Sports Flash

The Steaua Bucharest Army Sports Club (CSA) on Wednesday celebrated 76 years of existence. Over the years, Steaua brought Romania 31 gold Olympic medals and 705 gold medals in world competitions. The club's all-time top performers include Iosif Sârbu, Romania's first Olympic medalist in 1952 in Helsinki, athlete Iolanda Balaș, two-time Olympic champion in the high jump event, holding 5 Olympic records and 14 world records throughout her career, tennis player Ilie Năstase, the first leader of the ATP standings and the Steaua football club, which in 1989 won the European Champions Cup.

In news from volleyball, in Golden League Group B, after the first two fixtures, the women's teams of Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia each have one win and one defeat, putting them on an equal footing. Romania lost at home to Slovakia, then defeated the Czech Republic away from home. On Thursday, Romania is playing the Czech Republic at home. In the men's competition, in Group A, Romania is fourth-paced with 1 win away from home against last year's vice-champions, Turkey, and two defeats, to Portugal and Denmark. Romania will play the next three fixtures at home, against Turkey in Brașov on Saturday, then against Denmark next Wednesday, and on June 18 against Portugal.

Next week Romania is hosting the Under-20 World Polo Championships in Otopeni, near Bucharest. Teams from 20 countries are taking part in the competition. Romania was drawn in Group E alongside New Zelanad and Peru. Alexandru Matei, the chairman of the Romanian Polo Federation, believes Romania can rank among the competition's top 8 teams. According to World Aquatics representative Gabor Karpati, we can expect the newly built swimming complex in Otopeni to even host a seniors' event in the future. (VP)