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Radio Romania International Sports Club

Romanian handball player Cristina Neagu has become the top scorer in the history of the Champions League. On Sunday, Neagu scored 10 goals for CSM Bucharest in their home match against Danish side Nykøbing Falster, a match CSM Bucharest won, 27-26. Neagu’s recent feat has thus raised to 1,155 the number of goals scored in the EHF Champions league, that is 10 goals more than the previous record, held by Montenegrin player Jovanka Radičević.

After four rounds, according to the rankings of the most efficient players as part of the League’s ongoing edition, Cristina Neagu is 7th-placed, with 23 goals. At the top of the table, we find Norwegian team Esbjerg’s handball player Henny Ella Reistad, with 39 goals. Following in descending order are Rapid Bucharest’s Serbian player, Andjela Janjusevic, with 29 goals, and CSM Bucharest’s Bulgarian-born Slovenian handballer Elisabeth Omoregie, with 26 goals.

Cristina Neagu has succeeded the new record of her career having made public the fact, on September 12, that 2024-2025 would be the last in her career. We recall that in December 2023 she had already made public the fact that she would retire from competition at the national team, after the World Championship in Denmark and Norway. Back then Romania wasted the opportunity to qualify to the Paris Olympics.

Cristina Neagu also holds another impressive record. In 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2018, the International de Handball Federation designated Neagu the world’s best handballer. Cristina Neagu thus became the first handball player in history to have won the trophy four times. However, she did not win any major international trophy with a Romanian team.

With Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea, Cristina Neagu reached as far as the Champions League final. After Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea was dismantled, Neagu was signed up by Montenegro’s Buducnost Podgorica, a team with which she won the Champions League in 2015. With the Romanian national squad, Cristina Neagu won two bronze medals, in 2010, at the European Championship jointly hosted by Denmark and Norway, and in 2015, at the World Championship in Denmark.

9 October 2024
December 29, 2023 UPDATE

BUDGET President
Klaus Iohannis Friday promulgated the state budget law and the social security budget
law for the year 2024. Next year, Romania’s budget will be focused on
investments of about 7% of the GDP, as well as on an economic growth rate of
3.4%, while the budget deficit is estimated at 5% of the GDP. The government
passed the bills on December 15, and the budgets were endorsed five days later
by the joined chambers of the Romanian Parliament.

PARLIAMENT Romania’s Senate Friday dismissed 3 bills
tabled by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania regarding the autonomy of the Szeklers Land, a
region in the centre of the country. The
initiatives were rejected by the Chamber of Deputies on Thursday. At the
plenary talks, the MPs from all the other parties stressed that the bills came against
several articles in the Constitution and harmed the rule of law, while the
initiators argued the opposite, saying that territorial autonomy worked in a
number European states. The bills provided for the Covasna and Harghita
counties and a part of Mureş county becoming autonomous, as part of a region
with legal personality. In that presumed autonomous entity, the Hungarian
language would have had the same status as the official language of the
Romanian state. The land would also have its own president, elected for a
four-year term by universal ballot. The so-called Szeklers Land, the only area
in Romania where the Hungarian population is the majority, benefited from
autonomy between 1952 and 1968. According to historians, this was an experiment
in Soviet-occupied Romania imposed on Bucharest by the Kremlin dictator Joseph
Stalin, at the insistence of the communist leaders in Budapest. The ethnic
Hungarian population in Romania has been represented, without interruption, in
the Parliament of post-communist Romania since 1990 until today, by the
Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians. Since 1996, the UDMR has been part of
numerous coalition governments in Bucharest, whether right-wing or left-wing.

EDUCATION The Romanian government Friday passed the 2024 – 2027
National Strategy on Adult Education, aimed at enhancing citizen participation
in life-long learning programmes and at improving the quality of adult
education and training. The targeted participation rate by the end of 2027 is
12%, as against 5.9% at present. The EU average life-long learning
participation rate is 11.9%. The low level of participation in lifelong
learning schemes has led to persisting lack of skills, which prevents economic
development and hinders Romania’s adjustment to a fast-changing labour market
in the digital era, the government said in a news release.

TIMIŞOARA The activities carried out part of the ‘Timişoara – European Capital
of Culture 2023’ programme, including the Constantin Brâncuşi exhibition,
received the most votes (29%) to receive the title of ‘event of the year 2023
in Romania’, in a survey carried out by the Romanian Institute for Evaluation
and Strategy (IRES). According to the poll, the second event that marked
Romania in 2023 was the qualification of the national football team to the
final tournament of the European Championship – UEFA EURO 2024, which will take
place next summer in Germany (24% of responses). Regarding culture and free
time, 58% of the survey respondents said that they read at least one book in
2023, and 41% that they also bought books, 36% went to a show, and 20% went to
a stadium or attended a sports competition. More than three quarters of the
survey participants (76%) stated that they went to church this year.

