Blogging: Gods of a secularised world: All the international sports events, from olympic games to football championships, have been marked, in recent years, by ceremonies that tended to be ever more somptuous, ever more costly...
The struggle for sports: Romania used to be one of Europe's sports powers during the communist years. Now, the performance achieved in this malfunctioning system is considered a miracle...
The broken government: Daniel Timoce explains how and why Romania's governing coalition broke up
Is the concept of TV series changing? Everybody who lives in a part of the world that benefits from the miracle of electricity owns a TV set and knows what a series is...
Agro-dementia: Charles Bell discusses why Romanian farmers are turning their backs on European money
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Nadia Comaneci, the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10
Romania used to be one of Europe's sports powers during the communist years. Now, the performance achieved in this malfunctioning system is considered a miracle.
The communist government created a structure of sports clubs, camps, and faculties to extend the area of selection of gifted children and youngsters and to have sportsmen able to compete with those of western countries. The expectations were great, and so was the pressure on the sportsmen. The most famous example is that of the gymnasts, who were simply taken away from their parents at small ages (even preschool ages) and kept in training centres for years. It is the story of Nadia Comaneci. But it is also the story of other thousands of little girls and boys. Unfair methods such as doping brought performance but also secondary effects for the sportsmen in a period when just a few things were known in the field.
Beyond the ugly side, the system created all around the country training centres for almost all Olympic disciplines and brought the young generation to the sports clubs. Many voices say that in a grey and oppressive society, sports were almost the only alternative to have fun for the young generation. The fall of the communism in 1989 changed all that. No investments have been made anymore in preserving sports facilities and the alternatives for the spare time of children and youngsters have appeared almost everywhere. The best trainers also moved to other countries where they are better paid.
Still, Romania kept the pace and stayed with the powers of the world (14th nation at 1992 Barcelona's Olympiad and the one in Atlanta, 1996, 11th country at 2000 Sydney Olympics, and 14th at the Athena Olympics in 2004). Concentrating mostly on the sports that brought medals, slowly but surely, Romania disappeared from the winter Olympics and other traditional disciplines, such as water polo and cycling, which lost the authorities support.
In such conditions, the water polo national team reached the quarter finals (7th place) at 2009 World Championships from Rome, Italy. Romanian authorities have suddenly discovered that in the entire country there is only one modern swimming pool and that sponsors cannot be attracted if proper conditions for clubs performances are not created.
The situation is almost the same in swimming area and cycling. Several Transylvanian girls from Cluj prefer to train in other countries. Compared with water sports, the winter ones are even more unfortunate, even though some people struggle to perform here too. It is the case of the 23 years old Transylvanian ice skater Zoltan Kelemen who has qualified for the winter Olympics in Vancouver physically impaired: since the early ages, he sees with only one eye. Every year, physicians refuse to approve his request for practicing this sport for fear that Zoltan might lose the other eye, too. The young skater has to sign a statement 'on his own responsibility' to participate to competitions. As a result of his extraordinary story, Zoltan Kelemen might get some help. But other thousands of children that would like to follow his example will still be on their own, waiting for the Romanian government to discover the sport importance, from the school curricula to the club facilities.
The movie Katalin Varga (2009, directed by Peter Strickland) tells a troubling story of love, crime, forgiveness, and revenge. Read our news about it here.
For Sale: Dracula's Transylvanian castle
You already know the myth. Now find out the facts about Bran Castle from this short Al Jazeera film. At present, a large number of old Transylvanian castles are waiting for investors pepared to buy them and restore their condition. Read more here.
Too much Krivach won't kill you
A fresh and untypical interpretation of Queen's 'Too much love will kill you' convinced the members of the jury that Razvan Krivach deservs the big trophy at Brasov's 2008 Golden Stag music festival. Read more here, or listen and watch the song below:
Afrim's Attic
They are gross and at the same time funny; they are genuine, but also bold: The characters pictured up by young director Radu Afrim tell something about our own fears, our hopes, and maybe our madness.
Mr Afrim's work has been recently acclaimed at Avignon Off 2008 festival. Find out more here, and watch this short scene from his 'Mansarde à Paris/ Les détours Cioran' recorded by an amateur:
Drama experiments in Transylvania
A walk to the fringes of the possibilities of modern theatre. It's called Man.In.Fest, and it's an international festival of the experimental, the unexplored, and the unimagined theatre.
Read more about the 2008 edition here, and watch a short film about the 2007 edition of Man.In.Fest below:
