What the newspapers say: April 10, 2008

Romania’s private RoyalFit clinic offers cheap growing hormone treatments for athletes unlike other European countries, one newspaper reads on Thursday. As local elections are coming closer, Romanian President Traian Basescu starts campaigning through local televisions. Also on the political stage, if neither Liberals nor Democrat Liberals want to associate their name with Social Democrats at central level, across the country things are quite the contrary.

Evenimentul Zilei reads that Romania’s private clinic RoyalFit offers at cheap prices and without any previous conditions, growth hormone injections. The newspaper quotes a Daily Mail article which argues that while in European countries such practices are strictly regulated and restricted, Romania offers them almost free.

The treatment can be purchased at 9820 euro and is conducted in a former sportsman’s clinic. Eugen Dunca promotes this treatment on his website. Moreover, it seems that this treatment cannot be traced by medical investigations.

The treatment is considered the most modern and ‘clean’ doping in sports, National Anti Doping Agency president Gratiela Vajaiala declared. However, world anti-doping agency president John Fahey argued that all athletes will be tested and the treatment can be traced due to new tests available.

Daily Mail journalists quoted by Evenimentul Zilei read that in England, unlike in Romania, it is impossible to have access to growth hormones unless one is ill and needs them to in order to recover. However, they admit that the black market is flourishing.

Also in the news today, President Traian Basescu has slowly started to increase his TV appearances, in an attempt to boost his party’s image, Cotidianul informs. Basescu has been very personal and talking a lot about his personal life.

The newspaper reads that in a recent TV show he bragged a lot, arguing that he considers himself a regional leader as he is a trustworthy leader and a friend of other world leaders. Thus, Basescu talked about his home pets, two talking parrots, three dogs and a bunny.

Since elections are imminent, Basescu endorsed the candidacy of his party, Democrat Liberal’s representative Vasile Blaga, but he did not forget to defend current Bucharest Mayor against recent attacks from the opposition.

Moreover, he also talked about the NATO Summit and pointed out several informal talks he had with American President George W. Bush about local politics and the Black Sea. Basescu revealed that he told Bush that the Black Sea has the same significance as Texas has for his counterpart.

Still on the local political stage, Social Democratic tycoons in the country are tempted by both Liberals and Democrat Liberals to join their party, Gandul informs. If centrally neither Liberals nor Democrat Liberals accept any association with Social Democrats, things are completely different in the country.

As local elections are imminent, politicians are searching for the best political strategies that would assure their success. Thus, several controversial and important names opt to leave PSD in order to join the Liberals or Democrat Liberals as they consider this way they will have more chances to win elections.