Radio România Internațional

Tag: wrestling

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

     

    Romania concluded the European Junior and U23 Championships in weightlifting held in Raszyn, Poland, with 11 medals, of which 4 gold, one silver and 6 bronze. Romania’s top performer was Tiberiu Ionuţ Donose, who brought home 3 gold medals. He won the U23 competition in both snatch and the clear and jerk category, and therefore also finished top of the overall standings.

     

    The Romanian athletes competing in the 2024 World Wrestling Championships which came to an end in Tirana, Albania, and in which 2024 Olympic contestants did not take part, came home with 2 medals. Kateryna Zelenykh won the silver in the 65 kg class, while Denis Florin Mihai won the bronze in the 55 kg Greco-Roman class.

     

    At the IBA Youth World Boxing Championships in Budva, Montenegro, Romania won 2 bronze medals. Ramona Mihaela Manea reached the semis of the 50 kg category, where she was defeated by Carla Peake (Ireland), while Amalia Ţugui lost the semifinal of the 66 kg class to Uldana Taubai, of Kazakhstan.

     

    The Romanian tennis player Anca Todoni won the WTA 125 tournament in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, after defeating Emiliana Arango (Columbia) 7-6, 6-0 on Sunday. The Romanian player won USD 15,000 and 125 WTA points, which took her 21 places up in the world standings, to no. 117. This is Anca’s second WTA 125 title, after the one in Bari this June.

     

    This weekend also saw matches counting towards the 15th round of the Romanian football SuperLeague. On Friday, CFR Cluj won 1-0 against Gloria Buzău. On Saturday in Sfântu Gheorghe, Sepsi OSK drew, 1-1, against Petrolul Ploieşti. Then in Bucharest Dinamo beat UTA, 1-0. On Sunday, Poli Iaşi defeated Oţelul Galaţi 2-1, Universitatea Cluj and Farul Constanţa drew 1-1, and the same score was reported for the match pitting Universitatea Craiova against FCSB. Top of the current ranking are “U” Cluj, with 30 points, followed by Dinamo, with 24. (AMP)

  • Olympic Update

    Olympic Update

    Romanian athlete Alina Rotaru – Kottmann came in 7th in the long-jump final held on Stade de France nearby paris. Alina Rotaru’s best jump measured 6 meters and 67 centimetres. US athlete Tara Davis-Woodhall won gold with a jump of 7 metres and 10 centimetres. The silver medal went to German athlete Malaika Mihambo, the Olympic champion in Tokyo in 2021, whose jump measured 6 metres and 98 centimetres. Another US athlete, Jasmine Moore, won bronze, with a jump of 6 metres and 96 centimetres. Romania last won an Olympic medal in Athletics in 2008 in Beijing, when Constantina Dita won gold in the marathon.

    Also on Thursday, rowers Ilie Sprîncean and Oleg Nuţă won the B Final of the C2 men’s 500m race. According to the final rankings, Sprincean and Nuta came in 9th, clocking one minute, 43 seconds and 80 hundredths of a second. The Romanian C2 rowers on Thursday came in 5th in the second semi-final. The bottom-of-the-table position denied the Romanians participation to the A Final.

    In a repechage confrontation this past Wednesday Romanian wrestler Andreea Beatrice Ana in the 53-kilogram category was defeated by North-Korea’s Hyo Gyong Choe. A three-time world champion in the 55-kilogram category, in the round of 16 Ana defeated Republic of Moldova’s Mariana Drăguţan, yet in the quarterfinals Ana sustained a defeat by Lucia Yepez Guzman of Ecuador. The South-American wrestler reached as far as the finals so the Romanian competed in the repechage. However, Ana was clearly dominated by her North-Korean opponent who went on to win bronze, having defeated Annika Wendle of Germany in the decisive confrontation.

    Romanian athlete Annaliese Drăgan has wasted the opportunity to qualify to rhythmic gymnastics’ all-around final. Dragan ranked 21st in the qualifiers. 18-year-old Anneliese Dragan, a first-timer at the Olympic Games, was Romania’s only representative competing in rhythmic gymnastics in Paris.

  • May 10, 2024

    May 10, 2024

    ELECTION CAMPAIGN – The campaign for the European Parliament and local election, both slated for June 9, has started on Friday across the country. The Central Election Bureau has urged candidates to observe the relevant legislation, to preserve a balanced, honest and constructive approach to all communications and to refrain from misrepresenting and manipulating information. Throughout the campaign, all messages and slogans with discriminatory overtones, inciting to hate and intolerance are prohibited, in addition to the use of any means and actions designed to slander or stir religious or ethnic hatred. The head of the Permanent Electoral Authority, Toni Greblă, has in turn recommended candidates to promote their political programs with the observance of regulations in force, urging citizens to trust their vote will be taken into account. Some 900 polling stations will open abroad. People can consult the “Code of best practices on disinformation” and “Guidelines on preventing and combating voter disinformation”, both documents being available online. A similar effort to prevent disinformation and manipulation was launched by the European Commission, which published a video designed to encourage critical thinking and provide practical advice on how to identify and combat such actions.

