Radio România Internațional

Tag: winners

July 2, 2023 UPDATE

European Games – On Sunday, the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu congratulated the Romanian athletes for the results obtained at the European Games in Krakow-Malopolska, Poland held between June 21-July 2. The 17 medals won by Romanian athletes (…) prove – once again! – the value, determination and courage of the Romanian athletes – the prime minister wrote on Facebook. Romania took 14th place in the medal ranking: 6 gold, 6 silver and 5 bronze. Gold medals were won by the cyclist Vlad Dascălu in the mountain bike race, by the athlete Claudia Bobocea in the 1,500 meters event, by Bernadette Szocs in table tennis (female singles), by Kinga Barabasi (female singles teqball), Apor Gyorgydeak (male singles teqball) and by the women’s table tennis team of Romania. The silver went to the athletes Bianca Ghelber in the hammer throw event and Daniela Stanciu in the high jump, to Cătălin Chirilă in the 500 meters solo canoe, the fencer Ilinca Pantiş in the saber event, the pair Kinga Barabasi and Katalin Dako in the womens double teqball and to the boxer Lăcrămioara Perijoc in the 54 kg category. Finally, the bronze medals went to karateka Ştefan Comănescu in the 67 kg category (kumite), to athlete Andrea Miklos in 400 m event, to fencer Mălina Călugăreanu in the foil event, and in table tennis – to the pair Ovidiu Ionescu/Bernadette Szocs (mixed doubles) and Elizabeta Samara (female singles). Romania participated in the European Games in Krakow-Malopolska with 150 athletes, 74 women, 76 men, in 18 sports disciplines. At the first edition of the European Games, Baku 2015, Romania ranked 17th and in 2019, in Minsk, it finished 26th.

Justice Day — The Justice Minister, Alina Gorghiu, pleaded, in her message on Justice Day, for collaboration and dialogue in finding good and balanced solutions to ensure both the functionality and efficiency of the judicial system, as well as the quality of the justice act. The legal system needs now, more than ever, unity, balance, mutual trust and openness. This is the message sent on Sunday, on Justice Day, by the president of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, Corina-Alina Corbu. She says that this anniversary takes place, this year, in a complicated context marked by tension, which should not have an impact on the citizens. The statements come in the context in which the representatives of the High Court challenged at the Constitutional Court the changes made to the special pension system which benefits the magistrates. Prosecutor General Alex Florența stated, in his message, that the legislative changes related to the magistrates pensions were made by simulating a dialogue, ignoring the principles of loyal cooperation and mutual respect that the powers of the state owe to each other. The chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), Marius Voineag, said, on Justice Day, that the role of the Directorate in the entire judicial system contributes to the development of Romanian society and to reaching the countrys real potential as a member of the EU and NATO. According to him, the issue of fighting corruption remains as topical as before because Romanians are perfectly aware of the fact that each act of corruption means the waste of public resources, missed opportunities for the country and a more uncertain future for the future generations.

iMapp – The international iMapp Bucharest – Winners League contest, the largest video mapping event in the world and the most important New Media Art project in Romania, will bring back, on September 23, the show of visual arts and technology on the facade of the Palace of the Parliament, the Bucharest City Hall officials announced on Sunday. In a press release they say that the public will be able to admire the 3D works of some of the most valuable artistic teams in the world, winners of iMapp Bucharests partner festivals in France, Germany, Greece, Hungary and Japan. The theme of the contest in Bucharest, this autumn, will be CONTRASTS, and a jury made up of important international specialists in the audiovisual arts will decide the grand winner of the editions Prize. Besides the 3D works projected on the 23,000 square meter facade of the largest administrative building in Europe, the public will be able to enjoy, for 12 hours, music, relaxation areas and street food.

Statistics – Last year, Romania had the cheapest food in the European Union, according to an analysis made by the National Institute of Statistics. At the opposite pole were Denmark and Luxembourg, with the highest food prices. Bulgaria had the cheapest alcoholic beverages and tobacco products, as well as the cheapest clothing and footwear in the entire Union, and utilities, water, electricity, gas and other fuels had the lowest costs. Bulgaria also had the lowest prices for accommodation and restaurant services, and Hungary had the lowest prices for transport, recreation and culture. In terms of purchasing power, Romania ranks last in the European Union. (LS)

2 July 2023
Sports weekend

Romania’s
national rugby squad take on Belgium in Brussels on Saturday, in the second
round of the 2023 Rugby Europe Championship. In the first round, played last
week, The Oaks defeated Poland in Bucharest, 67 – 27, while Belgium
sustained a 17- 54 away defeat by Portugal. Starting this year, the competition
will be held in a new format, with teams divided into two groups. Romania is in
Group B alongside Portugal, Belgium and Poland, while Georgia, the Netherlands,
Spain and Germany are in Group A. The top two finishers in each group will play
in the semi-finals and the winners will meet in the final.

The
final round of the Champions League women’s handball group stage takes place
this weekend. In Group A, CSM Bucharest play Krim Ljubljana away from home on
Sunday. The Romanian runners-up are at the top of the table with 22 points and have
already qualified directly for the League’s quarter-finals. In second place is
Norway’s Vipers Kristiansand are 2nd-placed, with 21 points. The
final round can only have an effect on the final standings, but the final
opponents in the next round of the competition depend on that. On home court, in
Group B, Rapid Bucharest are pitted against Lokomotiva Zagreb of Croatia on
Sunday. In the quarterfinal’s playoffs, holders Rapid will most likely finish
4th in the group and are to face the team that finishes 5th in Group A.

The
weekend will see matches being played, counting towards the 25th round of the
Romanian Super League. On Friday, two games: Universitatea Cluj go against
Mioveni and Rapid play FC U Craiova. On Saturday, FC Botosani will play UTA in
Arad and Universitatea Craiova will face CFR Cluj at home. On Sunday, FC Argeș
will meet Farul Constanta in Pitesti and FCSB will play FC Voluntari, away from
home. On Monday, the last two games of the round: Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe against
Chindia Târgoviște and Petrolul Ploiești against Hermannstadt. Farul are at the
top of the as-it-stands table, with 51 points. The runner-up team are CFR Cluj,
with 50. (EN)

10 February 2023
Sports weekend

Romania’s
national rugby squad take on Belgium in Brussels on Saturday, in the second
round of the 2023 Rugby Europe Championship. In the first round, played last
week, The Oaks defeated Poland in Bucharest, 67 – 27, while Belgium
sustained a 17- 54 away defeat by Portugal. Starting this year, the competition
will be held in a new format, with teams divided into two groups. Romania is in
Group B alongside Portugal, Belgium and Poland, while Georgia, the Netherlands,
Spain and Germany are in Group A. The top two finishers in each group will play
in the semi-finals and the winners will meet in the final.

The
final round of the Champions League women’s handball group stage takes place
this weekend. In Group A, CSM Bucharest play Krim Ljubljana away from home on
Sunday. The Romanian runners-up are at the top of the table with 22 points and have
already qualified directly for the League’s quarter-finals. In second place is
Norway’s Vipers Kristiansand are 2nd-placed, with 21 points. The
final round can only have an effect on the final standings, but the final
opponents in the next round of the competition depend on that. On home court, in
Group B, Rapid Bucharest are pitted against Lokomotiva Zagreb of Croatia on
Sunday. In the quarterfinal’s playoffs, holders Rapid will most likely finish
4th in the group and are to face the team that finishes 5th in Group A.

The
weekend will see matches being played, counting towards the 25th round of the
Romanian Super League. On Friday, two games: Universitatea Cluj go against
Mioveni and Rapid play FC U Craiova. On Saturday, FC Botosani will play UTA in
Arad and Universitatea Craiova will face CFR Cluj at home. On Sunday, FC Argeș
will meet Farul Constanta in Pitesti and FCSB will play FC Voluntari, away from
home. On Monday, the last two games of the round: Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe against
Chindia Târgoviște and Petrolul Ploiești against Hermannstadt. Farul are at the
top of the as-it-stands table, with 51 points. The runner-up team are CFR Cluj,
with 50. (EN)

10 February 2023
Sports roundup

The Romanian football side Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe won
Romania’s Cup Winners’ Cup after beating CFR Cluj 2-1 in Arad on Saturday. For the
central-Romanian club established in 2011, this was the second trophy won this
year after Romania’s football Cup. The coach of the team, Cristiano Bergodi of
Italy, had already won this trophy in 2007, with Rapid Bucharest.