POLICE Close to 24,000 interior ministry staff will be on
duty during the 4-day New Year’s holiday, while road traffic will be monitored
by 360 radar speed guns and DUI check teams. Meanwhile, the authorities announced
having seized over 100 tonnes of fireworks kits and opening more than 500 criminal
investigations in this respect, and have once again called on parents not to
buy firecrackers for their children as such materials may be extremely
dangerous.

HANDBALL The men’s national handball team of Romania Friday won the
Carpaţi Trophy international handball tournament, organised in Pitesti,
southern Romania, after defeating Georgia 31-25 in the final. For Romania, trained by the famous Spanish
coach Xavi Pascual, this was the last test before the European Championship -
EHF EURO 2024 to be held in Germany, between January 10 and 28, 2024. The
Romanians will play in Group B, alongside Spain, Austria and Croatia. The first
two ranked teams will qualify for the so-called main groups. A 4-times world
champion in the 1960s-70s, Romania had not qualified for a European
Championship since 1996. (AMP)

29 December 2023
Sports Roundup

In Poland, the European Games hosted by Crakow and Malopolska region carry on. After 5 days of competitions, Romania is placed 18th in the nations ranking. Romanian athletes have won 8 medals so far, including 2 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze ones. Gold medals went to cyclist Vlad Dascălu, in the mountain bike race, and to athlete Claudia Bobocea, in the womens 1,500m race. Athletes Bianca Ghelber in the hammer throw event, and Daniela Stanciu in the high jump event won silver medals, and so did Cătălin Chirilă in the mens canoe single 500m final. Taking home bronze medals were Ştefan Comănescu, in the mens kumite 67 kg, athlete Andrea Miklos in the womens 400m race, and Mălina Călugăreanu in the womens foil individual final.

This weekend the Romanian swimmer David Popovici won the 100m and 200m freestyle finals of the “Sette Colli Trophy” international competition in Rome, both with new competition records. In the 200m event, he defeated the Olympic champion Tom Dean. This was the last test for Popovici ahead of the world swimming championships in Fukuoka, Japan, scheduled between 13 and 30 July.

Romanias womens water polo team won all matches in Group B of the 2024 European Championships qualifiers, held in Otopeni. The Romanians defeated Sweden 14-9, Switzerland 7-5, and Turkey 16-5, respectively, and qualified to the final tournament due in Netanya, Israel in January. Romanias mens team is also taking part in the final tournament in Israel, after finishing top of Group D in the qualifiers. In Kranj, Slovenia, the team coached by Bogdan Rath and George Deacu outplayed Switzerland 19-9 and Finland 19-6, and drew 10-all against the host nation.

At the European Under-21 Football Championship hosted jointly by Romania and Georgia, the national team takes on Croatia on Tuesday in Group B. In the first 2 group matches, Romania lost 0-3 to Spain on Wednesday, and 0-1 to Ukraine on Saturday.

Also in football, one of the most popular football clubs in Romania, Rapid Bucharest, this weekend celebrated 100 years of history. Originally a football club of railway workers, Rapid is known for outstanding performances prior to WWI. In 1940, the team qualified for the final of the Central European Cup, which was never played however. The club then grew to cover multiple sports, and achieved top level performances in several fields, including handball and volleyball. (AMP)

26 June 2023
Sports Roundup

In Poland, the European Games hosted by Crakow and Malopolska region carry on. After 5 days of competitions, Romania is placed 18th in the nations ranking. Romanian athletes have won 8 medals so far, including 2 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze ones. Gold medals went to cyclist Vlad Dascălu, in the mountain bike race, and to athlete Claudia Bobocea, in the womens 1,500m race. Athletes Bianca Ghelber in the hammer throw event, and Daniela Stanciu in the high jump event won silver medals, and so did Cătălin Chirilă in the mens canoe single 500m final. Taking home bronze medals were Ştefan Comănescu, in the mens kumite 67 kg, athlete Andrea Miklos in the womens 400m race, and Mălina Călugăreanu in the womens foil individual final.

This weekend the Romanian swimmer David Popovici won the 100m and 200m freestyle finals of the “Sette Colli Trophy” international competition in Rome, both with new competition records. In the 200m event, he defeated the Olympic champion Tom Dean. This was the last test for Popovici ahead of the world swimming championships in Fukuoka, Japan, scheduled between 13 and 30 July.

Romanias womens water polo team won all matches in Group B of the 2024 European Championships qualifiers, held in Otopeni. The Romanians defeated Sweden 14-9, Switzerland 7-5, and Turkey 16-5, respectively, and qualified to the final tournament due in Netanya, Israel in January. Romanias mens team is also taking part in the final tournament in Israel, after finishing top of Group D in the qualifiers. In Kranj, Slovenia, the team coached by Bogdan Rath and George Deacu outplayed Switzerland 19-9 and Finland 19-6, and drew 10-all against the host nation.

At the European Under-21 Football Championship hosted jointly by Romania and Georgia, the national team takes on Croatia on Tuesday in Group B. In the first 2 group matches, Romania lost 0-3 to Spain on Wednesday, and 0-1 to Ukraine on Saturday.

Also in football, one of the most popular football clubs in Romania, Rapid Bucharest, this weekend celebrated 100 years of history. Originally a football club of railway workers, Rapid is known for outstanding performances prior to WWI. In 1940, the team qualified for the final of the Central European Cup, which was never played however. The club then grew to cover multiple sports, and achieved top level performances in several fields, including handball and volleyball. (AMP)

26 June 2023
December 29, 2022

ENERGY The government of Romania passed a bill lifting the
obligation for owners of more than one house to submit sworn statements in
order to benefit from energy price caps. On the other hand, the government also
decided that the 10 Eurocent governmental discount on fuel prices will no
longer be applied as of January 1, 2023. PM Nicolae Ciucă promised that the
authorities are prepared to reintroduce this measure in the future, should
prices go up beyond citizens’ spending power.

FOREIGN POLICY In 2023, ‘Romania’s foreign ministry will continue to
give special attention to Romania’s Schengen accession and to joining the
Organisation for Cooperation and Economic Development (OCDE)’. The announcement
was made by the foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu in a Report on Romania’s
diplomatic activity released on Thursday. As far as 2022 is concerned, the
Report says the year was marked at both a regional and a global level by the
war of aggression launched by the Russian Federation against Ukraine. The
report also covers the outcomes of the NATO Summit in Madrid in June 2022, and Bucharest’s
successful hosting of the meeting of NATO foreign ministers and of the Munich
Leaders Meeting in November 2022.

COVID The
European Commission organises today a meeting of healthcare officials to
discuss a coordinated EU approach of the surge in Covid cases in China, AFP
reports. After China loosened its strict zero-tolerance rules earlier this
month, which triggered an explosion of cases in the country, states around the
world are worried that new variants of the virus would spread from there. Italy
has already on Wednesday introduced compulsory testing for incoming travellers
from China, a measure also adopted by other countries, including the US and Japan.

UKRAINE Ukraine suffered
‘massive’ attacks involving over 120 Russian missiles on Thursday morning in
several cities including the capital Kyiv, the Ukrainian Army and Presidency announced.
Air raid alerts sounded across the country. According to Ukraine’s head of
intelligence services, the war is currently at a deadlock, as neither Ukraine
nor Russia are able to make significant progress. In an interview to the BBC, Kyrylo
Budanov said Russia was at a dead end, suffering significant losses, but he
admitted that Ukraine lacks the resources to move forward. He added that Kyiv
was waiting for more advanced weapons. Ever since October, Russia has been regularly
hitting Ukraine’s energy and other critical infrastructure. Kremlin warned that
there will be no New Year ceasefire in Ukraine.

SOLIDARITY
In the Republic of Moldova, neighbouring both Romania and Ukraine, lights will
be turned off in the government’s and other public buildings, in solidarity
with the millions of people in Ukraine left without electricity, water supply and
heating. Last week, the Rome Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House, the European
Parliament and the Wembley went dark in solidarity with Ukraine. In Bucharest, the
City Hall discontinued holiday lighting for one hour during the winter solstice
night.

HANDBALL Romania’s
men’s handball team takes on Algeria today in the 3rd place playoff
of the Carpaţi Trophy, a competition
traditionally hosted by Romania and taking place this year in Oradea. On Wednesday, Romania lost to Slovakia, 31-30, and
Algeria was defeated by Egypt 38-27. The trophy
final pits Egypt against Slovakia. (AMP)

29 December 2022
November 27, 2022 UPDATE

NATO The president of
Romania Klaus Iohannis will receive the
NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg, in Bucharest on Monday. Stoltenberg
will chair the meeting of NATO foreign ministers hosted by the Romanian capital city as of Tuesday. Also on this
occasion, the US state secretary Antony Blinken will travel to Bucharest, and
will have meetings with president Iohannis, PM Nicolae Ciucă and the foreign
minister Bogdan Aurescu. The NATO meeting, the
first of this kind organised in Romania, focuses on
supporting Ukraine against the Russian invasion, energy security and
implementing the Alliance’s new strategic concept.

MLM A Munich Leaders
Meeting (MLM) takes place in Bucharest on Monday and Tuesday. The Romanian
foreign ministry is co-hosting this prestigious event, which is part of the Munich
Security Conference (MSC). Attending will be over 75 senior officials from over
25 countries, including current and former officials, experts, analysts and
opinion leaders. The agenda includes relevant topics for international
security, with an emphasis on developments in the Black Sea and Western Balkans
regions. Other topics will be the European security architecture, implementing
the new NATO Strategic Concept, hybrid threats, food security, and the energy
crisis. The conclusions of the meeting in Bucharest will contribute to shaping
the agenda of next year’s Munich Security Conference.

NATIONAL DAY Events
devoted to Romania’s National Day on December 1 begin in Alba Iulia on November
30, with military and wreath laying ceremonies. On December 1, more than 850 troops
will parade in Alba Iulia, including a French unit part of the NATO battlegroup
deployed in Cincu, Braşov County. In Bucharest, over 1,500 troops and staff of the defence
ministry, interior ministry, the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Special
Telecommunications Service and the Penitentiary Agency as well as vehicles and
40 aircraft will take part in a military parade on December 1. According to a
defence ministry news release, around 150 troops from Belgium, France, North
Macedonia, R. Of Moldova, the Netherlands, Portugal and the US, will also take
part. Romanian military personnel on missions abroad will also organise special
ceremonies.

ENVIRONMENT The
Romanian environment ministry launched a national forestation programme
financed from EU funds under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The
decision was made because forests cover less than 30% of the country’s surface,
as against the European average of 40%. In some counties in the south and
south-east of the country, the ratio is even have less than 5%. Farmers who no
longer want to keep their farmland under crops may turn it into forests or
shelterbelts. The government provides up to EUR 20,000 for a hectare of oak
forest in plains areas and up to EUR 17,000 per hectare of shelterbelts, with
an additional EUR 456 per year for each hectare of forest for 20 years.

UKRAINE Heavy rainfall is expected in
Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv as of Sunday, with sub-zero temperatures both
during the day and at night. Millions of people in the city and the region
around it are still without electricity and heat, after Russian shelling
damaged the country’s energy infrastructure. The region of Dnipropetrovsk, in
central Ukraine, was once again hit by 5 Russian missile strikes and heavy
artillery attacks, the regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko said. Homes and
other buildings were destroyed, but no victims were reported. However, in the
southern region of Kherson, where the Russian troops pulled out 2 weeks ago, at
least 32 people were killed in the bombings, the Ukrainian police reported.

ENESCU The George
Enescu International Music Festival was shortlisted for the prestigious International
Opera Awards, the ‘Oscars’ of the opera world, the festival organisers have
announced. The awards ceremony takes place on Monday at Teatro Real (Madrid,
Spain). The 2021 edition was shortlisted in the Festivals section, alongside
other top-level events in the world of international classical music, such as
the Donizetti Festival and Garsington Opera.

HANDBALL The men’s
handball teams of Romania, Egypt, Algeria and Slovakia take part in this year’s
Carpaţi Trophy, on December 28th and 29th in Oradea,
north-western Romania, the Romanian Handball Federation announced. Egypt and
Algeria are qualified to the forthcoming World Championships scheduled for January
2023. Romania’s manager Xavi Pascual invited 24 players to convene for the
competition on December 26th. (AMP)

27 November 2022
Sports Roundup

The Romanian water polo teams CSM Oradea and
Steaua Bucharest have moved up to the second qualification round of the
Champions League. CSM Oradea won all their matches in the League’s qualifier
Group B, held in Oradea: 10-7 against the Italian side Savona, 12-3 against ASA
Tel Aviv and 12-8 against Galatasaray Istanbul, finishing 1st in
their group. In the Netherlands, in qualifier Group A, Steaua defeated the host
team, Het Ravijn, 15-9, and then beat the Bosnian side Invictum Sarajevo, 29-2.
Two defeats followed: 3-10 against Vasas Budapest, of Hungary, and 11-14 against
Primorac Kotor, of Montenegro. The Romanian champions qualified into the second
round after they came out 3rd in their group.

Romania’s national team won the Carpathians
Trophy in women’s handball, held last week in the town of Bistriţa. Romania
started out with a draw against Austria, 32-all, a match in which they avoided
a defeat by scoring 2 goals in the last minute. Next came a 26-20 win against Serbia,
and in their last match manager Florentin Pera’s team defeated Spain, 25-23 and
finished top of the standings. Romania is training for the EURO 2022, a competition
scheduled to take place between 4 – 20 November in Slovenia, North Macedonia and
Montenegro. Romania is part of Group C, alongside France, the Netherlands and
North Macedonia.

