37th edition of the Pigeon Olympiad in Oradea Romania 2022

In about 5 months the time will come that the "opening ribbon" of the 37th Olympiad in Oradea Romania will be cut. The calendar will be set on August 12, an unusual date for pigeon fanciers but maybe this date has more advantages than expected. 
To find out more the Herbots team had a conversation with Mr. Marius Tunduc, the president of the Romanian pigeon fanciers association.

Raf and Jo Herbots together with national chairman Romania Mr. Marius Tunduc

H.T.: "Mr Tunduc, first of all, thank you for making time for us. A question on many pigeon fanciers' lips is, why was this date chosen?"
Let me make it clear that we did not rush to set this date.
First of all, the Olympiad has already been changed twice due to Corona measures. As organizers, we wanted to avoid a third date change and therefore August was designated as the ideal month to organize this international event. Nobody knows what the upcoming winter period will bring. Will the virus be kept under control or will there perhaps be an outbreak and will certain measures be reintroduced? 
Secondly, the summer gives us the opportunity to organize as many outdoor activities as possible. Normally, the temperature during this period is about 30 degrees, which is ideal to organize outdoor events. 
Thirdly, this Olympiad is the first big international event in pigeon racing after 2 years of Corona. Ideal to fraternize and if we can do this as much as possible "outdoors", this has nothing but advantages.

H.T.: "All well and good, but in the month of August fanciers still race with their pigeons.
Yes...we fully realize that. But as said before, after the second cancellation, we chose for certainty. Romania counts 15,000 fanciers and as you may know, the youngsters are less important than for the fanciers in Belgium and the Netherlands. Also fanciers from surrounding countries like Poland, Hungary, Slovakia etc... attach less importance to the youngsters and that's why we expect a lot of visitors from these countries.

H.T.: "Why was Oradea chosen?"
Oradea is a city located in the northwestern part of the country, about 10 km from Bors, one of the most important border crossings on the Romanian border with Hungary, and at the same time one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in western Romania
Did you know that Oradea holds the title of "Best Art Nouveau Destination in Europe". In 2nd place in this ranking is Budapest and in 3rd place Barcelona. If that is not a trump card to get the partner of the pigeon fancier to come along, we don't know what is. 
Oradea has a hotel accommodation of 10,000 beds, is known for its pleasant squares with ditto restaurants and cafes. 
Very importantly, we have the full support of the city government. For example, during the weekend of the Olympiad, a concert with famous singers will be organized on the central village square. A great atmosphere and ideal for non-pigeon fanciers to get to know our beautiful hobby.

H.T. "Is Oradea easy to reach?"
Orodea has its own airport but also through other airports Orodea is easily accessible. Debrecen International Airport is a 1-hour drive away and Budapest Airport is a 2.5-hour drive from Orodea.

H.T.: "What does the program look like? "

From the start we have chosen an extensive and attractive program. 

Thursday 11 August 
there will be a guided visit to the city of Oradea for the international visitors. Super interesting, really worthwhile! In the evening the "welcome dinner" will take place.

Friday 12th of August 
there will be the official opening of the 37th Olympiad and the F.C.I. congress will take place. Afterwards there is the Olympiad Ceremony and the presentation of World Best Pigeon and Olympiad Trophies will take place during an outdoor event.

Saturday 13 August
Possibility to visit the numerous stands during the fair and in the evening there is a "Frienship Banquet".

Sunday 14 August
Closing ceremony of the Olympiad

All information about the upcoming Olympiad can be found on the website Olympiad.ro

H.T.: “Thanks for all this information and we will certainly inform our visitors as much as possible about the upcoming Olympiad”