     

    MAY 10 – Romania is a respected member of NATO and the EU, a status that provides top-level security guarantees and a robust platform for cooperation with international partners that share the same values, with a view to developing and consolidating stability and resilience against contemporary threats, the president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, said earlier today in a message marking National Independence Day. Three major events in the history of Romania are observed on May 10. In 1866, King Charles I was crowned the first monarch of the freshly created Kingdom of Romania. 11 years later, on May 10, 1877, Romania proclaimed its independence from the Ottoman Empire. On May 10, 1881, Romania officially became a monarchy. Over the course of 1866-1947, May 10 marked Monarchy Day, Independence Day as well as the National Day of Romania. May 10 was declared a national holiday in 2015. Special military ceremonies are today being held in Bucharest and other cities.

     

    MISSILES – The USA have greenlit the sale of Sidewinder Block advanced missile technology to Romania, in a deal worth 70 mln USD. The missile systems will provide advanced air-air capabilities for F-16s owned by the Romanian Air Forces. The procurement is part of a broader and long-term effort to modernize the Romanian Air Forces, a US Embassy press release reads. US Chargé d’Affairs, Michael Dickerson, said the deal is an excellent example of robust security and defense cooperation between Romania and the USA. In turn, Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr said the access of Romanian Air Forces to state-of-the-art air-air military technology will give a significant boost to the security of Romanian and allied airspace, also increasing interoperability with similar structures of the US Army.

     

    EXERCISE – Some 2,300 paratroopers from France, Germany, Romania, Spain, the USA and the Netherlands are taking part in the Swift Response 24 multinational exercise, hosted by Romania over May 5-24. According to the Defense Ministry, the exercise will comprise one of the biggest airdrops ever held in Europe after WWII and will take place over the course of several days. The main activity in Romania is scheduled to take place on Sunday in Câmpia Turzii. Similar operations will unfold in another five Allied and partner states – Estonia, North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Poland and Sweden. The exercise will test the troops’ response capacity as well as the degree of interoperability of participating structures and their commitment to ensuring collective defense, the Romania Defense Ministry reports.

     

    WRESTLING – Romanian wrestler Alin Alexuc-Ciurariu has qualified to the Paris Olympics after grabbing a series of wins at the pre-Olympic World Wrestling Championship hosted by Istanbul. The Romanian competed in the 130-kg Greek-Roman category. This will be the fourth edition of the Olympic Games for Alexuc-Ciurariu, after the London Olympics of 2012 (16th), Rio Olympics of 2015 (5th) and the Tokyo Olympics of 2020 (12th). Another two Romanian wrestlers are still trying to secure qualification to the Olympic Games – Răzvan Arnăutu and Nicu Ojog. Romania’s delegation includes 13 wrestlers, and its objective is to qualify at least 2 athletes to the Olympic Games. Alin Alexuc-Ciurariu is the second Romania athlete to secure qualification after Andreea Beatrice Ana, who booked her tickets to the Paris Olympics in the 53-kg category at the pre-Olympic tournament hosted by Baku in April. So far, 83 athletes have secured qualification to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris in 12 Olympic events.

     

    TENNIS – Irina Begu (161 WTA) is today playing Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan (4 WTA) in the second round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome, offering 4.8 mln USD in total prizes. On Thursday, another two Romanian players, Sorana Cîrstea and Jaqueline Cristian, advanced to the third round of the women’s singles. Cîrstea (32 WTA) won 7-5, 6-0 against Brenda Fruhvirtová of Czechia (102 WTA), and will go up against another Czech player, Markéta Vondroušová (7 WTA), who in the second round ousted Ana Bogdan (63 WTA), 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. In turn, Jaqueline Cristian (68 WTA), who reached the main draw as “lucky loser”, knocked out Elina Avanesyan of Russia (72 WTA), 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. In the third round, Cristian will play Coco Gauff (3 WTA) of the USA in their first head-to-head match. (VP)

  • Athlete of the Week

    Athlete of the Week

    Romania’s capital city, Bucharest, last week became the European capital of Wrestling. Europe’s best wrestlers came together for the European Championships, which is also a qualification criterion for the Olympic Games. 30 athletes have represented Romania in the aforementioned competition, ten in the Greek-Roman contest, ten in the freestyle event and another ten in the women’s competition.

     

    The first Romanian medals came from the Greek-Roman event. Denis Florin Mihai, in the 55 kilogram category and Răzvan Arnăut in the 60, stepped onto the podium’s third step whereas no Romanian wrestler was among the medalists of the free-style contest. The best results were obtained by our women athletes, where the Romanian wrestler of Ukrainian descent, Kateryna Zelenyk, and Alexandra Anghel have won silver. However, the number one result was obtained by Andreea Ana, who became gold medalist in the 55 kilogram category and also got the Radio Romania International’s Athlete of the Week title for the best Romanian performance this week.

     

    Andreea Beatrice Ana was born in Mangalia, southern Romania on November 14th 2000. In 2018 she got her first bronze medal in the Under-23 European Championships hosted by Bucharest, Romania, a performance which she reiterated three years later in Warsaw, Poland. She represented Romania at the Olympics in Tokyo where she came 16th. Then she obtained a series of performances in major competitions, such as the World Youth Championship in Belgrade, then the European Championship in Plovdiv, Bulgaria and the European Championships in Budapest in 2022, where she obtained the first gold medal for Romania in the women’s contest of a European Championships. She kept the title of European champion in Zagreb, in 2023, where thanks to the performances she and Alexandra Anghel obtained in the 72 kilogram category, the Romanian athletes managed to win two gold medals in the same edition of the aforementioned competition after 43 years.

