Over 290 judokas from 23 countries in Bucharest World Cup
Over 290 judoka from 23 countries will take part in the 2009 edition of the men’s Judo World Cup. The tournament takes place from June 6 to June 7 within Bucharest’s Polivalenta Hall. Romania will enter the competition with 44 judokas, the most numerous foreign delegations being those of the Ukraine (21 athletes), Republic of Moldova (20 athletes), France (18 athletes), Egypt (14 athletes) and Brazil (14 athletes). Florin Lascau, the secretary general of the Romanian Judo Federation, also noticed during a press conference the presence of athletes from North Korea (10), a country in which Judo is a very developed sport. In 2009 Romania hosts the world’s third international Judo tournament after the European Kata Championship and the Petrom Cup in Ploiesti. Lascau opined that this World Cup tournament will reveal the current level of men’s Judo and will give junior judokas the chance to get noticed in view of the 2012 Olympic Games. Marius Vizer, the President of the International Judo Federation, has confirmed his presence within the Polivalenta Hall on Saturday. Octavian Bellu, Secretary of State with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, has underlined that some of the important international competitions hosted by Romania, such as the European Weightlifting Championship and the European Kata Championship, did not enjoy adequate media coverage and attendance.
CFR Cluj’s Alvaro Pereira signs for FC Porto
CFR Cluj has announced on its official website that it has transferred Uruguayan player Alvaro Pereira to Portugal’s FC Porto, Agerpres informs. ‘Alvaro Pereira was transferred from CFR 1907 Cluj to FC Porto on Thursday, June 4. The Uruguayan player had offers from three very important European clubs but his desire was to leave for Porto’ the communiqué reads. The transfer was confirmed by FC Porto. The team has set a contract canceling clause of EUR 20 M. Pereira has signed a five-year contract set to expire on June 30, 2014. The transfer totaled EUR 4.5 M, with FC Porto buying 80 per cent of the rights for the Uruguayan player.