romania has scooped only one medal in this years edition, the silver won by Ana-Maria Popescu in the womens epee event.

HEAT WAVE – A heat wave will grip Romania this week, and temperatures will increase gradually to exceed 40 degrees Centigrade locally, meteorologists have warned. Thermal discomfort will spike during this period. Minimums will not drop below 20 degrees at night. (VP)

26 July 2021
July 24, 2021 UPDATE

Covid-19RO. The Romanian authorities are once again drawing attention to the
fact that the number of cases of infection with the new coronavirus will
increase in the next period. A report by the National Institute of Public
Health shows that, in the most pessimistic scenario, by September 15, the
number of newly reported cases could exceed 1,500 per day. The report also analyses
the need for resources and estimates that, in the midst of a pandemic wave, at
least 500 intensive care beds may be needed. The Minister of Health, Ioana
Mihăilă, has warned that unvaccinated people are the most exposed to infection.
In the last four weeks, in Romania, 87% of the new cases and 91% of the related
deaths were recorded in unvaccinated people. As regards immunization, some 12
thousand people got the jab in the past 24 hours. So far, more than 4.7 million Romanians have been fully
vaccinated. On Saturday, 126 new cases of infection with SARS-CoV-2 were found
in Romania, in about 26 thousand tests, but no Covid-19 related death was
registered.

Pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened in Europe and North America,
massively affected by the much more contagious Delta version of the virus. The
World Health Organization and the European Center for Disease Prevention and
Control have confirmed that the Delta variant is now almost everywhere in
Europe and have called on authorities to step up efforts to prevent the virus
from spreading further. Globally, this week saw an average of more than 520,000
new daily cases of infection, almost 10% more than last week’s average. In the
United States, the number of new cases has increased by more than 62%, and in Europe by more than 25 percent.

Crisis. As of Saturday, a 30-day state of alert is in place in
Bucharest’s District 1, due to what the press calls the ‘garbage crisis’. The
decision was adopted by the Local Committee for Emergency Situations, with the
agreement of the prefect Alin Stoica, at the request of the district mayor,
Clotilde Armand. The prefect of the Capital motivated his decision by the fact
that a large amount of uncontrollable waste has accumulated on the
streets, and the provider of sanitation
services, the Romprest company, cannot cope. From the opposition, the Social
Democratic Party started collecting signatures to dismiss Clotilde Armand (USR-PLUS),
which is in an open conflict with Romprest and her own political partners in
the National Liberal Party. The Social Democratic vice-president Alexandru
Petrescu says the mayor doesn’t care about the local community she works for. District
1 is the richest and most economically dynamic in Bucharest.

Moldova. The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet,
with a predominantly Romanian-speaking population) has confirmed the results of
the early parliamentary elections held on July 11 and validated the mandates of
the elected deputies. The election was won by the Action and Solidarity Party
(PAS), founded by the head of state, the pro-Western Maia Sandu, with 52.5% of
the votes. The Electoral Bloc of
Communists and Socialists (BECS), led by the former pro-Russian heads of state,
the communist Vladimir Voronin and the socialist Igor Dodon, came in second,
with 27.4%. The populist party led by the fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, the
protagonist of many serious cases of corruption, will also be part of the new
Legislature. After redistributing the votes of the parties that did not exceed
the electoral threshold, PAS has 63 of the 101 seats in parliament, the
Communists and Socialists have 32, and the Shor Party 6. After the validation
of the elections by the Constitutional Court, President Sandu convened
Parliament for the inaugural session, scheduled for Monday. PAS leaders have
promised to form a new government soon.

Statistics. The number of hours spent working fell last
year in the European Union by 12 percent compared to 2019, a trend that
affected almost 27 million people, according to data from the European
Statistics Office. Eurostat considers that this reduction can be explained by
the measures taken by the authorities to control the COVID-19 pandemic, such as
furlough. According to Eurostat, the most severe decrease was recorded in
Greece and Spain, almost 20 percent, while Romania falls into the category of
Member States where the drop was below 10 percent.