Adrian Păun of the Cluj side, winners of this year’s
edition of the national championship, was the first to score, the second minute
of the match. Sepsi’s equalizer came via Cosmin Matei, in the first half’s overtime,
and Mario Rondon (Venezuela), who ironically enough had played for CFR Cluj
until the summer of 2021, scored the winning goal for Sepsi on 85 min.

Romania won 9 medals at the European Junion Swimming
Championships held in Otopeni, near Bucharest. Of them, 5 were gold medals, won
by the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team, by David Popovici in the 50m, 100m and
200m freestyle finals and by Vlad Ştefan Stancu, in the 1,500m freestyle race. Silver
medals went to the 4x100m freestyle medley team, to Bianca Costea in the women’s
50m freestyle final and to Vlad Stancu, in the 400m and 800m freestyle races.
Romania thus came 3rd in the nations’ ranking, after Hungary and
Poland.

At the Lucerne Regatta counting for the 3rd
stage of this year’s World Cup, Romanian athletes won 6 medals, of which one
gold, two silver and three bronze. Romania came first in the women’s double
sculls, thanks to Olympic champions Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radiş. Romania’s
women’s pairs and women’s four races, as well as the women’s 8 team, won bronze
medals.

In rugby, Romania defeated Uruguay, 30-22 on Sunday,
in a test match in Montevideo. Romania scored 3 tries and 3 conversion kicks,
and was also awarded 3 penalty kicks. Romania had one player, Tudor Butnariu, sent
out of the field on 13 minutes for a reckless tackle. Next Sunday, the 2 teams
will play a second test match, also in Montevideo. (AMP)

11 July 2022
Sports roundup

The Romanian football side Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe won
Romania’s Cup Winners’ Cup after beating CFR Cluj 2-1 in Arad on Saturday. For the
central-Romanian club established in 2011, this was the second trophy won this
year after Romania’s football Cup. The coach of the team, Cristiano Bergodi of
Italy, had already won this trophy in 2007, with Rapid Bucharest.

Adrian Păun of the Cluj side, winners of this year’s
edition of the national championship, was the first to score, the second minute
of the match. Sepsi’s equalizer came via Cosmin Matei, in the first half’s overtime,
and Mario Rondon (Venezuela), who ironically enough had played for CFR Cluj
until the summer of 2021, scored the winning goal for Sepsi on 85 min.

Romania won 9 medals at the European Junion Swimming
Championships held in Otopeni, near Bucharest. Of them, 5 were gold medals, won
by the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team, by David Popovici in the 50m, 100m and
200m freestyle finals and by Vlad Ştefan Stancu, in the 1,500m freestyle race. Silver
medals went to the 4x100m freestyle medley team, to Bianca Costea in the women’s
50m freestyle final and to Vlad Stancu, in the 400m and 800m freestyle races.
Romania thus came 3rd in the nations’ ranking, after Hungary and
Poland.

At the Lucerne Regatta counting for the 3rd
stage of this year’s World Cup, Romanian athletes won 6 medals, of which one
gold, two silver and three bronze. Romania came first in the women’s double
sculls, thanks to Olympic champions Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Radiş. Romania’s
women’s pairs and women’s four races, as well as the women’s 8 team, won bronze
medals.

In rugby, Romania defeated Uruguay, 30-22 on Sunday,
in a test match in Montevideo. Romania scored 3 tries and 3 conversion kicks,
and was also awarded 3 penalty kicks. Romania had one player, Tudor Butnariu, sent
out of the field on 13 minutes for a reckless tackle. Next Sunday, the 2 teams
will play a second test match, also in Montevideo. (AMP)

11 July 2022
Sports Roundup

Romania’s national rugby team took on Italy in a test match this past
Sunday in Bucharest. Romanians were buoyant for the early start of the game. Romania’
s Florin Vlaicu even successfully scored from two penalty kicks. However, the Oak
Leaf Knights ran out of steam, physically, were overpowered, and the Italians emerged
in control of the game completely. The latter team eventually trounced Romania,
45 to 13. In the coming preparation stage, the Romanian national squad will travel to South America, with two test matches on schedule. Romania faces Uruguay in Montevideo, on July 10 and 17.

Romanian
heavyweight boxer Cristian Ciocan this past Saturday wasted the opportunity to
win the WBO International and the WBC Silver belts. In the fourth round of the
match against British challenger Joe Joyce, Ciocan sustained a defeat by
knock-out. 34-year-old Ciocan is a German resident and competes as Christian
Hammer. It was Cristian Ciocan’s 10th defeat as a pro. The Romanian-born boxer’s
record includes 27 wins, of which 17 through knockout. 36-year-old Joe Joyce succeeded
his 14th win. The British boxer boasts a win-all record so far.

At the
European Open in Cluj-Napoca this past weekend, Romanian judokas won 11 medals, of
which two gold, four silver and five bronze. Stepping onto the first step of
the podium on Saturday was Florentina Ivanescu in the 63-kilogram category. Then
on Sunday, in 100-kilogram category, Cuban-born judoka Asley Gonzalez also won gold.

The European
International Juniors’ Swimming Championships kick-off this coming Tuesday in
Otopeni, nearby Bucharest., with 1,600 swimmers of 42 countries participating. For Romania, 14
swimmers compete in the women’s version of the event, while 12 other prove
their mettle in the men’s version of the championships. Star swimmer David Popovici
will be among the participants. We recall Popovici walked away with gold in the
100m and 200m freestyle events as part of the recently-held World Seniors’
Championships in Budapest.

In news
from football, Romanian title holders CFR Cluj this coming Tuesday play their
debut fixture as part of the Champions League’s first preliminary round, taking
on Armenian champions Piunk Yerevan away from home. The return leg
is scheduled in Cluj-Napoca on July 13. Until then, CFR Cluj will be playing a domestic
opener against Sepsi Sfantu-Gheorghe, counting towards Romania’s Supercup. We
recall Sepsi are this year’s winners of Romania’s Cup in football.

(EN)

4 July 2022
Sports Roundup

Romania’s national rugby team took on Italy in a test match this past
Sunday in Bucharest. Romanians were buoyant for the early start of the game. Romania’
s Florin Vlaicu even successfully scored from two penalty kicks. However, the Oak
Leaf Knights ran out of steam, physically, were overpowered, and the Italians emerged
in control of the game completely. The latter team eventually trounced Romania,
45 to 13. In the coming preparation stage, the Romanian national squad will travel to South America, with two test matches on schedule. Romania faces Uruguay in Montevideo, on July 10 and 17.

Romanian
heavyweight boxer Cristian Ciocan this past Saturday wasted the opportunity to
win the WBO International and the WBC Silver belts. In the fourth round of the
match against British challenger Joe Joyce, Ciocan sustained a defeat by
knock-out. 34-year-old Ciocan is a German resident and competes as Christian
Hammer. It was Cristian Ciocan’s 10th defeat as a pro. The Romanian-born boxer’s
record includes 27 wins, of which 17 through knockout. 36-year-old Joe Joyce succeeded
his 14th win. The British boxer boasts a win-all record so far.

At the
European Open in Cluj-Napoca this past weekend, Romanian judokas won 11 medals, of
which two gold, four silver and five bronze. Stepping onto the first step of
the podium on Saturday was Florentina Ivanescu in the 63-kilogram category. Then
on Sunday, in 100-kilogram category, Cuban-born judoka Asley Gonzalez also won gold.

The European
International Juniors’ Swimming Championships kick-off this coming Tuesday in
Otopeni, nearby Bucharest., with 1,600 swimmers of 42 countries participating. For Romania, 14
swimmers compete in the women’s version of the event, while 12 other prove
their mettle in the men’s version of the championships. Star swimmer David Popovici
will be among the participants. We recall Popovici walked away with gold in the
100m and 200m freestyle events as part of the recently-held World Seniors’
Championships in Budapest.

In news
from football, Romanian title holders CFR Cluj this coming Tuesday play their
debut fixture as part of the Champions League’s first preliminary round, taking
on Armenian champions Piunk Yerevan away from home. The return leg
is scheduled in Cluj-Napoca on July 13. Until then, CFR Cluj will be playing a domestic
opener against Sepsi Sfantu-Gheorghe, counting towards Romania’s Supercup. We
recall Sepsi are this year’s winners of Romania’s Cup in football.

(EN)

4 July 2022
June 16, 2019 UPDATE

MOLDOVA The PM of Romania Viorica Dăncilă sent a support message to her counterpart from the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, and invited her to Bucharest on her first official visit in this capacity. According to a news release issued on Sunday by the Government, Romania is confident that the new Cabinet in Chisinau will carry on the EU accession efforts and successfully implement the required reforms, the Association Agreement and the Free Trade Agreement with the EU. PM Dăncilă also reiterated Bucharests willingness to carry on the Strategic Partnership for the European Integration of the Republic of Moldova, which is at the core of the two countries bilateral cooperation. Meanwhile, PM Maia Sandu has called for the resignation of the Constitutional Court judges, who Saturday cancelled their previous rulings that dismantled Parliament and invalidated the new government, thus favouring the Democratic Party headed by tycoon Vlad Plahotniuc. On Friday the Democratic Party relinquished power and its leader left the country.

FAC The Romanian diplomacy chief Teodor Meleşcanu takes part on Monday in a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg. EU foreign ministers will discuss means to enhance the efficiency of the Common Foreign and Security Policy and will tackle topics of interest such as the situation in the Republic of Moldova and the developments in Sudan. Over an informal working lunch with Jordans Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ayman Safadi, the EU officials will also exchange opinions on the developments in the Middle East. Also on Monday, the EU foreign and defence ministers will have a joint meeting to assess the implementation of the Unions Global Strategy.

NO-CONFIDENCE A no-confidence motion tabled by the right-of-centre opposition in Romania against the Government made up by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats will be discussed on Tuesday in Parliament. According to the document, Romania immediately needs a government with a pro-European stand and focusing on the countrys development priorities, namely education, healthcare, public investments and attracting European funds. The motion signatories, the National Liberal Party, Save Romania Union, Peoples Movement Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, believe Viorica Dăncilăs Cabinet must be dismissed over the repeated attempts at issuing emergency orders in the field of the judiciary and the poor handling of the EP elections. For the motion to pass, it needs 233 votes. PM Dăncilă, who is also the interim president of the Social Democratic Party, has asked the Social Democrat MPs to attend the meeting, but to abstain from voting.

THEATRE The 26th edition of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS) continues. This years motto is “The Art of Giving. Scheduled for Sunday were a Japanese theatre performance and a concert by the French artist Adam Naas, among other performances. A total of 540 events are held as part of the Festival until the 23rd of June, bringing to Sibiu more than 3,300 artists and guests from 73 countries. According to the organisers, FITS is a celebration of the performing arts, from theatre to dance and music, but book launches, exhibitions and conferences are also organised on the sidelines of the event. This is the largest and most complex theatre festival in Romania and in Europe, and Radio Romania is one of the co-producers.

WINNERS The winners of RRIs quiz, Govora – Spa Tourism at European Level, Hans Verner Lollike and his wife, Inge-Lise, of Denmark, arrived in Bucharest on June 15th and travelled to Valcea County in southern Romania. They are staying at Palace Hotel in Govora Resort, and will be visiting the main cultural, tourist and religious sites in the area, including the town of Râmnicu Vâlcea, the Ocnele Mari salt mine, the famous Cozia and Turnu monasteries, the pottery workshops in Horezu, the UNESCO-listed Horezu Monastery and others. Our listeners will also go on a trip on Romanias highest-altitude motorway, the Transalpina. Our guests will leave Vâlcea County on June 23rd. RRI received 225 correct and complete answers in its latest quiz.

Hong Kong Hundreds of thousands once again rallied in Hong Kong on Sunday, asking for the resignation of chief executive Carrie Lam. On Saturday, Carrie Lam announced an indefinite suspension of the extradition bill that allowed for Hong Kong citizens to be extradited and stand trial in China. The new draft law triggered Hong Kongs most violent protests in decades. Carrie Lam apologised to the protesters, saying she was sorry for the problems caused by what she called shortcomings in her work.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

16 June 2019
Winners of the prize-winning contest “Govora:Spa tourism at European level”

Dear friends, Radio Romania International invited you to participate, until February 28, 2019, mailing date, in a prize-winning contest entitled “Govora: Spa tourism at European level”, devoted to Baile Govora spa resort, to spa tourism as well as to the international meetings the resort is hosting during Romania’s presidency of the Council of the European Union. The contest proved quite popular with our listeners, receiving 225 correct and complete answers. Thank you for participating and we invite you back in the upcoming editions. The Grand Prizes consist in two full board, 8-night trips for one person, between June 15 and 30, 2019, sponsored by the Palace Hotel in Baile Govora spa resort, in Valcea County. The contest was organized jointly with the Valcea County Council, the City Hall of Govora, the Valcea branch of the Fine Artists Union, the Archbishopric of Ramnic and the Valcea branch of the SALROM National Salt Society.

From the RRI programmes, website of the Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn profiles you could find out the answers to the questions. The contest ended on February 28, 2019. Before telling you who the winners are, let’s take a look at the questions once again and find out what the correct answers are:

Question: Where is Romania’s largest balneal park located?

Answer: In Baile Govora.

Q: What international event is going to be held in May 2019 in Baile Govora spa resort? A: The conference “Spa Tourism – an EU strategy for trans-national

development”.

Q: In which county of Romania is Baile Govora spa resort located?

A: In Valcea county.

And now let’s see who the winners are:

Of the 10 honourable mentions went to: Biswanath Bhatta, Prithwiraj Purkayastha, Samir Mukhopadhyay, Mitul Kansal şi Shatrudhan Sharma, all five from India, Ralph Sorrentino and Carrie Hopper, both from the US, Ziyad Salem Aqil from Jordan, José Luis Corcuera of Spain and Michel Frémy, from Belgium.

The 10 3rd prizes awarded, went to the following listeners and Internet users: Wade Martyn and Richard Contone, both from the US, Obaid Alam, from Pakistan, Chaitaly Sarkar, from India, Zoran Vrucinici, of Bosnia and Herţegovina, Dilmi Tahar, of Algeria, Anatolii Klepov, of Russia, Miguel Ramón Bauset, of Spain, Joaquín Bustos Baptista, of Venezula, and Maguy Roy, from France.

The 10 2nd prizes went to: Dylan O’Dwyer, from Ireland, Emin Omerspahici, from Bosnia and Herţegovina, Olexandr Kuziominskiy, of Ukraine, Liu Fajian, of China, Anna Mahjar-Barducci, of Italy, Abdelilah Izou, from Morocco, Georg Pleschberger, of Austria, Nikolai Larin, of Russia, Javier Núñez Mon, of Spain, and Mériem Sabine Amrane, from Algeria.

Mr. Grant Skinner sent us the following message: ”I have participated in this contest because wouldn’t it be nice to win a holiday at a spa? Just think: a peaceful environment, a place of complete relaxation, a place for reflection to clear my mind, to de-stress, release tension, experience the serenity, enjoy the tranquility, feel rejuvenated, feel alive.”

The 10 1st prizes went to: Grant Skinner, from the UK, Angelina Olaru, from the Republic of Moldova, Serhii Badik, of Ukraine, Chen Wei, of the US, Francesco Paroli, of Italy, Boudoukha Mohamed, of Algeria, Carsten Fenske, of Germany, Iurii Gavrilov, of Tadjikistan, Álvaro Muñoz Yáñez, of Chile, and Amady Faye, from Senegal.

6 special prizes went to the following listeners and Internet users: Christer Brunstrom, of Sweden, Ali Benchohra, of Algeria, Dieter Langguth, of Germany, Andrei Bondarenko, of Russia, Christian Ghibaudo, of France, and Antonio Avelino da Silva, of Brazil.

Mr. Christer Brunstrom, of Sweden, sent us the following message: “I usually try to take part in all your contests. Usually I learn something new about Romania. I didnt know that Romania had such a long history where spas have been used to treat various health problems. Weve had similar spas in Sweden as well where fresh air and water were considered as excellent cures for a variety of health problems. However, I dont think that we have anything like the Baile Govora spa.”

And now, the winner of the grand prize: his name is Hans Verner Lollike, from Denmark. He won a full board, 8-night trips for two persons, between June 15 and 30, 2019, at the Palace Hotel in Baile Govora spa resort, in Valcea County. Congratulations!

Hans Verner Lollike sent us the following message: “The spa-culture is not known in Scandinavia! I have always found it a bit strange, that grown people are spending one week or more just caring for their body, but now just turned 70, but if I am going to say so, I find my self healthy, biking every day, but now I can see, that caring for your body is a good thing, and I would probably enjoy a week in a spa, especially, if nature around is giving you opportunity to have wonderful walks. So this gave me an extra motivation for this contest – even that visiting Romania is always a strong motivation enough to participate. In Danish press most reports and news if any, is the bad and problematic stories. RRI gives me all sorts of stories, both in radio and on internet, that complete the picture of Romania. On top of that you do the best to involve us, on radio days, personality of the year and contests. “

We thank all our listeners who participated in the contest. The prizes will be sent to the winners by mail, in the upcoming months. Please confirm their receival by post or email. Thank you again! We are looking forward to your participation in our next contests.