    (bill)

  • Sports weekend

    Sports weekend

    The European Wrestling Championships are underway in Bucharest. On Thursday, Romania’s Andreea Ana won gold in the 55-kilogram category. In the final, Ana outclassed Mariana Dragutan of the Republic of Moldova. Previously, Romania’s Denis Florin Mihai and Razvan Arnaut in the Greek-Romann style won two gold medals, in the 55-kilogram and the 60-kilogram category, respectively.

    The European Weightlifting Championships are underway in Sofia, until this coming Tuesday. After the first four days of competition, Romania has won six medals. The Romania delegation’s scintillating performance was provided by Mihaela Cambei in the 49-kilogram category. Cambei won gold in the snatch and clean-and-jerk styles, as well as combined.

    In a second-tier rugby continental competition, the Rugby Europe Championship, in Bucharest on Saturday, the Romanian national squad goes against Portugal, in a fixture counting towards the competition’s Group B final. According to the as-it-stands table, Romania has 9 points, being followed by Portugal, with 6. The Romanian national team has already secured its ticket to the Rugby Europe Championship’s semifinal. We recall that Europe’s top-notch rugby competition is the Six Nations Championship.

    In women’s handball, the last fixtures are scheduled, counting towards the European Cups’ group stage.

    In the Champions League’s Group A, if they grab an away win against Danish challengers Odense this coming Sunday, CSM Bucharest stands real chances to advance to the quarterfinals.

    In Group B, Rapid Bucharest is in dire need of a home win against Danish Opponents Esbjerg. If Hungarian team Ferencvaros is defeated by Metz in France, Rapid advances to the playoffs ahead of the League’s quarterfinals.

    In the European League, two Romanian teams, Gloria Bistriţa and Dunărea Brăila have already booked their ticket to the quarterfinals. On Sunday, Gloria Bistritsa plays a home game against German team Bensheim / Auerbach, while Dunarea Braila plays an away game against Chambray Touraine in France. After five consecutive defeats, the third Romanian team in the European League, CSM Târgu Jiu is still struggling for their first win, as this coming Sunday, CSM Targu Jiu play a home game against Hungary’s Mosonmagyaróvár.

    Matches counting towards the Romanian football Superleague’s 26th round are scheduled at the weekend. On Friday, Petrolul Ploiesti plays Poli Iaşi while Rapid Bucharest takes on FC Hermannstadt. On Saturday, UTA plays an away match against FC Voluntari, while CFR Cluj has a daunting task in the away match against FC U Craiova. On Sunday, Universitatea Craiova takes on FC Botoşani, away, while in Bucharest, Oţelul Galaţi goes against Dinamo. On Monday, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe plays Farul Constanţa, while Universitatea Cluj faces FCSB. Nine points clear of the runner-up team, Rapid, FCSB are at the top of the table.

  • February 13, 2024 UPDATE

    February 13, 2024 UPDATE

    VISIT The PM
    of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, will be on an official visit to Rome on February
    14-15, and will take part in the 3rd joint government meeting of Romania and
    Italy, held 13 years after the previous inter-governmental summit. PM Ciolacu
    will have meetings with the PM of Italy, Georgia Meloni, and will attend a
    meeting of the 2 official delegations and the signing of bilateral documents. His
    agenda also includes talks with the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, and a
    meeting with the Romanian community in Italy. Italy is one of Romania’s most
    important economic partners, and the Economic Forum focusing on areas such as IT&C,
    energy, the processing industry, infrastructure and the agri-food industry is
    another excellent opportunity to improve our economic cooperation, PM Marcel
    Ciolacu said. Marcel Ciolacu will also be received by His Holiness Pope Francis
    at the Vatican.


    INTERESTS The
    National Bank of Romania Tuesday decided to keep the monetary policy interest
    rate at 7% per year, the institution announced. The central bank will also keep
    the credit facility interest rate at 8% per year and the deposit facility
    interest rate at 6% per year, and also maintain the current levels of the
    compulsory minimum reserve rates for banks’ national and foreign currency
    liabilities. The key interest rate has not been changed since last January, when
    the National Bank decided to raise it from 6.75% to 7% per year. A balanced mix
    of macroeconomic policies and structural reforms, including the use of EU
    funding to encourage the country’s growth potential in the long run, are vital
    to maintaining macroeconomic stability and to strengthening the Romanian
    economy’s capacity to withstand negative developments, the institution said. An
    updated forecast by the central bank reconfirms the prospects of an increase of
    the annual inflation rate in the first months of this year, following the
    increase of existing indirect taxes and the introduction of new ones, and of a
    subsequent downward trend, at a slower pace than in 2023 and than originally
    expected.


    CYBERSECURITY On Tuesday 4 more hospitals in
    Bucharest and elsewhere in the country were added to the list of 21 public and
    private healthcare units affected since last weekend by a large-scale cyber
    security incident, the National Cyber Security Directorate (DNSC) announced. A crypto
    currency ransom demand has been received, amounting to approx. EUR 157,000, but
    the attackers only provided an email address, without disclosing the name of
    the group claiming the attack. Both the DNSC and other cyber security
    authorities involved urge the victims not to contact the perpetrators and not
    to pay the ransom. The healthcare minister, Alexandru Rafila, has told Radio
    Romania that some of the hospitals have managed to fix the problems, and the
    authorities will come up with a new technical standard designed to prevent such
    actions. Other public institutions in Romania have been targeted by cyber-attacks
    in the past.