This weekend saw matches counting towards
the 12th round of the Romanian football Super League. On Friday,
Universitatea Craiova drew against FC Voluntari, 1-all, while on Saturday the
other team based in Craiova, FC U, drew away from home against CS Mioveni, 2-all.
Also on Saturday, CFR Cluj won 1-0 against Petrolul Ploieşti. On Sunday,
Hermannstadt had their first defeat this season, 1-2 against Sepsi Sfântu
Gheorghe, Farul Constanţa beat UTA Arad 2-0, and in Bucharest FCSB struggled to
defeat FC Argeş, 3-2. The last 2 matches in this round were scheduled for
Monday: FC Botoşani vs Universitatea Cluj and Chindia Târgovişte vs Rapid
Bucharest. The current leaders in the ranking are Farul, with 27 points,
followed by Rapid, with 24, and Hermannstadt, with 22 points. (AMP)

3 October 2022
Sports Roundup

The Romanian water polo teams CSM Oradea and
Steaua Bucharest have moved up to the second qualification round of the
Champions League. CSM Oradea won all their matches in the League’s qualifier
Group B, held in Oradea: 10-7 against the Italian side Savona, 12-3 against ASA
Tel Aviv and 12-8 against Galatasaray Istanbul, finishing 1st in
their group. In the Netherlands, in qualifier Group A, Steaua defeated the host
team, Het Ravijn, 15-9, and then beat the Bosnian side Invictum Sarajevo, 29-2.
Two defeats followed: 3-10 against Vasas Budapest, of Hungary, and 11-14 against
Primorac Kotor, of Montenegro. The Romanian champions qualified into the second
round after they came out 3rd in their group.

Romania’s national team won the Carpathians
Trophy in women’s handball, held last week in the town of Bistriţa. Romania
started out with a draw against Austria, 32-all, a match in which they avoided
a defeat by scoring 2 goals in the last minute. Next came a 26-20 win against Serbia,
and in their last match manager Florentin Pera’s team defeated Spain, 25-23 and
finished top of the standings. Romania is training for the EURO 2022, a competition
scheduled to take place between 4 – 20 November in Slovenia, North Macedonia and
Montenegro. Romania is part of Group C, alongside France, the Netherlands and
North Macedonia.

This weekend saw matches counting towards
the 12th round of the Romanian football Super League. On Friday,
Universitatea Craiova drew against FC Voluntari, 1-all, while on Saturday the
other team based in Craiova, FC U, drew away from home against CS Mioveni, 2-all.
Also on Saturday, CFR Cluj won 1-0 against Petrolul Ploieşti. On Sunday,
Hermannstadt had their first defeat this season, 1-2 against Sepsi Sfântu
Gheorghe, Farul Constanţa beat UTA Arad 2-0, and in Bucharest FCSB struggled to
defeat FC Argeş, 3-2. The last 2 matches in this round were scheduled for
Monday: FC Botoşani vs Universitatea Cluj and Chindia Târgovişte vs Rapid
Bucharest. The current leaders in the ranking are Farul, with 27 points,
followed by Rapid, with 24, and Hermannstadt, with 22 points. (AMP)

3 October 2022
Sports Weekend

Steaua Bucharest
started out on the right foot in Group 1 of the Water Polo Champions League
qualifiers, held in Het Ravijn, the Netherlands. Romania’s champions defeated the
host team ZPC Het Ravijn 15-9. In another game in the group, Primorac Kotor, of
Montenegro, defeated Invictum Sarajevo, of Bosnia Herzegovina, 36-4. The group
also includes the Hungarian side Vasas Budapest. Steaua is to play 2 matches on
Saturday, against Invictum Sarajevo and Vasas Budapest, while on Sunday they
will take on Primorac Kotor. The top 2 teams in the ranking qualify into the
next stage of the competition, while the other teams will play in the EuroCup.

Romania’s
women’s handball team drew against Austria, 32-all on Thursday, the first day
of the Carpathians Trophy, a competition hosted by the Romanian town of
Bistriţa. In the debut match for manager Florentin Pera, the Romanian national
team avoided a defeat with 2 goals scored in the very last minute of the game. Cristina
Neagu was Romania’s top scorer, with 11 goals. In the first match of the day,
Serbia beat Spain 30 – 28. Two matches are scheduled for Friday: Austria vs.
Spain and Romania vs. Serbia. Romania is preparing for the EURO 2022, a
competition to be held in Slovenia, North Macedonia and Montenegro this
November. The Romanian team will play in Group C, against the Netherlands, France
and North Macedonia.

Matches are
scheduled this weekend in the 12th round of Romania’s football Superleague.
Universitatea Craiova take on FC Voluntari on Friday, while on Saturday FC
Mioveni play against FC U Craiova at home, and CFR Cluj are facing Petrolul
Ploieşti. On Sunday, FC Hermannstadt play against Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, Farul
Constanţa against UTA, and FCSB against FC Argeş, on the National Arena in
Bucharest. On Monday, FC Botoşani take on Universitatea Cluj, and Chindia Târgovişte
on Rapid Bucharest. At the moment, Farul and Rapid top the charts with 24
points, followed by Hermannstadt, with 22. (AMP)

30 September 2022
Sports Weekend

Steaua Bucharest
started out on the right foot in Group 1 of the Water Polo Champions League
qualifiers, held in Het Ravijn, the Netherlands. Romania’s champions defeated the
host team ZPC Het Ravijn 15-9. In another game in the group, Primorac Kotor, of
Montenegro, defeated Invictum Sarajevo, of Bosnia Herzegovina, 36-4. The group
also includes the Hungarian side Vasas Budapest. Steaua is to play 2 matches on
Saturday, against Invictum Sarajevo and Vasas Budapest, while on Sunday they
will take on Primorac Kotor. The top 2 teams in the ranking qualify into the
next stage of the competition, while the other teams will play in the EuroCup.