28 March 2019
Winners of the prize-winning contest “Govora:Spa tourism at European level”

Dear friends, Radio Romania International invited you to participate, until February 28, 2019, mailing date, in a prize-winning contest entitled “Govora: Spa tourism at European level”, devoted to Baile Govora spa resort, to spa tourism as well as to the international meetings the resort is hosting during Romania’s presidency of the Council of the European Union. The contest proved quite popular with our listeners, receiving 225 correct and complete answers. Thank you for participating and we invite you back in the upcoming editions. The Grand Prizes consist in two full board, 8-night trips for one person, between June 15 and 30, 2019, sponsored by the Palace Hotel in Baile Govora spa resort, in Valcea County. The contest was organized jointly with the Valcea County Council, the City Hall of Govora, the Valcea branch of the Fine Artists Union, the Archbishopric of Ramnic and the Valcea branch of the SALROM National Salt Society.

From the RRI programmes, website of the Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn profiles you could find out the answers to the questions. The contest ended on February 28, 2019. Before telling you who the winners are, let’s take a look at the questions once again and find out what the correct answers are:

Question: Where is Romania’s largest balneal park located?

Answer: In Baile Govora.

Q: What international event is going to be held in May 2019 in Baile Govora spa resort? A: The conference “Spa Tourism – an EU strategy for trans-national

development”.

Q: In which county of Romania is Baile Govora spa resort located?

A: In Valcea county.

And now let’s see who the winners are:

Of the 10 honourable mentions went to: Biswanath Bhatta, Prithwiraj Purkayastha, Samir Mukhopadhyay, Mitul Kansal şi Shatrudhan Sharma, all five from India, Ralph Sorrentino and Carrie Hopper, both from the US, Ziyad Salem Aqil from Jordan, José Luis Corcuera of Spain and Michel Frémy, from Belgium.

The 10 3rd prizes awarded, went to the following listeners and Internet users: Wade Martyn and Richard Contone, both from the US, Obaid Alam, from Pakistan, Chaitaly Sarkar, from India, Zoran Vrucinici, of Bosnia and Herţegovina, Dilmi Tahar, of Algeria, Anatolii Klepov, of Russia, Miguel Ramón Bauset, of Spain, Joaquín Bustos Baptista, of Venezula, and Maguy Roy, from France.

The 10 2nd prizes went to: Dylan O’Dwyer, from Ireland, Emin Omerspahici, from Bosnia and Herţegovina, Olexandr Kuziominskiy, of Ukraine, Liu Fajian, of China, Anna Mahjar-Barducci, of Italy, Abdelilah Izou, from Morocco, Georg Pleschberger, of Austria, Nikolai Larin, of Russia, Javier Núñez Mon, of Spain, and Mériem Sabine Amrane, from Algeria.

Mr. Grant Skinner sent us the following message: ”I have participated in this contest because wouldn’t it be nice to win a holiday at a spa? Just think: a peaceful environment, a place of complete relaxation, a place for reflection to clear my mind, to de-stress, release tension, experience the serenity, enjoy the tranquility, feel rejuvenated, feel alive.”

The 10 1st prizes went to: Grant Skinner, from the UK, Angelina Olaru, from the Republic of Moldova, Serhii Badik, of Ukraine, Chen Wei, of the US, Francesco Paroli, of Italy, Boudoukha Mohamed, of Algeria, Carsten Fenske, of Germany, Iurii Gavrilov, of Tadjikistan, Álvaro Muñoz Yáñez, of Chile, and Amady Faye, from Senegal.

6 special prizes went to the following listeners and Internet users: Christer Brunstrom, of Sweden, Ali Benchohra, of Algeria, Dieter Langguth, of Germany, Andrei Bondarenko, of Russia, Christian Ghibaudo, of France, and Antonio Avelino da Silva, of Brazil.

Mr. Christer Brunstrom, of Sweden, sent us the following message: “I usually try to take part in all your contests. Usually I learn something new about Romania. I didnt know that Romania had such a long history where spas have been used to treat various health problems. Weve had similar spas in Sweden as well where fresh air and water were considered as excellent cures for a variety of health problems. However, I dont think that we have anything like the Baile Govora spa.”

And now, the winner of the grand prize: his name is Hans Verner Lollike, from Denmark. He won a full board, 8-night trips for two persons, between June 15 and 30, 2019, at the Palace Hotel in Baile Govora spa resort, in Valcea County. Congratulations!

Hans Verner Lollike sent us the following message: “The spa-culture is not known in Scandinavia! I have always found it a bit strange, that grown people are spending one week or more just caring for their body, but now just turned 70, but if I am going to say so, I find my self healthy, biking every day, but now I can see, that caring for your body is a good thing, and I would probably enjoy a week in a spa, especially, if nature around is giving you opportunity to have wonderful walks. So this gave me an extra motivation for this contest – even that visiting Romania is always a strong motivation enough to participate. In Danish press most reports and news if any, is the bad and problematic stories. RRI gives me all sorts of stories, both in radio and on internet, that complete the picture of Romania. On top of that you do the best to involve us, on radio days, personality of the year and contests. “

We thank all our listeners who participated in the contest. The prizes will be sent to the winners by mail, in the upcoming months. Please confirm their receival by post or email. Thank you again! We are looking forward to your participation in our next contests.

28 March 2019
Winners of the RRI contest “Alba Iulia -The City of the Union”

Dear friends, RRI invited you to participate in a new prize winning contest, entitled Alba Iulia – the City of the Union devoted to the celebration of 100 years since the territories with a predominantly Romanian population united in a nation state. We invited you to follow RRIs broadcasts, our site www.rri.ro and our Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn profiles and give correct answers, in writing, to the contest questions. The contest ended on June 30, 2018, mailing date (June 30, at midnight, Romanias time, for the online participants).

The contest proved quite popular with our listeners, receiving 268 correct and complete answers. Thank you. Thank you for participating and we invite you back in the upcoming editions. As you know, the two Grand Prizes consist in two trips with accommodation and full-board, between September 10-18, sponsored by the Transilvania Hotel in Alba Iulia and the “Casa Motului guesthouse in Arieseni, Alba County. As usual, the winners will have to cover the costs of the foreign travel expenses to and from Romania, and, if necessary, the cost of a Romanian visa. We will also offer prizes consisting in objects, particularly cultural promotion products. The contest is organised jointly with the Alba County Council, the City Hall of Alba Iulia, the Alba Iulia Branch of the Fine Artists Union, the Alba Iulia Orthodox Archbishopric, the Apulum SA Porcelain Factory in Alba Iulia and Romfilatelia
S.A. Also, the special prizes for the contest were offered by Radio Romania Iasi, the Moldavia and Bukovina Orthodox Archbishopric and Buzau County Council.

Before telling you who the winners are, lets take a look at the questions once again and find out what the correct answers are:

Q: What does Romania celebrate on December 1 and what is the significance of this celebration?

A: December 1 is the National Day of Romania. On December 1, 1918 all provinces inhabited mostly by Romanians unified in a nation state.

Q: What is the city which hosted the Grand National Assembly of December 1, 1918?

A: Alba Iulia.

Q: In what part of Romania is Alba Iulia located?

A: Central Romania.

And now lets see who the winners are:

Of the 30 honourable mentions awarded, 11 went to English Service listeners and Internet users as follows:

Arthur H. Nyirongo, of Malawi, Bill Hvozda,of the US, Gita Chakrabarty and Sourodeep Sarkar, both from India, Catherine Agboola, of Nigeria, Mofizur Rahman,of Bangladesh, Joseph Beaudry, of Canada and Grant Skinner, Paul Martin, David Harrington and James Birkett, all 4 from the UK, who wrote to the English service.

Of the 20 3rd prizes awarded, 7 went to the following listeners and Internet users:

Saleem Akhtar Chadhar and Mehar Abdul Sattar Salfi, both from Pakistan, Henk Poortvliet, of the netherlands, S.B. Sharma and Anand Mohan Bain, both from India, Alan Holder and Alastair Pamphilion, both from the UK.

Iar Alan Holder, from the UK, has written: This contest is noteworthy in that it is a reminder of what has to be the most important date in Romanias recent history. It has encouraged me to examine some old maps of your region from around the beginning of the 20^th century, to see where the different provinces are located and how Romanias borders have changed post 1918. (…) Without doubt, my knowledge of Romania would be sadly lacking if I did not “discover RRI back in the early 1970s.