    FARMERS On
    Tuesday the European Commission officially endorsed a regulation which grants a
    partial exemption for farmers from the rule binding them to keep 4% of their
    arable land fallow. In exchange, they are required to grow nitrogen fixing
    crops such as lentils or peas. The measure comes after large-scale farmer
    protests across the EU, including in Romania. Member States who wish to apply
    the derogation at national level need to notify the Commission within 15 days
    of entry into force of the Regulation so that farmers can be informed as soon
    as possible.


    WRD World Radio Day was celebrated on Tuesday, and this year’s theme
    was A century of information, entertainment and education. To mark this
    celebration, Radio Romania’s stations broadcast interviews with journalists,
    media experts, teachers, public figures and listeners, and their programmes
    featured debates on the future of radio and broadcasts from the European
    Broadcasting Union. The UNESCO declaration on World Radio Day, entitled Radio,
    the Trusted Guide in a Changing World, can be found on the websites of all
    Radio Romania’s stations.


    WRESTLING The
    Romanian athlete Denis Florin Mihai won the bronze in the Greco-Roman style 55
    kilo category of the European Wrestling Championship in Bucharest on Tuesday, after
    defeating Georgia’s Nugzari Tsurtsumia. Mihai ranks 4th in the world
    standings and was the bronze winner in last year’s European Championships. Romania
    takes part in the event in Bucharest with 30 athletes, 10 in each style.


    POLO Romania’s men’s water polo team will play for the 9th
    place at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, after defeating China 9-7 on Tuesday. In
    the match for the 9th and 10th places, scheduled on
    February 15, Romania takes on the USA. Romania finished 8th last
    month in the European Championships held in Croatia, and the team’s best performance
    to date at a World Championship is a 5th place in 1975. (AMP)

  • Sports Roundup

    Romanian tennis player Ana Bogdan won Saturday the WTA tournament in Parma, Italy. Seed no. 2, Bogdan defeated in the final Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia, 7-5, 6-1.



    This past weekend was not the best one for the womens handball teams representing Romania in the Champions League. On Saturday, CSM Bucharest lost at home, 23 to 27, to the Hungarian team Győr. The Romanian champion is, after three stages, in 5th place in Group A, with 2 points, after one win and two defeats. Rapid Bucharest also had one win and two defeats, in Group B. The Romanian vice-champion was defeated, in Bucharest on Sunday by the Danish team Ikast, 35 to 27. With two points, Rapid is 6th placed in the group.



    Romania did not manage to win any medals at the World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade and none of its athletes managed to qualify to the Olympic Games in Paris following this competition. Romania participated in the competition in Serbia with 16 athletes.



    American fencer Zander Rhoades won the foil event of the Tudor Petruş Memorial, a satellite tournament of the World Cup, held on Sunday in Timisoara. She defeated the Italian Carlotta Ferrari in the final, 15-11. Romanian Emilia Corbu and the Ukrainian Alina Poloziuk came next.



    Over the weekend, matches counting for the 10th stage of the Romanian Superleague championship were held. On Friday, Oţelul Galati beat FC U Craiova 2-0 away. Also away and also with 2-0, Farul Constanţa beat Dinamo Bucharest. On Saturday, Poli Iaşi won in Voluntari 2-1, then FC Botoşani ended the match played on home turf with UTA in a tie, with two goals each. The last match of the day, between Universitatea Cluj and Universitatea Craiova, held in Cluj, ended in a draw: 1 – 1. No goals were scored Sunday in the match pitting Petrolul Ploiesti against Hermannstadt. On Sunday, FCSB beat Sepsi in Sfântu Gheorghe, 5-2. Monday, in Bucharest, the last game of the stage is taking place, pitting Rapid Bucharest against CFR Cluj. FCSB leads the ranking, with 25 points, followed by CFR with 19.


  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup


    The European Wrestling Championships hosted by Croatian capital city Zagreb drew to close on Sunday. The Romanian delegation walked away with five medals, that is one medal more than the delegations record at the 2022 edition of the European championships held in Budapest. Andreea Ana in the 55-kilogram category, and Alexandra Anghel, in the 72-kilogram category, stepped onto the highest step of the podium. Bronze went to Cătălina Axente, in the 76-kilogram category, Kriszta Incze, in the 65-kilogram category and to Greek-Roman wrestler Denis Mihai, in the 55-kilogram category.



    In Armenias Yerevan, the Romanian delegation won 14 medals at the recently-held European weightlifting Championships that drew to a close on Sunday. Three gold medals each went to Mihaela Cambei, in the 49-kilogram category, Andreea Cotruţa, in the 55-kilogram category and Loredana Toma, in the 71-kilogram category, in the snatch, clean and jerk style and combined, while in the 45-kilogram category, Cosmina Pană walked away with silver in the snatch style and combined. In the mens version of the competition, competing in the 55-kilogram category, Valentin Iancu won silver in the clean and jerk style and bronze in the snatch style, and combined. We recall that in 2022 Romania did not participate in the European Championships held in Tirana. Back then the Romanian Weightlifting Federation was suspended following violation of anti-doping rules by some of its athletes.