Tokyo Olympics. At the Olympic Games in Tokyo,
Romania won the first medal on Saturday. Fencer Ana Maria Popescu won silver in
the individual epee event. In the final she was defeated by the Chinese Yiwen
Sun, 11-10. On Sunday, Romania’s Under-23 national football team meets the
South Korean team for its second Group B match of the Tokyo Olympic tournament.
In the same group, also on Sunday, the New Zealand-Honduras match will be played.
On Thursday, in the debut match, Romania defeated Honduras 1-0, and New Zealand
beat South Korea with the same score. In total, 101 Romanian athletes, 46 women
and 55 men, are participating in the Tokyo Olympic Games, in 17 disciplines. Because
of the Covid-19 pandemic, fans are not allowed to attend the games. (MI)

24 July 2021
July 24, 2021

Covid-19RO. The Romanian authorities are once again drawing attention to the fact that the number of cases of infection with the new coronavirus will increase in the next period. A report by the National Institute of Public Health shows that, in the most pessimistic scenario, by September 15, the number of newly reported cases could exceed 1,500 per day. The report also calculated the need for resources and estimates that, in the midst of a pandemic wave, at least 500 intensive care beds may be needed. The Minister of Health, Ioana Mihăilă, has warned that unvaccinated people are the most exposed to infection. In the last four weeks, in Romania, 87% of the new cases and 91% of the related deaths were recorded in unvaccinated people. Over 4.7 million Romanians have been fully vaccinated so far. On Saturday, 126 new cases of infection were reported, in more than 25,700 tests performed.

Pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened in Europe and North America, massively affected by the much more contagious Delta version of the virus. The World Health Organization and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control have confirmed that the Delta variant is now almost everywhere in Europe and have called on authorities to step up efforts to prevent the virus from spreading further. Globally, this week saw an average of more than 520,000 new daily cases of infection, almost 10% more than last weeks average. In the United States, the number of new cases has increased by more than 62%, and in Europe by more than 25 %.

Crisis. As of today, a 30-day state of alert is in place in Bucharests first district, due to what the press calls the garbage crisis. The decision was adopted by the Local Committee for Emergency Situations, with the agreement of the prefect Alin Stoica, at the request of the district mayor, Clotilde Armand. The prefect of the Capital motivated his decision by the fact that a large amount of uncontrollable waste has accumulated on the streets, and the provider of sanitation services, the Romprest company, cannot cope. From the opposition, the Social Democratic Party started collecting signatures to dismiss Clotilde Armand (USR-PLUS), which is in open conflict with Romprest and her own political partners in the National Liberal Party. The Social Democratic vice-president Alexandru Petrescu says the mayor doesnt care about the local community she heads. District 1 is the richest and most economically dynamic in Bucharest.

Moldova. The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet, with a predominantly Romanian-speaking population) has confirmed the results of the early parliamentary elections held on July 11 and validated the mandates of the elected deputies. The election was won by the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), founded by the head of state, the pro-Western Maia Sandu, with 52.5% of the votes. The Electoral Bloc of Communists and Socialists (BECS), led by the former pro-Russian heads of state, the communist Vladimir Voronin and the socialist Igor Dodon, came in second, with 27.4%. The populist party led by the fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, the protagonist of many serious cases of corruption, will also be part of the new Legislature. After redistributing the votes of the parties that did not exceed the electoral threshold, PAS has 63 of the 101 seats in parliament, the Communists and Socialists have 32, and the Shor Party 6. After the validation of the elections by the Constitutional Court, President Sandu convened Parliament for the inaugural session, scheduled for Monday. PAS leaders have promised to form a new government soon.

Tokyo Olympics. Romanias Under-23 national football team meets, on Sunday, the South Korean team for its second Group B match of the Tokyo Olympic tournament. In the same group, also on Sunday, the New Zealand-Honduras match will be played. On Thursday, in the debut match, Romania defeated Honduras 1-0, and New Zealand beat South Korea with the same score. The Romanian footballers qualified for the Olympics after reaching the semifinals of the 2019 European Under-21 Championship, in Italy and San Marino. Romania has not participated in the Olympic football tournament since 1964, when it ranked 5th, also in Tokyo. They had previously had two participations in the 1924 (Paris) and 1952 (Helsinki) editions. In total, 101 Romanian athletes, 46 women and 55 men, are participating in the Tokyo Olympic Games, in 17 disciplines. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, fans are not allowed to attend the games. (MI)