Of the 10 2nd prizes, two went to Carrie Hooper, of the US and Hans Verner Lollike, of Denmark, both listeners to the English programmes.

Carrie Hooper, from the US, has written: In a world plagued by division and conflict, stations like Radio Romania build bridges of cultural understanding. Learning to respect and appreciate other cultures is the best way to fight terrorism. People do not fear what they understand. Thank you for your tireless work to present your beautiful and unique country to the rest of the world.

Hans Verner Lollike, of Denmark, has said: We see now a Europe, which is very much the Europe created after WW-I. For the Romanian Nation it was a great opportunity to create a Romanian Country. Not all the boarders are exactly the same, great majority of Romanians living in the Republic of Moldova, but I think now-a-days Romania was created at the Grand National Assembly of Alba Julia held on Dec 1^st, 1918. That is why this day is worth while celebrating. The future is not in moving any boarders anywhere by power or pressure ( …) but with open boarders and equal rights for all nationalities in each geographic country. I congratulate Romania and the Romanian People on this significant day – and for your contribution to a peaceful Europe.

10 1st prizes were awarded, of which two went to Mitul Kansal and Jaydeep Chakrabarty, both from India, who listened to the RRI English.

14 special prizes went to the following listeners and Internet users: Maura Garrihy, of Ireland, Vitali Efimenko, of Belarus, who wrote to the Ukrainian Service, Adrian Silviu Mironescu, of Romanua, Anna Nahapetian, of Russia, Miodrag Ristić, of Serbia, Juan Carlos Buscaglia, of Argentina, Josef Arias, of Costa Rica, Yang Tiedong, of China, Giovanni Sergi, of Italy, Reinhard Schumann, of Sweden, who wrote to the German Service, Bernard Launay and Pascal Jamin, both from France, Ashik Eqbal Tokon, Bangladesh, and Radhakrishna Pillai. N, from India.

Maura Garrihy, of Ireland, has written the following: Hello Bucharest! Lovely to find RRI on the internet and have the chance to win your great competition! I am 28 years old and live in the middle of Ireland. I am very interested in knowing more about your country after making Romanian friends here in Ireland. This is how I found your website and became interested in your contest. (…) You asked about what prompted me to enter. Well, above all I have never visited Romania before! All the Romanians I have met here in Ireland are such nice gentle people with big hearts. Winning this competition would be an amazing way to visit Romania in September, such a beautiful time of the year. If I was lucky enough to win, I would go with my husband (we are due to marry this July!) Its great to see that RRI is helping inform people around the world about Romania and bring them to your beautiful country. I have already learned a lot about Romania from your contest, thank you!

And now, the winner of the grand prize: his name is Jonas Sell, from Dortmund, Germany. He won a trip with for two with accommodation and full-board, between September 10-18, in Arieseni and Alba Iulia. Congratulations!

Jonas Sell sent us the following message: “The Contest was on occasion to learn more about Alba Iulia and what happened on December 1st, 1918, information that I could not have gotten otherwise in Germany.

We thank all our listeners who participated in the contest. The prizes will be sent to the wonner by mail, in the upcoming monts. Please confirm their receival by amail. Thank you again! We are looking forward to your participation in our next contests.

19 July 2018
The Winners of the RRI Contest “Maramures – culture and traditions at the heart of Europe”

Dear friends, RRI invited you to participate in a new prize winning contest, entitled “Maramures – culture and traditions at the heart of Europe”, devoted to the northern county of Maramures, one of the most beautiful and most visited regions in Romania.

The contest proved quite popular with our listeners, receiving 301 correct and complete answers. Thank you for participating, and we invite you back in the upcoming editions. The winners will receive prizes consisting in objects that promote the culture of Maramures. The contest is organized jointly with Maramures County Council, the Baia Mare Town Hall, the County Museum of Arts “Baia Mare Artistic Centre”, the Baia Mare Branch of the Visual Artists’ Union and the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Maramures and Satmar.

The answers to the contest questions were available in the RRI’s broadcasts, on our website www.rri.ro and our Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn profiles. The contest ended on November 30, 2017, mailing date. Before telling you who the winners are, lets take a look at the questions once again:

Which part of Romania is Maramures located in? Correct answer: in the North

What is the name of the famous funerary art monument, one of the area’s main attractions? Correct answer: the Merry Cemetery in Sapanta

How many wooden churches in Maramures are on the UNESCO heritage list? Correct answer: 8

What is the name of the county’s capital? Correct answer: Baia Mare.

The English section received 123 answers, of which 89 were correct answers.

And now lets see who the winners are:

The 30 honorable mentions went the following listeners or Internet users: Zhi Yanqiao, of China, Emad Ali Abdel Wahed, of Iraq, Vitali Efimenko of Belarus, who wrote to the Ukrainian Section, Farid Boumechaal of Algeria, Marco Botatti, Maria Riello, Massimo De Muro and Simona Baj, all four from Italy, Anton Bostanjiev, Alexei Saropiatov and Nikolai Larin, all three from Russia, Marek Pis of Polonia who wrote to the Russian Section, David Iurescia of Argentina, Aylton José Cordeiro Gama, Alberto Hindeburgo Fetter and Henrique José Dantas Felinto, all 3three from Brazil, José Luis Corcuera of Spain, Freddy Armijo Ramírez, of Chile, Marco Hommel, of Austria, Hemsagar Naik, of India, Kanwar Sandhu, of Canada, David Harrington, from the UK, Michael Cunningham from Australia, Jonathan Murphy of Ireland, Henk Poortvliet of the Netherlands, Arthur Lucas Santos Gomes of Brazil, Jaroslaw Jedrzejczak of Poland, Stefan Stanev of Bulgaria, Tim Arne of Estonia and Jean-Francois Le Fillarte of Germany, the last six having written to the English Section.

The 20 3rd prizes went to Xue Fei and Li Ming, both from China, Georg Pleschberger from Austria, Rachid Dahmani, from Algeria, Munif Ben Mahfouz, from Tunisia, Natalia Zabolotna, from Ukraine, Amady Faye, from Senegal, Antonella Monti and Dino Antonio Rossetto, both from Italy, Nikolai Prigodici (Belarus), Anatoli Klepov, of Russia, Fabio Calpa Caicedo of Columbia, Art R. Wormald of Canada, who wrote to the Spanish Section, Heimer Sia of the Philippines, Chris Smolinski of the US, Hans Verner Lollicke of Denmark, Gita Chakrabarty of India, Shariful Islam Sharif and Naz Parvin, both of Bangladesh, Art R. Wormald of Canada, and Ali Shahzad Chadhar of Pakistan.

The 20 2nd prizes went our fellow Romanian Ramona Bărbulescu, from Spania, Chu Changrong and Liu Fajian, both from China, Fritz Andorf, of germany, Abdel Razzak Qasmi, of Algeria, Volodimir Bondar, of Ukraine, Christian Ghibaudo and Bernard Launay, both from France, Ernesto Gandini and Stefano Citterio, both from Italy, Serghei Koleşov, of Ukraine, who wrote to the Russion Section, Serghei Bezenkov, of Russia, Juan Pablo Caja, of Spain, Fabio Junior da Silva of Brazil, Brian Kendall of the UK, Kraig Krist of the US, Radhakrishna Pillai and Deepak Kumar of India and Adrian Micaleff of Malta.

The 10 1st prizes went to Ivan Klein, of the US, Miodrag Ristici, of Serbia, Bernd Seiser, of Germany, Mohamed El-Sayed Abdel Rahim, of Egypt, Volodimir Gudzenko, of Russia, who wrote to the Ukrainian Section, Giorgio Rapisarda, of Italy, Ivan Lebedev, of Russia, Oscar Castillo Cabrera, of Peru, Jaydeep Chakrabarty and Naved Raiyan, both of India.

The 9 special prizes went to Fan Hongjie, of China, Idriss Bououdina, of Marocco, Jean Marc Olry, of France, Giovanni Alotto, of Italy, Nicolai Loghinov, of Russia, Adriel Amaya Armas, of Cuba, Alan Gale of the UK, Christer Brunstrom of Sweden, and Ashik Eqbal Tokon of Bangladesh.

Here is what some of the winning contestants wrote as their motivation for taking part in our contest:

ALAN GALE, Lancashire, UK: “With such a fantastic list of places who wouldnt want to visit there, and I must admit that since my other big hobby is photography, I would certainly be in my element in such photogenic places, especially in the case of the Mocanita Steam Train, as I really love heritage railways. Since it may be some time before I can actually get there, the next best thing would be to win a prize in your contest. I really enjoy the programmes on RRI, and love to hear about places such as this, and I believe that radio is a great way that a country can promote its national treasures such as these, and also educate the worlds listeners about just what Romania has to offer.”