    In news from womens handball, CSM Bucureşti are the new title holders. CSM were granted the title having won the away pending game against Dunarea Braila, 29 to 24. The fixture counted towards the domestic championships 23rd round. CSM Bucharest are thus 15 points clear of the 2022 champions, this years runner-up team, Rapid Bucharest. No team can thus come from behind and outperform CSM in the championships remaining rounds until the end of the season. In the Champions League later this week, CSM and Rapid play their first leg as part of the quarterfinals tie. Rapid receive the visit of the 2022 winners of the League, Norways Vipers Kristiansand, while CSM travel to Demark for a game against Team Esbjerg.



    This past weekend saw matches being played, counting towards the Group 1/Group 2 stage as part of the Romanian football Superleagues 5th round. In Group 1 on Friday, Universitatea Craiova grabbed a 2-1 away win against Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe. In Ovidiu on Saturday, Farul Constanţa defeated CFR Cluj, 1-nil, while on Sunday, Rapid Bucharest, grabbed a 1-nil home win against FCSB. Farul are at the top of the table, with 42 points, followed by CFR, with 38 and FCSB, with 37 points.



    In Group 2 on Saturday, FC Hermannstadt Sibiu grabbed a 2-1 home win against FC Argeş, while FC Botoşani were held to a blank draw by FC U Craiova at home. In Ploiesti on Sunday, Chindia Tirgoviste succeeded a 2-1 win against UTA Arad.




  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup


    The European Wrestling Championships hosted by Croatian capital city Zagreb drew to close on Sunday. The Romanian delegation walked away with five medals, that is one medal more than the delegations record at the 2022 edition of the European championships held in Budapest. Andreea Ana in the 55-kilogram category, and Alexandra Anghel, in the 72-kilogram category, stepped onto the highest step of the podium. Bronze went to Cătălina Axente, in the 76-kilogram category, Kriszta Incze, in the 65-kilogram category and to Greek-Roman wrestler Denis Mihai, in the 55-kilogram category.



    In Armenias Yerevan, the Romanian delegation won 14 medals at the recently-held European weightlifting Championships that drew to a close on Sunday. Three gold medals each went to Mihaela Cambei, in the 49-kilogram category, Andreea Cotruţa, in the 55-kilogram category and Loredana Toma, in the 71-kilogram category, in the snatch, clean and jerk style and combined, while in the 45-kilogram category, Cosmina Pană walked away with silver in the snatch style and combined. In the mens version of the competition, competing in the 55-kilogram category, Valentin Iancu won silver in the clean and jerk style and bronze in the snatch style, and combined. We recall that in 2022 Romania did not participate in the European Championships held in Tirana. Back then the Romanian Weightlifting Federation was suspended following violation of anti-doping rules by some of its athletes.



    In news from womens handball, CSM Bucureşti are the new title holders. CSM were granted the title having won the away pending game against Dunarea Braila, 29 to 24. The fixture counted towards the domestic championships 23rd round. CSM Bucharest are thus 15 points clear of the 2022 champions, this years runner-up team, Rapid Bucharest. No team can thus come from behind and outperform CSM in the championships remaining rounds until the end of the season. In the Champions League later this week, CSM and Rapid play their first leg as part of the quarterfinals tie. Rapid receive the visit of the 2022 winners of the League, Norways Vipers Kristiansand, while CSM travel to Demark for a game against Team Esbjerg.



    This past weekend saw matches being played, counting towards the Group 1/Group 2 stage as part of the Romanian football Superleagues 5th round. In Group 1 on Friday, Universitatea Craiova grabbed a 2-1 away win against Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe. In Ovidiu on Saturday, Farul Constanţa defeated CFR Cluj, 1-nil, while on Sunday, Rapid Bucharest, grabbed a 1-nil home win against FCSB. Farul are at the top of the table, with 42 points, followed by CFR, with 38 and FCSB, with 37 points.



    In Group 2 on Saturday, FC Hermannstadt Sibiu grabbed a 2-1 home win against FC Argeş, while FC Botoşani were held to a blank draw by FC U Craiova at home. In Ploiesti on Sunday, Chindia Tirgoviste succeeded a 2-1 win against UTA Arad.




  • April 23, 2023 UPDATE

    April 23, 2023 UPDATE

    VISIT The international community has a
    duty to support Ukraine, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis and his Chilean
    counterpart Gabriel Boric said in Santiago de
    Chile. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent, president Boric condemned
    the war and expressed his country’s solidarity with Ukraine. Mr. Iohannis announced that the first Romanian language department in Latin
    America will be established this year at Universidad de Chile. During the
    visit, a memorandum was signed concerning cooperation in emergency situations,
    such as earthquakes and wildfires. Previously, president Iohannis was in
    Brazil, and the last stage of his south-American tour is Argentina.


    SPENDING Romanian authorities are looking at a plan to
    reduce public spending, which will be endorsed by the government in an
    emergency order next week, after the
    measures have been approved in a meeting of the ruling coalition made up of the
    Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of
    Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. Both the Liberal PM Nicolae Ciucă and the Social
    Democratic finance minister, Adrian Câciu, promised that salaries and
    investments would not be cut, nor would additional taxes and charges be
    introduced. In the last government meeting, held a few days ago, PM Ciucă called
    on large-scale taxpayers to meet their obligations to the budget, and urged fiscal
    authorities to ensure tax collection.