24 July 2021
July 9, 2021

COVID-19 ROMANIA – The Government has extended the state of alert for another
30 days, starting July 12. Pre-emptive and control measures remain in place,
with a few modifications, the most important of which is the extension from 90
to 180 days of the period of exemption from these measures for those people
who’ve had the disease. On the other hand, the head of the vaccination
campaign, medical doctor Valeriu Gheorghiţă, warned that, starting next month,
Romania could face a resurge in the number of COVID infections due to the new
Delta strain, calling again on the population to get the jab. Since the start
of the vaccination campaign, nearly 4.8 million people have received the COVID
vaccine, of whom 4.6 million have completed the full vaccination scheme. In the
last 24 hours, 54 new infections have been reported in addition to 1 related death.
58 patients are in intensive care.

3SI – Romania remains firmly
committed in the Three Seas Initiative by means of pragmatic actions,
supporting clear-cut solutions to curb delays and consolidating resilience in
the region, president Klaus Iohannis said on the sidelines of the Three Seas
Initiative (3SI) summit in Bulgaria, bringing together 12 EU Member States from
the Baltic, Adriatic and Black seas. The president referred to the special
attention Romania pays to the Rail-2-Sea and Via Carpathia projects,
describing them as concrete initiatives of major economic consequence and real
strategic value for the region. Developing the parliamentary, local and
regional components of 3SI, in addition to inter-government cooperation, is
most welcome. The ultimate goal of all these efforts remains the thorough implementation
of interconnection projects of strategic priority in three key areas -
transport, energy and digitization, president Iohannis said. The Romanian head
of state also recalled the inauguration on May 31 of the Euro-Atlantic
Resilience Center in Bucharest, which will help fulfill the strategic goal of
building resilience. Against this backdrop, the growing interest of an
increasing number of states in the trans-Atlantic community for the
Initiative’s activities comes as no surprise, and Romania welcomes and supports
it, president Iohannis went on to say.

EXPLOSION – The blast at AzoMureş Chemical Plant in Târgu Mureş, which slightly
injured one person, could not be prevented, according to a preliminary report
of the investigation. A mixed commission is investigating the circumstances of
the incident. The authorities gave assurances that the blast did not put the
population in danger, as air quality measurements have detected no ammoniac
emissions. According to preliminary reports, a crack in one of the gas pipes
triggered the explosion and the ensuing fire. The last technical checkup was
performed in 2013, and the pipe was due to undergo an inspection in 2022.

REAGENTS – A large number of lab tests carried out in
recent years in Romania could be inaccurate, after state and privately-run
pathology labs used non-compliant reagents. The Prosecutor’s Office with the
Bucharest Tribunal has launched an investigation, which has so far revealed
that, starting 2017, representatives of a company trading reagents and medical
equipment deliberately misinformed its trade partners over the quality of its
products. The company owned, produced and sold toxic products and chemicals
used in the medical sector, without being licensed to carry out such
activities. Nearly 20 searches were made in Bucharest and three counties as
part of the investigation. The company faces possible charges of racketeering
and illegal use of toxic chemicals for medical use.

FITS – The International Theatre Festival in Sibiu (FITS),
one of the most acclaimed festivals in the world devoted to performing arts,
will take place over August 20-29. Over 600 events organized by artists from 37
countries across all continents will be presented to the public as part of the
most complex edition held so far, organizers say. Themed Building hope
together, this year’s festival will unfold with physical attendance, in hybrid
format and online. Organizers have prepared theatre plays, dance performances,
circus shows, film screenings, musicals, opera concerts, book launches,
conferences, exhibitions, music concerts and street performances. Israel Galván Company, Charlotte
Rampling, Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, María
Pagés Compańía are but some of the big names and foreign companies taking parts
in FITS 2021.