ASHIK EQBAL TOKON, Bangladesh: “Radio Romania International is a gateway to discover Romania and the Romanians. It’s also a hub of cultural exchange between Romania and the world. RRI is a unique guide to explore the hidden beauties and the powerful culture as well as the historic places that lies into the heart of Europe. From my childhood Radio Bucharest, the Radio Romania International is one and only light house to take the adventure of discovering Romania. Listening RRI still my habitual manner and I hang on RRI’s web and surfing yet onto its electromagnetic wave. RRI is also my teacher, who bound to learn more through quiz contest and its informative features. Radio Romania International is my friend who always stayed beside me to enhance my knowledge on Romania and its historic beauty. Long live Romania. . . Long live RRI” . . .

CHRISTER BRUNSTROM, Sweden: Even the name of the county – Maramures – has a good ring to it. I have frequently heard you mention that Prince Charles is a frequent visitor to Maramures and that he owns property there. I understand that he takes a strong interest in the preservation of traditional architecture and he has frequently spoken out when there have been plans to replace valuable old buildings with new and modern ones. I agree with him that we need to preserve our historical heritage for future generations to enjoy and it seems that Maramures has a lot that needs to remain intact. I have been an RRI listener since 1962 and I enjoy all activities that promote listener participation in your programming (mail bag shows, contests, special events). All these activities demonstrate that you care about the short-wave listeners who stay with you year after year. The contest also provide a lot of useful information about your country.”

We would like to thank everyone who answered the questions and provided their motivation for participation. The prizes and special mentions will be sent to you over the next few months. Please send us a letter or e-mail confirming reception and content of the prizes. Thank you once again for participating in the RRIs contest, and we invite you to participate in our next contests as well.

21 December 2017
The Winners of the RRI Contest “Maramures – culture and traditions at the h

Dear friends, RRI invited you to participate in a new prize winning contest, entitled “Maramures – culture and traditions at the heart of Europe”, devoted to the northern county of Maramures, one of the most beautiful and most visited regions in Romania.

The contest proved quite popular with our listeners, receiving 301 correct and complete answers. Thank you for participating, and we invite you back in the upcoming editions. The winners will receive prizes consisting in objects that promote the culture of Maramures. The contest is organized jointly with Maramures County Council, the Baia Mare Town Hall, the County Museum of Arts “Baia Mare Artistic Centre”, the Baia Mare Branch of the Visual Artists’ Union and the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Maramures and Satmar.

The answers to the contest questions were available in the RRI’s broadcasts, on our website www.rri.ro and our Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn profiles. The contest ended on November 30, 2017, mailing date. Before telling you who the winners are, lets take a look at the questions once again:

Which part of Romania is Maramures located in? Correct answer: in the North What is the name of the famous funerary art monument, one of the area’s main attractions? Correct answer: the Merry Cemetery in Sapanta How many wooden churches in Maramures are on the UNESCO heritage list? Correct answer: 8 What is the name of the county’s capital? Correct answer: Baia Mare.

The English section received 123 answers, of which 89 were correct answers.

And now lets see who the winners are:

The 30 honorable mentions went the following listeners or Internet users: Li Xue, of China, Emad Ali Abdel Wahed, of Iraq, Vitali Efimenko of Belarus, who wrote to the Ukrainian Section, Farid Boumechaal of Algeria, Marco Botatti, Maria Riello, Massimo De Muro and Simona Baj, all four from Italy, Anton Bostanjiev, Alexei Saropiatov and Nikolai Larin, all three from Russia, Marek Pis of Polonia who wrote to the Russian Section, David Iurescia of Argentina, Aylton José Cordeiro Gama, Alberto Hindeburgo Fetter and Henrique José Dantas Felinto, all 3three from Brazil, José Luis Corcuera of Spain, Freddy Armijo Ramírez, of Chile, Marco Hommel, of Austria, Hemsagar Naik, of India, Kanwar Sandhu, of Canada, David Harrington, from the UK, Michael Cunningham from Australia, Jonathan Murphy of Ireland, Henk Poortvliet of the Netherlands, Arthur Lucas Santos Gomes of Brazil, Jaroslaw Jedrzejczak of Poland, Stefan Stanev of Bulgaria, Tim Arne of Estonia and Jean-Francois Le Fillarte of Germany, the last six having written to the English Section.

The 20 3rd prizes went to Xue Fei and Li Ming, both from China, Georg Pleschberger from Austria, Rachid Dahmani, from Algeria, Munif Ben Mahfouz, from Tunisia, Natalia Zabolotna, from Ukraine, Amady Faye, from Senegal, Antonella Monti and Dino Antonio Rossetto, both from Italy, Nikolai Prigodici (Belarus), Anatoli Klepov, of Russia, Fabio Calpa Caicedo of Columbia, Art R. Wormald of Canada, who wrote to the Spanish Section, Heimer Sia of the Philippines, Chris Smolinski of the US, Hans Verner Lollicke of Denmark, Gita Chakrabarty of India, Shariful Islam Sharif and Naz Parvin, both of Bangladesh, Art R. Wormland of Canada, and Ali Shahzad Chadhar of Pakistan.

The 20 2nd prizes went our fellow Romanian Ramona Bărbulescu, from Spania, Chu Changrong and Liu Fajian, both from China, Fritz Andorf, of germany, Abdel Razzak Qasmi, of Algeria, Volodimir Bondar, of Ukraine, Christian Ghibaudo and Bernard Launay, both from France, Ernesto Gandini and Stefano Citterio, both from Italy, Serghei Koleşov, of Ukraine, who wrote to the Russion Section, Serghei Bezenkov, of Russia, Juan Pablo Caja, of Spain, Fabio Junior da Silva of Brazil, Brian Kendall of the UK, Kraig Krist of the US, Radhakrishna Pillai and Deepak Kumar of India and Adrian Micaleff of Malta.

The 10 1st prizes went to Ivan Klein, of the US, Miodrag Ristici, of Serbia, Bernd Seiser, of Germany, Mohamed El-Sayed Abdel Rahim, of Egypt, Volodimir Gudzenko, of Russia, who wrote to the Ukrainian Section, Giorgio Rapisarda, of Italy, Ivan Lebedev, of Russia, Oscar Castillo Cabrera, of Peru, Jaydeep Chakrabarty and Naved Raiyan, both of India.

The 9 special prizes went to Fan Hongjie, of China, Idriss Bououdina, of Marocco, Jean Marc Olry, of France, Giovanni Alotto, of Italy, Nicolai Loghinov, of Russia, Adriel Amaya Armas, of Cuba, Alan Gale of the UK, Christer Brunstrom of Sweden, and Ashik Eqbal Tokon of Bangladesh.

Here is what some of the winning contestants wrote as their motivation for taking part in our contest:

ALAN GALE, Lancashire, UK: “With such a fantastic list of places who wouldnt want to visit there, and I must admit that since my other big hobby is photography, I would certainly be in my element in such photogenic places, especially in the case of the Mocanita Steam Train, as I really love heritage railways. Since it may be some time before I can actually get there, the next best thing would be to win a prize in your contest. I really enjoy the programmes on RRI, and love to hear about places such as this, and I believe that radio is a great way that a country can promote its national treasures such as these, and also educate the worlds listeners about just what Romania has to offer.”

ASHIK EQBAL TOKON, Bangladesh: “Radio Romania International is a gateway to discover Romania and the Romanians. It’s also a hub of cultural exchange between Romania and the world. RRI is a unique guide to explore the hidden beauties and the powerful culture as well as the historic places that lies into the heart of Europe. From my childhood Radio Bucharest, the Radio Romania International is one and only light house to take the adventure of discovering Romania. Listening RRI still my habitual manner and I hang on RRI’s web and surfing yet onto its electromagnetic wave. RRI is also my teacher, who bound to learn more through quiz contest and its informative features. Radio Romania International is my friend who always stayed beside me to enhance my knowledge on Romania and its historic beauty. Long live Romania. . . Long live RRI” . . .