    REFUGEES Nearly 266,000 Romanian and foreign
    citizens Saturday crossed in and out of Romania, the border police announced.
    According to a news release issued on Sunday, out of the over 112,000 people
    who entered Romania, 8,784 were Ukrainian nationals. Since February
    10, 2022, two weeks before the start of the Russian invasion of that country,
    more than 4 million Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania. Most of them
    transited the country en route to Western Europe,
    but over 100,000 have chosen to stay here. The government of Romania decided
    that private citizens that host Ukrainian refugees will only be refunded
    accommodation and meal expenses until the end of this month. As of May 1, the
    people coming into Romania from Ukraine will receive directly a fixed amount to
    cover immediate accommodation and food expenses for 4 months. The money will be
    paid from the funds of emergency inspectorates. After this 4-month period,
    financial aid will only be provided for accommodation, until the end of this
    year, and the refugees are encouraged to enrol with Romanian employment
    agencies in order to benefit from the same rights and benefits as Romanian
    nationals.


    EDUCATION Trade unions in the public education sector intend to step
    up protests primarily concerning staff salaries, after the Government announced
    plans to cut down budget spending, including a freeze on salaries and hiring in
    the public sector. Major trade union federations in the sector threaten that
    the current school year might be ended sooner than scheduled, as they are
    considering an all-out strike as of May 22. Next Tuesday and Wednesday, they
    will be picketing the government headquarters, and on May 10 a protest rally is
    scheduled in Bucharest. The education minister, Ligia Deca, said she was
    confident solutions would be found to avoid a strike.


    HOLIDAY Christians Sunday celebrated St. George, who is also
    the patron saint of the Romanian Land Forces. According to tradition, St.
    George was a high-ranking soldier in the Roman Army under Emperor Diocletian, who
    was tortured and sentenced to death for refusing to recant his Christian faith.
    St George is one of the most venerated saints in Christianity, and a large
    number of settlements have claimed him as a patron saint. Over 1 million
    Romanians bear his name.


    COIN The National Bank of Romania Monday releases a celebratory
    silver coin on the occasion of the 90th birthday anniversary of the
    great poet Nichita Stănescu. The coins will be accompanied by authenticity
    certificates and presentation leaflets in Romanian, English and French. The 5,000
    coins will be sold for EUR 90 per piece.


    SPORTS The Romanian athlete Denis Florin Mihai won the
    bronze in the 55 kg Greco-Roman wrestling category at the European championships
    held in Zagreb, Croatia, after defeating Bulgaria’s Stefan Hristov Grigorov. Before
    the last day of the competition, Romania had won a total of 5 medals, including
    2 gold ones, for Andreea Beatrice Ana, in the 55 kg and Alexandra Nicoleta
    Anghel in the 72 kg categories, and 3 bronze ones, won by Cătălina Axente in
    the 76 kilo, Kriszta Tunde Incze in the 65 kg category, and Denis Florin Mihai.
    At the previous edition, hosted by Budapest, Hungary, Romania won 4 medals, including
    one gold (Andreea Ana – 55 kg), one silver (Nicu Ojog – 97 kg Greco-Roman), and
    two bronze (Alina Vuc -55 kg and Kriszta Incze – 65 kg). (AMP)

  • April 23, 2023

    April 23, 2023

    VISIT The international community has a
    duty to support Ukraine, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis and his Chilean
    counterpart Gabriel Boric said in Santiago de
    Chile. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent, president Boric condemned
    the war and expressed his country’s solidarity with Ukraine. Mr. Iohannis announced that the first Romanian language chair in Latin
    America will be established this year at Universidad de Chile. During the
    visit, a memorandum was signed concerning cooperation in emergency situations,
    such as earthquakes and wildfires. Previously, president Iohannis was in
    Brazil, and from Chile he is next to go to Argentina.


    SPENDING Romanian authorities are looking at a plan to
    reduce public spending, which will be endorsed by the government in an
    emergency order next week, after the
    measures have been approved in a meeting of the ruling coalition made up of the
    Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of
    Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. Both the Liberal PM Nicolae Ciucă and the Social
    Democratic finance minister, Adrian Câciu, promised that salaries and
    investments would not be cut, nor would additional taxes and charges be
    introduced. In the last government meeting, held a few days ago, PM Ciucă called
    on large-scale taxpayers to meet their obligations to the budget, and urged fiscal
    authorities to ensure tax collection.


    REFUGEES Nearly 266,000 Romanian and foreign
    citizens Saturday crossed in and out of Romania, the border police announced.
    According to a news release issued on Sunday, out of the over 112,000 people
    who entered Romania, 8,784 were Ukrainian nationals. Since February
    10, 2022, two weeks before the start of the Russian invasion of that country,
    more than 4 million Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania. Most of them
    transited the country en route to Western Europe,
    but over 100,000 have chosen to stay here. The government of Romania decided
    that private citizens that host Ukrainian refugees will only be refunded
    accommodation and meal expenses until the end of this month. As of May 1, the
    people coming into Romania from Ukraine will receive directly a fixed amount to
    cover immediate accommodation and food expenses for 4 months. The money will be
    paid from the funds of emergency inspectorates. After this 4-month period,
    financial aid will only be provided for accommodation, until the end of this
    year, and the refugees are encouraged to enrol with Romanian employment
    agencies in order to benefit from the same rights and benefits as Romanian
    nationals.