OLYMPICS – Postponed a year ago
due to the COVID pandemic, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Japan will go down in
history as the first Olympic competition to take place without crowd
attendance. The measure follows after the Japanese Government declared a state
of emergency until August 22. The Olympic Games start on July 23 and end on
August 8. A little over 15% of Japan’s population has been immunized so far,
although experts fear the Delta strain might trigger a new wave that could add
further strain on hospitals. The Olympic torch arrived today in Tokyo as part
of a restricted ceremony hosted on an empty stadium, and was handed over to the
Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike. (VP)

9 July 2021
July 8, 2021 UPDATE

COVID-19 ROMANIA – The Romanian
government has approved, at the proposal of the National Committee for
Emergency Situations, the extension of the state of alert across Romania for
another 30 days, starting July 12. The prevention and control measures in force
at the moment will continue to be applied, with some changes. The most
important is the extension from 90 to 180 days of the period of exemption from
these measures for those persons who have already had the infection. On the
other hand, the head of the vaccination campaign, Valeriu Gheorghiţă, has drawn
attention to the fact that, as of mid-August, the number of COVID-19 cases in
Romania will increase due to the new ‘Delta’ virus strain and he has again
called for the population to get vaccinated. Since the beginning of the
vaccination campaign in Romania, in December last year, almost 4.8 million
people have been vaccinated, of whom about 4.6 million with both doses. 30 new
cases of contamination and 3 deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours,
and 57 patients are in ICUs.

COVID-19 WORLD – Dozens of
new cases of infection with the ‘Delta’ strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and one
case of ‘Beta’ infection have been identified in Bulgaria, Romania’s neighbor.
In Japan, the Government announced a state of emergency amidst the growing
number of COVID-19 infections. As a result, the Tokyo Olympics, a competition
that is set to begin in two weeks’ time, will unfold without crowd attendance.
The Delta strain of the novel coronavirus, first identified in India, continues
to spread rapidly around the world. The Australian city of Sydney on Wednesday
recorded the highest number of new cases this year, South Korea reported the
highest rate since the onset of the pandemic, and a study published in London shows
that the number of infections in England has increased 4 times since June until
now. Spain saw an increase in the number of new cases, especially among young
people. 1% of young people between 20 and 24 who have been infected should be
hospitalized – the Spanish authorities have warned. Globally, more than 185
million cases of infection have been reported so far and at least 4 million people
have died, according to worldometers.info.
Most cases and deaths were recorded in the United States, India and Brazil.

DISMISSAL –
Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis on Thursday signed the decree dismissing
Finance Minister, Alexandru Nazare. Under the same decree, Prime Minister Florin
Cîţu will take over as interim Finance Minister. Prime Minister Cîţu explained
that, upon evaluating the activity of the finance ministry, he discovered
delays of some important projects which are aimed at eliminating tax evasion
and attracting European funds. Nazare is the second Minister sacked by the
ruling PNL-USR-PLUS-UDMR coalition after former Health Minister, Vlad
Voiculescu.

3SI – The
economies of countries in Central and Eastern Europe will grow faster than
those of countries in Western Europe over the next years, IMF Director
Kristalina Georgieva said on Thursday on the sidelines of the Three Seas
Initiative (3SI) summit hosted by Sofia, Bulgaria. The IMF official said the
combined GDP of the 12 3SI member states could this year return to the level
reported before the pandemic. The organization is a flexible, informal
political platform at presidential level, bringing together the 12 EU member
states located between the Baltic Sea, the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea.
Romania is represented by President Klaus Iohannis, who will emphasize the
importance of implementing priority strategic interconnection projects, with a
focus on projects of high interest for Romania, namely Rail2Sea and Via
Carpatia. From Bucharest’s standpoint, these projects are essential for the
Initiative to really bring about long-term economic development, and to make
the economy of participating states more strategically resilient. We recall
that Bucharest hosted the Three Seas Initiative summit in September 2018.