Romania’s
women’s handball team drew against Austria, 32-all on Thursday, the first day
of the Carpathians Trophy, a competition hosted by the Romanian town of
Bistriţa. In the debut match for manager Florentin Pera, the Romanian national
team avoided a defeat with 2 goals scored in the very last minute of the game. Cristina
Neagu was Romania’s top scorer, with 11 goals. In the first match of the day,
Serbia beat Spain 30 – 28. Two matches are scheduled for Friday: Austria vs.
Spain and Romania vs. Serbia. Romania is preparing for the EURO 2022, a
competition to be held in Slovenia, North Macedonia and Montenegro this
November. The Romanian team will play in Group C, against the Netherlands, France
and North Macedonia.

Matches are
scheduled this weekend in the 12th round of Romania’s football Superleague.
Universitatea Craiova take on FC Voluntari on Friday, while on Saturday FC
Mioveni play against FC U Craiova at home, and CFR Cluj are facing Petrolul
Ploieşti. On Sunday, FC Hermannstadt play against Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, Farul
Constanţa against UTA, and FCSB against FC Argeş, on the National Arena in
Bucharest. On Monday, FC Botoşani take on Universitatea Cluj, and Chindia Târgovişte
on Rapid Bucharest. At the moment, Farul and Rapid top the charts with 24
points, followed by Hermannstadt, with 22. (AMP)

30 September 2022
Sports Roundup

Romanian ice-hockey
team Sport Club Miercurea Ciuc on Sunday won the Erste Liga regional competition.
Sport Club Miercurea Ciuc emerged as winners of the trophy for the second year
running, having secured a 4-1 win in the final against Ferencvaros Budapest. In
the fifth game of the final, which actually decided Sport Club’s winning of the
trophy, the latter team grabbed a 5-3 home win against their Hungarian challengers.
Having played the final for the fourth consecutive year, Sport Club won the
trophy twice, in 2011 and 2021. In 2020, then the Erste Liga’s finalists, Sport
Club Miercurea Ciuc and Ferencvaros Budapest were both pronounced champions
because of the Covid-19 crisis. In 2019, Ferencvaros Budapest won the final
against Sport Club Miercurea Ciuc, 4-1.

CFR Cluj football
team have lost their first domestic championship fixture in the last six months.
Top-of-the-table CFR this past Sunday sustained a 2-3 away defeat by Universitatea
Craiova. The game counted as a fourth-round fixture in Group 1. Universitatea
Craiova’s Alexandru Creţu on 18 minutes drew first blood on the pitch. On 43
minutes, CFR’s Mihai Bordeianu provided the equalizer. Then 12 minutes into the
second half, CFR took the lead thanks to Claudiu Petrila’s goal. Universitatea
Craiova’s Jovan Markovic levelled the score on 69 minutes. A couple of seconds
from time, Universitatea’s Croat footballer, Ante Roguljic, put his team into
the lead and sealed the fate of the game. We recall that in Bucharest, in the
previous round, Universitatea Craiova secured a 2-nil away win against
runner-up team FCSB. Also in Group 1, on Saturday, in Pitesti, in the south,
Farul Constanta secured a 2-nil away win against the local team FC Arges. CFR
Cluj are still at the top pf the table, with 45 points. Following are FCSB,
with 37, and Universitatea Craiova, with 36 points.

In
Group 2, on Friday, in Clinceni, Chindia Târgovişte secured a 3-nil away win
against local side Academica. In Bucharest, FC U Craiova outclassed Dinamo, 2-1.
On Saturday in Arad, in the west, Rapid Bucharest secured
a 2-nil away win against local side UTA. On Sunday, FC Botoşani sustained a
nil-1 home defeat by Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe. Rapid Bucharest are at the top of
the table, with cu 32 points. Following are Sepsi, with 30, and FC Botoşani,
with 29 points. With a minus of 13 points, bottom-of-the-table team Gaz Metan Medias
stands no chance to avoid relegation, and so is Academica Clinceni, with a mere
3 points on its record sheet. As of late, both teams have been repeatedly
downgraded because of unpaid debts. In another move, three teams are trying
really hard to avoid the two positions that take them to the playoffs. They are
Dinamo, with 13 points, CS Mioveni, with 19, and Chindia Târgovişte, with 22 points.