    HOLIDAY Christians are celebrating St. George today, who is
    also the patron saint of the Romanian Land Forces. According to tradition, St.
    George was a high-ranking soldier in the Roman Army under Emperor Diocletian, who
    was tortured and sentenced to death for refusing to recant his Christian faith.
    St George is one of the most venerated saints in Christianity, and a large
    number of settlements have claimed him as a patron saint. Over 1 million
    Romanians bear his name.


    SPORTS The Romanian athlete Denis Florin Mihai won the
    bronze in the 55 kg Greco-Roman wrestling category at the European championships
    held in Zagreb, Croatia, after defeating Bulgaria’s Stefan Hristov Grigorov. Before
    the last day of the competition, Romania had won a total of 5 medals, including
    2 gold ones, for Andreea Beatrice Ana, in the 55 kg and Alexandra Nicoleta
    Anghel in the 72 kg categories, and 3 bronze ones, won by Cătălina Axente in
    the 76 kilo, Kriszta Tunde Incze in the 65 kg category, and Denis Florin Mihai.
    At the previous edition, hosted by Budapest, Hungary, Romania won 4 medals, including
    one gold (Andreea Ana – 55 kg), one silver (Nicu Ojog – 97 kg Greco-Roman), and
    two bronze (Alina Vuc -55 kg and Kriszta Incze – 65 kg). (AMP)

  • Sports weekend

    Sports weekend


    We begin with news
    from wrestling. As part of the European Wrestling Championships, underway in
    Zagreb, Andrea Ana on Thursday won gold in the 55-kilogram category. In the final,
    Andreea Ana outclassed Hungary’s Erika Bognar, Also on
    Thursday Catalina Axente walked away with bronze, in the 76-kilogram category.
    In the decisive confrontation, Axente defeated Ukrainian challenger Anastasia
    Osniaci. The competition draws to a close on Sunday. We recall that at the 2022
    edition of the championships, held in Budapest, Romania won four medals. The
    Romanian delegation’s scintillating feat was the gold medal also provided by this
    year’s star competitor, Andreea Ana.
    Alina Vuc and Kriszta Incze won bronze, in the 50 and the 65-kilogram category,
    respectively. In the men’s version of the competition, Nicu Ojog won silver in
    the Greek-Roman style, in the 87-kilogram category.


    The coming weekend will see the European
    Weightlifting Championships drawing to a close in Yerevan. No Romanian athlete has
    remained in the competition, right now. In Yerevan, the Romanian delegation won
    14 medals. In the 49-kilogram category, Mihaela Cambei, then Andreea Cotruta in
    the 55-kilogram category and Loredan Toman in the 7-kilogram category won three
    gold medals each, in the snatch style, the clean and jerk style, and combined.
    Also in the women’s version of the competition, in the 45-kilogram category, Cosmina
    Pană walked home with silver in the snatch style and combined, while in the men’s
    version of the competition, in the 55-kilogram category Valentin Iancu won
    silver in the clean-and-jerk style, and combined.


    In the Romanian football Super League, fixtures
    are scheduled at the weekend, counting towards the fifth round as part of Group
    1/Group 2 stage. On Friday, Sepsi
    Sfântu Gheorghe play Universitatea Craiova. On Saturday in Ovidiu, the top-of-the-table and the runner-up teams, Farul
    Constanta and CFR Cluj, are pitted against each other. On Sunday, Rapid Bucharest
    play a home game against FCSB.
    Farul are at the top of the table, with 39 points, CFR are 2nd
    placed, with 38, then coming in descending order are Craiova, with 32, Rapid,
    with 28 and Sepsi with 24 points. In Group 2, on Saturday FC Hermannstadt Sibiu play a home game against FC Argeş, while FC
    Botoşani play another home game against FC U Craiova. In Ploiesti on Sunday, Chindia
    Târgovişte take on UTA Arad. On Monday,
    Universitatea Cluj go against CS Mioveni, while FC Voluntari are pitted against
    Petrolul Ploieşti. According to the Superleague’s lower-

  • Sports weekend

    Sports weekend


    We begin with news
    from wrestling. As part of the European Wrestling Championships, underway in
    Zagreb, Andrea Ana on Thursday won gold in the 55-kilogram category. In the final,
    Andreea Ana outclassed Hungary’s Erika Bognar, Also on
    Thursday Catalina Axente walked away with bronze, in the 76-kilogram category.
    In the decisive confrontation, Axente defeated Ukrainian challenger Anastasia
    Osniaci. The competition draws to a close on Sunday. We recall that at the 2022
    edition of the championships, held in Budapest, Romania won four medals. The
    Romanian delegation’s scintillating feat was the gold medal also provided by this
    year’s star competitor, Andreea Ana.
    Alina Vuc and Kriszta Incze won bronze, in the 50 and the 65-kilogram category,
    respectively. In the men’s version of the competition, Nicu Ojog won silver in
    the Greek-Roman style, in the 87-kilogram category.


