“We closed hotels for much less. The pictures of helplessness speak for themselves”

Host of the Olympic teams in the last decades, in the camps held on the Coast before the big competitions, Hotel Sport in Constanța was temporarily closed by the Consumer Protection.

The establishment located in the center of the city, right on the seashore, did not pass the control test carried out by the team led by the deputy chief commissioner of ANPC, Horia Constantinescu. What do the inspectors say they found? A long series of deficiencies that have accumulated over the years and have not been fixed.

Outdated furniture, unsanitized carpets, walls with exfoliation of plaster and paintwork, bathrooms with marginal deposits of limestone, dirt in the joints around unsanitized tubs and in the metal parts the presence of rust spots, damaged mirrors, ventilation grills with excessive presence of dust, bed mattresses without protective covers, air conditioner screens unhygienic, the upper parts of the furniture with dust deposits, used towels, the carpeting in the hallways and the staircase worn unhygienic and in some places damaged.

And it is not only the case of the Sport Hotel, with the Tomis Sports Complex, another sports facility in Constanța, also temporarily closed. The control comes only a week after the same measure was taken in the case of Sport Restaurant. All structures are administered by the Constanța County Sports Directorate, the local representative of the National Sports Agency.

Horia Constantinescu, high-level accusations: “The images of impotence speak for themselves”

Known for the harsh way in which he communicates, Horia Constantinescu attacked at a high level, accusing those in the country's leadership for the situation in which Romanian sport is.

“Even if we had passed into law that we want to mock the future of this country, we would not have succeeded so well. Call it what you will, disclosure or public warning, I simply call it: sad reality.

What is happening to Romanian sport is a shame. Even Cinderella would have been treated with more respect. In the story, the prince finds her and everything ends happily. With us, the prince left with another, and Cinderella, waiting for him, aged until she became unrecognizable.

I closed hotels for much less. The images of helplessness speak for themselves. Other sports bases are in the same sorry state, if we can call them that.

Education and sports should be the nursery of tomorrow's society. But, unfortunately, for those in charge today, the future no longer seems a priority”, accused the deputy chief commissioner of the ANPC.

Strong reaction from the ANS

The main explanation for the problems faced by DJST Constanța is the underfunding from the center. More precisely, the budget offered by Bucharest is insufficient for the maintenance of sports facilities, and there can be no question of investments. The president of ANS, Constantin Bogdan Matei, however, had a completely different opinion, considering that the leadership in the territory is to blame.

“Why are her managers still staying, if they are not able to make their own income? If they don't go home, we send them. I am aware of the whole situation in Constanța, very, very poor management. If they don't fix their problems, they go home, the poor central income excuse no longer holds. Let them look at the number of employees at DJTS, too many compared to what you achieve”, said the head of ANS. He revealed that a control was recently carried out in Constanța, and the final report is to be made public.

Money only for rags

Appointed a year ago, the current director of DJST Constanța, Marian Țuțuianu, explained why this situation was reached.

“I only have enough money to pay the utilities and do the cleaning. Where does the money come from? Hotel prices are very low, according to ministerial order 436 of 2023. At Hotel Sport, which is considered three stars, the price is 40 lei per night per person. At the Tomis Sports Complex, the rent is 60 lei per hour, and we provide water, electricity, all utilities. And many clubs don't even pay on time, I struggle to recover the money.

Theoretically, it is a subsidized price, and ANS should give us the difference of 60 lei, but we do not receive this money. With what money should we make investments? Under these conditions, we managed to keep the sports bases alive”, declared the director of DJST Constanța, who confessed that he is willing to quit: “I am also resigning tomorrow. Let them find someone else who will bring more money!”.

Long term disaster

The situation of the entire sports infrastructure in Constanța is disastrous, after no investments have been made for years. The Badea Cârțan Sports Complex and Triunghi Base are non-functional, the Sports Hall faces major problems and does not meet many European standards. After the retirement of one of the best local sports managers, Elena Frîncu, in 2012, DJST Constanța's involvement in sports on the Coast began to decline.

The institution's budget decreased more and more, several directors were changed, some being appointed on strictly political criteria, and the sports facilities continued to degrade. The long-awaited reform aimed at decentralizing and moving these departments within the county councils did not happen, so the only sources of funding remained the budget provided by the ANS and own revenues from the rental of sports bases.

The institution's budget decreased more and more, several directors were changed, some being appointed on strictly political criteria, and the sports facilities continued to degrade. The long-awaited reform aimed at decentralizing and moving these departments within the county councils did not happen, so the only sources of funding remained the budget provided by the ANS and own revenues from the rental of sports bases.

We had an audit from ANS on the efficiency of the use of public money, and the results were good!

– Marian Țuțuianu, DJST director