(EN)

11 April 2022
Sports Roundup

Romanian ice-hockey
team Sport Club Miercurea Ciuc on Sunday won the Erste Liga regional competition.
Sport Club Miercurea Ciuc emerged as winners of the trophy for the second year
running, having secured a 4-1 win in the final against Ferencvaros Budapest. In
the fifth game of the final, which actually decided Sport Club’s winning of the
trophy, the latter team grabbed a 5-3 home win against their Hungarian challengers.
Having played the final for the fourth consecutive year, Sport Club won the
trophy twice, in 2011 and 2021. In 2020, then the Erste Liga’s finalists, Sport
Club Miercurea Ciuc and Ferencvaros Budapest were both pronounced champions
because of the Covid-19 crisis. In 2019, Ferencvaros Budapest won the final
against Sport Club Miercurea Ciuc, 4-1.

CFR Cluj football
team have lost their first domestic championship fixture in the last six months.
Top-of-the-table CFR this past Sunday sustained a 2-3 away defeat by Universitatea
Craiova. The game counted as a fourth-round fixture in Group 1. Universitatea
Craiova’s Alexandru Creţu on 18 minutes drew first blood on the pitch. On 43
minutes, CFR’s Mihai Bordeianu provided the equalizer. Then 12 minutes into the
second half, CFR took the lead thanks to Claudiu Petrila’s goal. Universitatea
Craiova’s Jovan Markovic levelled the score on 69 minutes. A couple of seconds
from time, Universitatea’s Croat footballer, Ante Roguljic, put his team into
the lead and sealed the fate of the game. We recall that in Bucharest, in the
previous round, Universitatea Craiova secured a 2-nil away win against
runner-up team FCSB. Also in Group 1, on Saturday, in Pitesti, in the south,
Farul Constanta secured a 2-nil away win against the local team FC Arges. CFR
Cluj are still at the top pf the table, with 45 points. Following are FCSB,
with 37, and Universitatea Craiova, with 36 points.

In
Group 2, on Friday, in Clinceni, Chindia Târgovişte secured a 3-nil away win
against local side Academica. In Bucharest, FC U Craiova outclassed Dinamo, 2-1.
On Saturday in Arad, in the west, Rapid Bucharest secured
a 2-nil away win against local side UTA. On Sunday, FC Botoşani sustained a
nil-1 home defeat by Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe. Rapid Bucharest are at the top of
the table, with cu 32 points. Following are Sepsi, with 30, and FC Botoşani,
with 29 points. With a minus of 13 points, bottom-of-the-table team Gaz Metan Medias
stands no chance to avoid relegation, and so is Academica Clinceni, with a mere
3 points on its record sheet. As of late, both teams have been repeatedly
downgraded because of unpaid debts. In another move, three teams are trying
really hard to avoid the two positions that take them to the playoffs. They are
Dinamo, with 13 points, CS Mioveni, with 19, and Chindia Târgovişte, with 22 points.

(EN)

11 April 2022
Athlete of the week

Attention-grabbing in terms of tennis
competitions in the past two weeks has been the year’s first Grand Slam tournament,
the Australian Open. However, among
the other smaller events as part of the ITF circuit, there was the tournament held
in Andrézieux-Bouthéon, France. It was a tournament with a total sum of 60,000 USD
in prize money. Romanian tennis player Ana Bogdan was the winner. Reason enough
for Radio Romania International to designate Ana Bogdan the Athlete of the week.

Top-seeded in the Andrézieux-Bouthéon
tournament were French tennis players Clara Burel and Océane Dodin. Swiss tennis player Ylena In‑Albon eliminated Burel from the very
first round. As for Dodin, she sustained a quarterfinal defeat by 6th-seeded
Anna Blinkova of Russia. Blinkova reached as far as the final, where she went against
third-seeded player, Ana Bogdan. The Romanian’s trail ahead of the semifinal was
fairly accessible, since Bogdan went against significantly lower-ranked
opponents according to the world standings. However, it took Ana Bogdan three
sets to secure her semifinal win against WTA 199th-ranked opponent, Jessica
Ponchet of France. The Romanian had no problem defeating Blinkova in the final,
7-5, 6-3, after one hour and 46 minutes of play. The win in France has been Ana
Bogdan’s second most important feat of her career so far. We recall that in
2019 Bogdan won the ITF Dubai tournament, an event with 100,000 USD in prize
money.

Ana
Bogdan was born in Sinaia, on November 25, 1992. She took up tennis when she
was 4. Ana played in her first ITF circuit tournaments in 2007. However, it was
not until 2014 that Ana Bogdan advanced to a WTA tournament. In Bad Gastein, Ana
Bogdan reached as far as the second round. Over 2016 and 2018 she reached as far
as the semi-finals of several WTA tournaments, a couple of times. Ana Bogdan
was best-placed according to the WTA rankings in June 2018, when she was 59th-ranked.
The as-it-stands WTA table saw Ana Bogdan being 101st-placed.
The Romanian climbed up 15 notches, after her win in Andrézieux-Bouthéon.