CHRISTER BRUNSTROM, Sweden: Even the name of the county – Maramures – has a good ring to it. I have frequently heard you mention that Prince Charles is a frequent visitor to Maramures and that he owns property there. I understand that he takes a strong interest in the preservation of traditional architecture and he has frequently spoken out when there have been plans to replace valuable old buildings with new and modern ones. I agree with him that we need to preserve our historical heritage for future generations to enjoy and it seems that Maramures has a lot that needs to remain intact. I have been an RRI listener since 1962 and I enjoy all activities that promote listener participation in your programming (mail bag shows, contests, special events). All these activities demonstrate that you care about the short-wave listeners who stay with you year after year. The contest also provide a lot of useful information about your country.”

We would like to thank everyone who answered the questions and provided their motivation for participation. The prizes and special mentions will be sent to you over the next few months. Please send us a letter or e-mail confirming reception and content of the prizes. Thank you once again for participating in the RRIs contest, and we invite you to participate in our next contests as well.

21 December 2017
Winners of the 2017 “George Enescu” International Festival Contest

This year’s edition of the George Enescu Festival was hosted by Bucharest and 7 other cities in Romania over September 2 and 24. Having reached its 23rd edition, the festival brought together prestigious artists and orchestras from all over the world. Prizes for this contest consist in CDs with Romanian and foreign classical music, as well as other promotional items. The contest was organized jointly with the Bucharest City Hall, the Nicolae Tonitza Fine Arts High School in Bucharest and Casa Radio Publishers. The mailing deadline for entry submission was September 30, 2017.

Information about the festival was available on our website, on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn. But before we announce the winners and, let’s recap the questions and the correct answers:

Which edition of the George Enescu International Festival is held in 2017? Correct answer: the 23rd edition.

Who are the artistic director and the honorary president of the 2017 edition? Correct answer: the artistic director of the festival is the famous conductor Vladimir Jurowski, while the honorary president of this year’s edition was another famous conductor, Zubin Mehta.

How many artists are taking part in this year’s edition of the George Enescu Festival? Correct answer: Over 3,000.

In how many cities does the 2017 George Enescu Festival take place? Correct answer: 8 cities.

And now let’s see who the winners are.

30 honourable mentions went to the following listeners or Internet users: Andrea Tucci and Elio Arpino from Italy, Mari Francesca Santos Gomes from Brazil, Vladislav Vinogradov from Russia, Calvin Knott and Michael Lindner from Germany, Adriel Amaya Armas from Cuba, Guillermo Klapka from Venezuela, Emilio Sahuquillo Dobón, Luciano Jesús Gutiérrez Puig and Enric Ballester Burcet from Spain, Hans-Martin Friedrich from Switzerland, Horst Quitzau and Wolfgang Waldl from Austria, Arthur Nyirongo from Malawi, Christer Brunstrom from Sweden, Salim Akhtar, Abid Hussain Sajid and Amir Jameel from Pakistan, John Cooper from the USA, Mitul Kansal, Nafisa Najim, Najim Uddin, Radhakrishnan Pillai and Jayanta Chakrabarty from India, Alan Holder, Brian Kendall and Grant Skinner from Great Britain, Jakiya Parvin and Ruhul Amin from Bangladesh.

One of the recipients of these honorable mentions, Nafisa Najim of India, wrote to us the following in connection to the “George Enescu” Festival:

“I listen to RRI via Internet amongst many others radio stations. I have become so much inquisitive about Romania after following RRI’s content online. I have a strong desire to visit this great country and meet its people. I am convinced that there is so much to see and learn in Romania which cultural history is very remarkable. In this regards the event of 2017 George Enescu Festival. Whenever I come across a quiz about Romania I immediately take part in it irrespective of winning or not. I just like competing, especially when it gives me an opportunity to explore new ideas, new lands and their history, culture and events. I particularly like to follow Romania on all the various media because of the beauty and diversity of its cultural landscape and the uniqueness of its people”.

We also awarded 20 3rd prizes to the following listeners or Internet users: Rachid Dahmani from Algeria, Stefano Citterio from Italy, Iurii Gavrilov from Tajikistan, Oleg Voronov from Russia, Wael Chebbi from Romania, Xue Fei, Ji Kuang and Zhi Yanjiao from China, Alexandru Radu Matei from Romania, Andreas Fessler and Bernd Seiser from Germany, Antonio Morilla and Miguel Ramón Bauset from Spain, Davi Lucas Pinto da Sousa from Brazil, Troy Valentino Riedel from the USA, Hans Verner Lollike from Denmark, Naved Raiyan, Muhammes Nayim and Golam Hossain from India and Mahfuzur Rahman from Bangladesh.

From Denmark, our long-time listener and friend Hans Verner Lollike commented on his participation in the contest: “I find it most interesting every time you arrange a new contest! It is always a great pleasure to participate. When you are hooked on Romania, you would like to follow life and events in Romania. RRI broadcasts and homepage is, where I find informations to be updated for more than 25 years. To take part in contests are like going to a test, you collect infos enough to pass the test, and to bring with you in your future life”.

The winners of the 15 2nd prizes are the following: Zoran Vrucinici from Bosnia Herzegovina, Nouri Abdel-Razzak from Algeria, Dino Antonio Rossetto from Italy, Egor Aushev from Russia, Gilles Gautier from France, Jamila Bekkai from Morocco, Liu Fajian from China, Rodica Martin from Romania, Beate Hansen from Germany, Yusimi Gómez Gálvez from Cuba, Constantin Criţkii from the Republic of Moldova, Deepita Shakrabarty and Mahesh Jain from India, Ian Evans and Alan Roe from Great Britain.

The latter listed the reasons that prompted him to take part in our prize-winning contest: “I enjoy a wide range of music, however, classical music is one that I know least about and there is so very little of this genre of music on shortwave. This is my way of supporting the Festival. Also – I quite like the idea of receiving a CD of Romanian classical music!”

In turn, Ian Evans also from Great Britain wrote to us: “I am entering this competition because I want to support R.R.I. I listen to R.R.I. because the quality of the programs is very good. The one hour broadcast in particular offers a well balanced mix of content, topical, cultural, musical and literary. At the sound of The Romanian Rhapsody a smile breaks out on my face because I know I am about to enjoy the next hour. I particularly enjoy Listeners Letterbox, listening to the letters and emails from R.R.I. listeners from all corners of the globe is heartwarming for those of us who still love our shortwave radios”.

Finally the time has come to announce the winners of the 10 1st prizes: Vitali Efimenko from Belarus, Mohamed Nazih from Morocco, Simone Perico from Italy, Alvydas Alijosaitis from Lithuania, Jean Michel Aubier from France, Ma Shaobo from China, Vladimir Bodrug from the Republic of Moldova, Konstantin Derham from Germany, Yosir Manuel Quijada León, from Venezuela and Mofizur Rahman from Bangladesh.

Among them, Mofizur Rahman of Bangladesh, a listener of the English-language programs, commented on his decision to take part in the contest: “The primary reason for listening to RRI or follow RRI’s website is to connect myself with the most friendly voice of a proud and resurgent nation that is seeking its rightful place in the comity of nations. I like RRI for what it is – its open policy of projecting not only the positive attributes but also highlighting its deficiencies which is rather rare in the world of broadcasting. This bold exercise reaffirms my faith in the transparency and integrity of the Romanian people which serves as a model for the world to follow. RRI give us latest updated news and reviews that are presented in a balanced, unbiased manner, and for educating us on the current developments in the countrys music, art, cinema, culture, politics, sports, economy and science and technology. As for the Radio Romania programs in English, I found them very well organized and very well produced. I have listened to them in many opportunities and the cultural and informative aspects they all have has been a feature that I appreciate very much about Radio Romania International. Its always a pleasure to tune into RRI and know youll find out something new about Romania, its history or its people, every time. RRI as the Voice of Romania has ensured that it is heard even in the remotest corners of the globe by continuing on its shortwave transmission when most of the worlds leading radio stations have curtailed it. The programmes are always informative and enjoyable, and I always feel that Ive learned a lot about your country and culture, so you are definitely doing something right, and long may you continue.”

We also awarded 5 special prizes that went to Oleg Panko of Belarus, Shan Jinhai of China, Martina Pohl of Germany, Ceferino Campmajo of Argentina and Ashik Eqbal Tokon of Bangladesh, the latter a listener of the English Service. Here is what our listener wrote about the motive for his participation: “About the encouraging factors for me to get involved in this contest, simple discover more on George Enescu, who was not a ray just for his family, also the delighting stars of the music world. As like as the last contest on George Enescu (2013) my motivation is to explore the unknown facts of Romanian Classical music and its international influencing power that spread all over Europe and beyond. Radio Romania International, is my only source to learn more and more about Romania, even from my childhood. Information are now on finger-tips, but it was not so easy in 1980’s. Thanks to all the inventors of radio communication make it easy for me to create a virtual Romania into my mind throughout the elctro-magnetic wave, which comes from Romania, travelling thousands of miles through the Ionosphere”.