UKRAINE – On the sidelines of Ukraine Reform
Conference, organized in hybrid format in Vilnius, Foreign Minister, Bogdan
Aurescu, said Romania continues to support the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of this country, reiterating Bucharest’s firm commitment to oppose
the illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation. Bogdan Aurescu said
Romania supports Ukraine’s European track and its process of comprehensive and
inclusive reforms, based on the country’s commitments under the Association
Agreement signed with the European Union. Ukraine Reform Conference is an
international annual event organized since 2017, bringing together officials
from Ukraine and partner states, representatives of the EU, NATO and G7, of the
business community and civil society. (LS & VP)

8 July 2021
Athlete of the Week on RRI – Wrestler Alin Alexuc-Ciurariu

Last week
the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia, played host to a pre-Olympic wrestling
tournament. All athletes who reached the finals booked their tickets to the
Tokyo Olympics in the categories of their choice. Three Romanian athletes have
also secured qualification on this occasion: Albert Saritov in the 97-kg
category, Andreea Ana in the 53-kg category, both in the freestyle event, and
Alin Alexuc-Ciurariu in the 130-kg category, in the Greek-Roman event. Of the
three, only Alexuc-Ciurariu won the event, which is why we have designated him
Athlete of the Week on RRI.

In the pre-Olympic
tournament, Alexuc defeated Alimkhan Syzdykov of Kazakhstan in the round of 16.
In the quarterfinals he knocked out Arata Sonoda of Japan and won against Rafal
Krajewski of Poland in the semis. In the final, the Romanian was due to wrestle
Elias Kousmanen of Finland, but was awarded a walkover win after the Finnish wrestler
didn’t compete.

Alin
Alexuc-Ciurariu is a member of Dinamo Bucharest sports club. He was born in Botoşani
and turned 31 on February 3, 2021. In Rome, in 2020, he grabbed the biggest
performance of his career, scooping the European gold in the 130-kg category.
He previously won bronze medals at the European championships of 2018 in Kaspiysk,
Russia, and in 2019 in Bucharest. In April, 2021, at the European championships
in Warsaw, Poland, he was defeated in the quarterfinals, and then lost in the requalifying
phase as well. He took part in the last two editions of the Olympic Games. In
2016 in Rio, he came very close to winning bronze. (V.P.)

11 May 2021
Fewer Romanian athletes in the Tokyo Olympics

Romanian football fans have been quite vocal about the subpar performances
of Romanian footballers in the last two decades. Their point of reference is
the 1990s, when Romania took part in every World Cup, managing in 1994, in the
United States, to reach the quarterfinals. It is the most notable result of
Romanian football. In turn, handball fans are equally disappointed with the
defeat of Romania’s men’s team, a four-time world champion, in the 2022
European Championship preliminaries in Bucharest. The Romanian team holds only
mathematical chances of qualifying, but have managed a historic
counterperformance of only drawing against Kosovo. Losing five goals behind to
a team whose federation was set up just a few years ago is humiliating, Radu
Voinea, a world champion in 1974 and a medalist at the Olympic Games in 1972,
1976 and 1980 said. Humiliating, but not painful, says Alexandru Dedu, the
president of the Romanian Handball Federation, who is getting a lot of
criticism these days. Another former handball legend, Vasile Stângă, two-time
bronze medalist at the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games, said that, if the Romanian
women’s team also misses the chance to qualify to the Olympic Games, then the
whole Federation leadership should be sacked.

A week after the embarrassing
defeat of the men’s team, the women’s team also ranked last in the tournament
held in Montenegro, also involving the participation of the host country and
Norway. People are already talking about a failed generation, that of the
32-year-old left wing Cristina Neagu, who has been designated best handballer
in the world on several occasions. With Neagu as captain, Romania hasn’t won a
single trophy in the last decade, despite the fact that women’s handball is
still breathing. Women’s clubs are still getting good results in European
inter-club competitions, and the Romanian national women’s team is faring
decently, while men’s handball is in intensive care. The absence of handballers
have stretched thin Romania’s delegation to the Tokyo Olympics. Chances of
getting a medal are also reduced significantly.

In other news, the four
Romanian athletes who this weekend competed in the pre-Olympic Greek-Roman
wrestling tournament in Budapest, were knocked out in the preliminary rounds.
To qualify to the Tokyo Olympics, our athletes needed to reach the finals. So
far, only Alina Vuc will represent Romania in the 50-kg category in the Olympic
wrestling event, after having won silver at the World Championships in
Kazakhstan in 2019. Romanian wrestlers have one last chance of qualifying to
the Tokyo Olympic Games at the world pre-Olympic tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria,
to be held over May 6-9.

22 March 2021