(EN)

1 February 2022
Athlete of the week

Attention-grabbing in terms of tennis
competitions in the past two weeks has been the year’s first Grand Slam tournament,
the Australian Open. However, among
the other smaller events as part of the ITF circuit, there was the tournament held
in Andrézieux-Bouthéon, France. It was a tournament with a total sum of 60,000 USD
in prize money. Romanian tennis player Ana Bogdan was the winner. Reason enough
for Radio Romania International to designate Ana Bogdan the Athlete of the week.

Top-seeded in the Andrézieux-Bouthéon
tournament were French tennis players Clara Burel and Océane Dodin. Swiss tennis player Ylena In‑Albon eliminated Burel from the very
first round. As for Dodin, she sustained a quarterfinal defeat by 6th-seeded
Anna Blinkova of Russia. Blinkova reached as far as the final, where she went against
third-seeded player, Ana Bogdan. The Romanian’s trail ahead of the semifinal was
fairly accessible, since Bogdan went against significantly lower-ranked
opponents according to the world standings. However, it took Ana Bogdan three
sets to secure her semifinal win against WTA 199th-ranked opponent, Jessica
Ponchet of France. The Romanian had no problem defeating Blinkova in the final,
7-5, 6-3, after one hour and 46 minutes of play. The win in France has been Ana
Bogdan’s second most important feat of her career so far. We recall that in
2019 Bogdan won the ITF Dubai tournament, an event with 100,000 USD in prize
money.

Ana
Bogdan was born in Sinaia, on November 25, 1992. She took up tennis when she
was 4. Ana played in her first ITF circuit tournaments in 2007. However, it was
not until 2014 that Ana Bogdan advanced to a WTA tournament. In Bad Gastein, Ana
Bogdan reached as far as the second round. Over 2016 and 2018 she reached as far
as the semi-finals of several WTA tournaments, a couple of times. Ana Bogdan
was best-placed according to the WTA rankings in June 2018, when she was 59th-ranked.
The as-it-stands WTA table saw Ana Bogdan being 101st-placed.
The Romanian climbed up 15 notches, after her win in Andrézieux-Bouthéon.

(EN)

1 February 2022
Sports Roundup

Romanian tennis
player Ana Bogdan this past Sunday won the ITF tournament in France’s Andrézieux-Bouthéon.
The event had 60, 000 USD in prize money all told. In the final, Bogdan, outclassed
Russian challenger Ana Blinkova, 7-5, 6-3. Third-seeded player Ana Bogdan won the trophy
after only one hour and forty-six minutes of play. For Ana Bogdan, it was the
second most important title of her career so far. We recall that in 2019 Ana Bogdan
won the ITF Dubai tournament, an event with a total of 100, 000 USD up for
grabs.

In the domestic
women’s handball championship’s derby as part of the National League’s 13th
round, this past Sunday CSM Bucharest grabbed a 35-19 away win against Minaur Baia
Mare. With eight goals scored, CSM’s Cristina Neagu was again the most
efficient scorer of the confrontation. Minaur Baia Mare’s Cristina Laslo also
stepped out of the line, with five goals scored. CSM’s win against Minaur means
the former squad are still the runner-up team according to the as-it-stands table.
CSM Bucharest are two points down from top-of-the-table Rapid Bucharest, but
with a pending game according to the schedule.

In
the domestic football’s all-time derby, on Sunday Dinamo Bucharest played a home
game against FCSB, former Steaua Bucharest. FCSB secured a precious 3-nil away
win. FCSB’s s opener occurred early into the game, when Octavian Popescu scored
on 2 minutes. Ianis Stoica scored the second goal in minute 75, while Razvan
Oaida sealed the fate of the match scoring for FCSB in the 82nd
minute. From the 35th minute Dinamo had been one man shy on the pitch
since Alexandru Raduta got twice yellow-booked and was eliminated. We recall
that in the first leg played on the National Arena in September, FCSB trounced
Dinamo, 6-nil.

Matches
counting towards League One’s 23rd round were played at the weekend.
On Friday, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe grabbed a 3-1 home win against Universitatea
Craiova. On Saturday, FC Voluntari secured a 3-1 home win against Gaz Metan
Medias, while on the National Arena in Bucharest, Rapid Bucharest and UTA Arad drew,
1-all. Scheduled for Sunday according to
the timetable, the match pitting Academica Clinceni
against Farul Constanţa was postponed for February 17, because of the COVID-19 cases
reported for Academica’s pool of regulars. On Sunday in Ploiesti, in the south,
Chindia Targoviste were held to a blank draw by CS Mioveni. FC U Craiova grabbed
a 1-nil home win against FC Argeş. CFR Cluj are at the top of the table, with
58 points. They are followed by FCSB, with 51.

(EN)

31 January 2022