We would like to thank all of you who participated in this competition. Your prizes and honourable mentions will be mailed by post within the coming months. Please confirm receipt of the prizes and their content by letter or email.

23 October 2017
Winners of the 2017 “George Enescu” International Festival Contest

This year’s edition of the George Enescu Festival was hosted by Bucharest and 7 other cities in Romania over September 2 and 24. Having reached its 23rd edition, the festival brought together prestigious artists and orchestras from all over the world. Prizes for this contest consist in CDs with Romanian and foreign classical music, as well as other promotional items. The contest was organized jointly with the Bucharest City Hall, the Nicolae Tonitza Fine Arts High School in Bucharest and Casa Radio Publishers. The mailing deadline for entry submission was September 30, 2017.

Information about the festival was available on our website, on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn. But before we announce the winners and, let’s recap the questions and the correct answers:

Which edition of the George Enescu International Festival is held in 2017? Correct answer: the 23rd edition.

Who are the artistic director and the honorary president of the 2017 edition? Correct answer: the artistic director of the festival is the famous conductor Vladimir Jurowski, while the honorary president of this year’s edition was another famous conductor, Zubin Mehta.

How many artists are taking part in this year’s edition of the George Enescu Festival? Correct answer: Over 3,000.

In how many cities does the 2017 George Enescu Festival take place? Correct answer: 8 cities.

And now let’s see who the winners are.

30 honourable mentions went to the following listeners or Internet users: Andrea Tucci and Elio Arpino from Italy, Mari Francesca Santos Gomes from Brazil, Vladislav Vinogradov from Russia, Calvin Knott and Michael Lindner from Germany, Adriel Amaya Armas from Cuba, Guillermo Klapka from Venezuela, Emilio Sahuquillo Dobón, Luciano Jesús Gutiérrez Puig and Enric Ballester Burcet from Spain, Hans-Martin Friedrich from Switzerland, Horst Quitzau and Wolfgang Waldl from Austria, Arthur Nyirongo from Malawi, Christer Brunstrom from Sweden, Salim Akhtar, Abid Hussain Sajid and Amir Jameel from Pakistan, John Cooper from the USA, Mitul Kansal, Nafisa Najim, Najim Uddin, Radhakrishnan Pillai and Jayanta Chakrabarty from India, Alan Holder, Brian Kendall and Grant Skinner from Great Britain, Jakiya Parvin and Ruhul Amin from Bangladesh.

One of the recipients of these honorable mentions, Nafisa Najim of India, wrote to us the following in connection to the “George Enescu” Festival:

“I listen to RRI via Internet amongst many others radio stations. I have become so much inquisitive about Romania after following RRI’s content online. I have a strong desire to visit this great country and meet its people. I am convinced that there is so much to see and learn in Romania which cultural history is very remarkable. In this regards the event of 2017 George Enescu Festival. Whenever I come across a quiz about Romania I immediately take part in it irrespective of winning or not. I just like competing, especially when it gives me an opportunity to explore new ideas, new lands and their history, culture and events. I particularly like to follow Romania on all the various media because of the beauty and diversity of its cultural landscape and the uniqueness of its people”.

We also awarded 20 3rd prizes to the following listeners or Internet users: Rachid Dahmani from Algeria, Stefano Citterio from Italy, Iurii Gavrilov from Tajikistan, Oleg Voronov from Russia, Wael Chebbi from Romania, Xue Fei, Ji Kuang and Zhi Yanjiao from China, Alexandru Radu Matei from Romania, Andreas Fessler and Bernd Seiser from Germany, Antonio Morilla and Miguel Ramón Bauset from Spain, Davi Lucas Pinto da Sousa from Brazil, Troy Valentino Riedel from the USA, Hans Verner Lollike from Denmark, Naved Raiyan, Muhammes Nayim and Golam Hossain from India and Mahfuzur Rahman from Bangladesh.

From Denmark, our long-time listener and friend Hans Verner Lollike commented on his participation in the contest: “I find it most interesting every time you arrange a new contest! It is always a great pleasure to participate. When you are hooked on Romania, you would like to follow life and events in Romania. RRI broadcasts and homepage is, where I find informations to be updated for more than 25 years. To take part in contests are like going to a test, you collect infos enough to pass the test, and to bring with you in your future life”.

The winners of the 15 2nd prizes are the following: Zoran Vrucinici from Bosnia Herzegovina, Nouri Abdel-Razzak from Algeria, Dino Antonio Rossetto from Italy, Egor Aushev from Russia, Gilles Gautier from France, Jamila Bekkai from Morocco, Liu Fajian from China, Rodica Martin from Romania, Beate Hansen from Germany, Yusimi Gómez Gálvez from Cuba, Constantin Criţkii from the Republic of Moldova, Deepita Shakrabarty and Mahesh Jain from India, Ian Evans and Alan Roe from Great Britain.

The latter listed the reasons that prompted him to take part in our prize-winning contest: “I enjoy a wide range of music, however, classical music is one that I know least about and there is so very little of this genre of music on shortwave. This is my way of supporting the Festival. Also – I quite like the idea of receiving a CD of Romanian classical music!”

In turn, Ian Evans also from Great Britain wrote to us: “I am entering this competition because I want to support R.R.I. I listen to R.R.I. because the quality of the programs is very good. The one hour broadcast in particular offers a well balanced mix of content, topical, cultural, musical and literary. At the sound of The Romanian Rhapsody a smile breaks out on my face because I know I am about to enjoy the next hour. I particularly enjoy Listeners Letterbox, listening to the letters and emails from R.R.I. listeners from all corners of the globe is heartwarming for those of us who still love our shortwave radios”.

Finally the time has come to announce the winners of the 10 1st prizes: Vitali Efimenko from Belarus, Mohamed Nazih from Morocco, Simone Perico from Italy, Alvydas Alijosaitis from Lithuania, Jean Michel Aubier from France, Ma Shaobo from China, Vladimir Bodrug from the Republic of Moldova, Konstantin Derham from Germany, Yosir Manuel Quijada León, from Venezuela and Mofizur Rahman from Bangladesh.

Among them, Mofizur Rahman of Bangladesh, a listener of the English-language programs, commented on his decision to take part in the contest: “The primary reason for listening to RRI or follow RRI’s website is to connect myself with the most friendly voice of a proud and resurgent nation that is seeking its rightful place in the comity of nations. I like RRI for what it is – its open policy of projecting not only the positive attributes but also highlighting its deficiencies which is rather rare in the world of broadcasting. This bold exercise reaffirms my faith in the transparency and integrity of the Romanian people which serves as a model for the world to follow. RRI give us latest updated news and reviews that are presented in a balanced, unbiased manner, and for educating us on the current developments in the countrys music, art, cinema, culture, politics, sports, economy and science and technology. As for the Radio Romania programs in English, I found them very well organized and very well produced. I have listened to them in many opportunities and the cultural and informative aspects they all have has been a feature that I appreciate very much about Radio Romania International. Its always a pleasure to tune into RRI and know youll find out something new about Romania, its history or its people, every time. RRI as the Voice of Romania has ensured that it is heard even in the remotest corners of the globe by continuing on its shortwave transmission when most of the worlds leading radio stations have curtailed it. The programmes are always informative and enjoyable, and I always feel that Ive learned a lot about your country and culture, so you are definitely doing something right, and long may you continue.”

We also awarded 5 special prizes that went to Oleg Panko of Belarus, Shan Jinhai of China, Martina Pohl of Germany, Ceferino Campmajo of Argentina and Ashik Eqbal Tokon of Bangladesh, the latter a listener of the English Service. Here is what our listener wrote about the motive for his participation: “About the encouraging factors for me to get involved in this contest, simple discover more on George Enescu, who was not a ray just for his family, also the delighting stars of the music world. As like as the last contest on George Enescu (2013) my motivation is to explore the unknown facts of Romanian Classical music and its international influencing power that spread all over Europe and beyond. Radio Romania International, is my only source to learn more and more about Romania, even from my childhood. Information are now on finger-tips, but it was not so easy in 1980’s. Thanks to all the inventors of radio communication make it easy for me to create a virtual Romania into my mind throughout the elctro-magnetic wave, which comes from Romania, travelling thousands of miles through the Ionosphere”.

We would like to thank all of you who participated in this competition. Your prizes and honourable mentions will be mailed by post within the coming months. Please confirm receipt of the prizes and their content by letter or email.

22 October 2017