    The coming weekend will see the European
    Weightlifting Championships drawing to a close in Yerevan. No Romanian athlete has
    remained in the competition, right now. In Yerevan, the Romanian delegation won
    14 medals. In the 49-kilogram category, Mihaela Cambei, then Andreea Cotruta in
    the 55-kilogram category and Loredan Toman in the 7-kilogram category won three
    gold medals each, in the snatch style, the clean and jerk style, and combined.
    Also in the women’s version of the competition, in the 45-kilogram category, Cosmina
    Pană walked home with silver in the snatch style and combined, while in the men’s
    version of the competition, in the 55-kilogram category Valentin Iancu won
    silver in the clean-and-jerk style, and combined.


    In the Romanian football Super League, fixtures
    are scheduled at the weekend, counting towards the fifth round as part of Group
    1/Group 2 stage. On Friday, Sepsi
    Sfântu Gheorghe play Universitatea Craiova. On Saturday in Ovidiu, the top-of-the-table and the runner-up teams, Farul
    Constanta and CFR Cluj, are pitted against each other. On Sunday, Rapid Bucharest
    play a home game against FCSB.
    Farul are at the top of the table, with 39 points, CFR are 2nd
    placed, with 38, then coming in descending order are Craiova, with 32, Rapid,
    with 28 and Sepsi with 24 points. In Group 2, on Saturday FC Hermannstadt Sibiu play a home game against FC Argeş, while FC
    Botoşani play another home game against FC U Craiova. In Ploiesti on Sunday, Chindia
    Târgovişte take on UTA Arad. On Monday,
    Universitatea Cluj go against CS Mioveni, while FC Voluntari are pitted against
    Petrolul Ploieşti. According to the Superleague’s lower-

  • Sports Flash

    Sports Flash

    At the European Judo
    Open held in Oberwart, Austria, Romanian athletes managed to win 3 medals: silver
    for Adrian Șulcă, in the 73 kilo category, and 2 bronze medals for Alexandra
    Pop, in the 48 kilo, and Serafima Moscalu in the 70 kilo category. France came
    1st in the medal ranking, with Romania ranking 9th. The
    competition brought together 283 judoka from 37 countries, 184 men and 99 women.




    Romania won 13 medals,
    6 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze, at the World Under-20 Beach Wrestling
    Championships held on the Neversea Beach in Constanța. The gold went to both
    men and women, 3 medals each. The winners were Ana Maria Pârvu in the 50 kilo category,
    Teodora Sârbu in the 70 kilo and Elena Irina Margaş in the 70+ kilo category. As
    for the men, the best performances came from Daniel Marian Sandu in the 70 kilo
    category, Denis Ioan Chirică in the 80 kilo category and Georgian Florin Tripon
    in the 90+ kilo category. In the Under-17 competition, held in the same place, Romania
    won 9 medals: 4 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze.




    Ştiinţa Baia Mare and
    Dinamo Bucharest were the winners in the 3rd round of the National
    Rugby League play-offs. Ştiinţa defeated Steaua 10-8, while Dinamo beat SCM
    Timişoara 20-6. Topping the standings is Ştiinţa Baia Mare with 14 points, followed
    by Dinamo (13 points), Steaua (8 points) and SCM Timişoara (4 points).





    In the last 2 matches of the 9th
    round of Romania’s top football league, FC Argeș lost on home turf to FC
    Hermannstadt, 1-0, and CSU Craiova defeated Farul Constanța 4-3. The current
    top-ranking team is Rapid Bucharest with 21 points, followed by Farul Constanța
    (18) and Petrolul Ploiești (17). (AMP)

  • Sports Flash

    Sports Flash

    At the European Judo
    Open held in Oberwart, Austria, Romanian athletes managed to win 3 medals: silver
    for Adrian Șulcă, in the 73 kilo category, and 2 bronze medals for Alexandra
    Pop, in the 48 kilo, and Serafima Moscalu in the 70 kilo category. France came
    1st in the medal ranking, with Romania ranking 9th. The
    competition brought together 283 judoka from 37 countries, 184 men and 99 women.




    Romania won 13 medals,
    6 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze, at the World Under-20 Beach Wrestling
    Championships held on the Neversea Beach in Constanța. The gold went to both
    men and women, 3 medals each. The winners were Ana Maria Pârvu in the 50 kilo category,
    Teodora Sârbu in the 70 kilo and Elena Irina Margaş in the 70+ kilo category. As
    for the men, the best performances came from Daniel Marian Sandu in the 70 kilo
    category, Denis Ioan Chirică in the 80 kilo category and Georgian Florin Tripon
    in the 90+ kilo category. In the Under-17 competition, held in the same place, Romania
    won 9 medals: 4 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze.




    Ştiinţa Baia Mare and
    Dinamo Bucharest were the winners in the 3rd round of the National
    Rugby League play-offs. Ştiinţa defeated Steaua 10-8, while Dinamo beat SCM
    Timişoara 20-6. Topping the standings is Ştiinţa Baia Mare with 14 points, followed
    by Dinamo (13 points), Steaua (8 points) and SCM Timişoara (4 points).





    In the last 2 matches of the 9th
    round of Romania’s top football league, FC Argeș lost on home turf to FC
    Hermannstadt, 1-0, and CSU Craiova defeated Farul Constanța 4-3. The current
    top-ranking team is Rapid Bucharest with 21 points, followed by Farul Constanța
    (18) and Petrolul Ploiești (17). (AMP)